Is Sheyla Hershey, Biggest Breast Implants in the World, in Danger?

Plastic Surgeons like all MD's in the US take the Hippocratic Oath "Primum non nocere" which is the Latin phrase meaning "First do no harm". Unfortunately this patient was harmed by these implants that have undoubtedly cause a traction injury resulting in numb nipples, irreparable stretching of her soft tissues, and the acceleration of aging by gravity and weight ( - a lot of weight !) and the inability to find many clothing styles that will fit her. I suspect that the reason she went out of the country is that she could not find anyone to do this surgery here for good reason.Undoubtedly she will suffer more in the future because of her choice.

Oversized implants can cause trouble over time:  Symptoms of back,neck and shoulder pain.  Severe stretching and sagging. Gravity eventually wins when they are too big. Severe thinning of the breast envelope can occasionally cause implant exposure which necessitates removal. 

This is a good question. While larger implants seem to be "in" at the moment if the implants are too large for your body they can harm the breast over time. The extreme size of the mplants will stretch the skin which leads to thinning of the skin and breast tissue.

This is why it is important to see a board certified plastic surgeon, he or she will help guide you to what implants can safely be accommadated by your breast.

I hope this helps.

We have a good variety of implant sizes and dimensions available in the United States. For patients that want to use larger implant sizes, often they will be disappointed if they don't choose a higher profile implant. There are limits and trade-offs, however, and in no case would I suggest that a patient use an implant that too wide for the breast.For women that do desire higher profile implants, it is important to recognize that this will stretch the tissues more and is expected to cause more relaxation and thinning of the tissues over time, particularly if a person's breast tissues are thin and less supportive. It is likely that revision surgery and/or breast lift would be required more rapidly in such a patient, particularly if such a patient chooses to "downsize" the implant size in the future.For breast implant surgery, it is important to discuss your goals and your implant size choice with an experienced plastic surgeon.Hope this helps.

Beware that bigger is not always better, skin stretches, thins, shows implant ripples, and scars are weaker than skin. Scars and incisions can thin more and open, exposing the implant.  Finally an extremely large implant may become a burden once the enthusiasm wanes. Consider ones body before embarking on such endeavors. 

Yes, as my colleagues have already explained, implants of this magnitude will (and have) caused Ms. Hershey harm. She's had more than 22 surgeries to build her breasts to their current size, and to repair complications from her jumbo implants. At one time she almost died from a staph infection in her breasts and had to have her implants and some breast tissue removed. Sadly, it appears that Ms. Hershey suffers from a body image disorder, and has stated that every time she increases her breast size through surgery, she soon after feels that her breasts are too small and that she needs to go even bigger. Fortunately, most surgeons in the U.S. would not operate on someone with body dysmorphic disorder. We also do not use implants larger than 800 cc in the U.S. This is why Ms. Hershey has traveled abroad for her multiple surgeries.

I am proud that no American plastic surgeon would do his procedure and disappointed that one of our international colleagues acquiesced.  There are many risks that this patient is taking.  They include but are not limited to:  synmastia (uni-boob), implant extrusion (coming out of the skin), necrosis (death) of the nipples), implant infection, and unrelenting pain or chest wall damage.  

I agree that this gives plastic surgery a bad name.

She will have much higher rates of complications in virtually every category. These will eventually require removal and downsizing. I don't think any sane PS would do this.

As stated in all other posts, we as physicians should take the patient's health and well-being into account first and foremost.  It is my hopes that no board certified plastic surgeon would jeopardize these over any patient's desires.  Issues like this have subjected her to increased problems and complications in the future, which are virtually irreparable.

Aside from the obvious reasons (i.e. extreme outward appearance, major limits in activity level, etc.), there are actual medical implications that could occur from choosing an implant this large. First being, pressure necrosis (also known as pressure ulcer/bedsore); these are open wounds that form whenever prolonged pressure is applied to skin. With an implant this large, the skin is likely to experience a great deal of pressure due to the outward projection of the implant. Sensory changes and/or implant exposure are also likely to occur with an implant of this size as the nerves and skin are both being stretched. Lastly, an implant of such great size is likely to contribute to increased strain on the back (i.e. back pain & postural problems). All in all, bigger isn’t necessarily always better and it’s important to have a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon advise you on what size implant would fit your body best.

Professional athletes sacrifice their health every day to perform at the highest level, and Shayla Hershey is doing the same thing.  While her  XXXL bust is not life threatening, as other responders suggest they have many locally deleterious effects over time.  Shayla needs KKK to do her job, is aware of the many associated problems, but believes the advantages of these implants (at least over the short term) for her outweigh the disadvantages.