Thousands of women say their breast implants give them rashes, brain fog, and chronic fatigue

• Thousands of women say their breast implants made them sick with rashes, chronic pain, hair loss, and inflammation. They call this condition "breast implant illness."
• Doctors are studying the possible link between breast implants and rheumatologic conditions.
• Some women have moved to get their implants removed, and say they notice a marked improvement in their health. But many women can't afford the removal procedure.

Soon after getting breast implants, Debbie Andrews was diagnosed with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic migraines. After weathering painful symptoms for two decades, Andrews decided to have her implants removed in July 2019.

She says she felt better as soon as she woke up from surgery.

"I said, 'Oh, my God. I can breathe.'"

Andrews, who recently appeared on an episode of A Closer Look by Business Insider Today, is one of tens of thousands of women who say their breast implants made them sick with a condition called breast implant illness.

There are more than 250 Facebook groups, pages, and communities dedicated to supporting women with the issue, according to one advocacy organization's running list. One group alone has more than 96,000 members.

Some plastic surgeons don't put implants in at all anymore, offering only to remove them

A handful of plastic surgeons in the US are refusing to offer breast implants in an effort to protect future patients.

Dr. Jae Chun of Newport Beach, California, is among them. "You can't predict who will have issues and who won't, so I didn't feel comfortable putting them in at all," he previously told Insider.

Dr. David Rankin in Jupiter, Florida, has appointments lined up until 2021 for women who want their breast implants removed. He does not put implants in at all anymore.

"I see improvement in greater than 90% of my patients. Some of it is subjective, some of it is evidence-based with improving lab function tests," Rankin told Insider.

He said he's seen the severe rashes and allergic reactions some patients have go away in the days following their explant.

Chun, Rankin, and other explant-only surgeons said they haven't suffered a significant loss of business after eliminating their implant offerings.

Chun said his explant business has successfully replaced his implant business. He's certain he's removed the breast implants that various surgeons in his area have implanted, and that he's even removed a number of implants he put in his own patients years ago.

But not everyone with breast implant-related health problems has the means to visit these doctors and change their lives the way Andrews did.

Some women can't afford surgery to remove painful breast implants

Tracie Mohler got her implants in 2005, and started having chronic pain and rashes two years later.

She quit her job after she started to develop speech problems and regular panic attacks.

"I just felt empty," Mohler told Business Insider Today.

Mohler had scheduled her explant surgery for January. Her estranged husband, who had been working extra shifts to help save, left Mohler three days before Christmas, effectively canceling the procedure. Now, Mohler is saving every penny for an eventual explant surgery.

To manage her pain, she takes seven medications daily.

"I'm swollen every time I wake up," Mohler said.

The world's largest professional plastic surgery organization doesn't have a stance on breast implant illness

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons doesn't have a formal stance on breast implant illness, but ASPS President Dr. Alan Matarasso previously told Insider the organization is "concerned and speaks regularly with the FDA, women's groups, and manufacturers about the potential for implants to cause a myriad of symptoms like joint pain and rashes."

In the meantime, Matarasso said, it's each surgeon's responsibility to decide what's best for patients and to have informed discussions with them about the risks and benefits of any plastic-surgery procedure.

"We don't have an opinion on how surgeons do breast enlargements as long it's safe and in the interest of patients," he said.

In September 2019, a group of ASPS member doctors met with patient advocates to discuss concerns about breast implant safety.

• Read more:
• A woman got breast implants after a breast cancer diagnosis. Then she got cancer linked to the implants.
• Two women have filed a class-action lawsuit against a major breast-implant maker after hundreds of Americans developed a rare cancer linked to implants
• There are 2 types of breast implants, and both come with risks. Here's what you need to know.