Dr. Robert Whitfield is a plastic surgeon specializing in breast explant surgery. He joins me today to talk about why one might need to explant and if so, how to prepare for the best outcome. He also discusses the testing he has performed on explants and his findings. Symptoms that could indicate breast implant illness Fatigue or brain fog Cognitive decline Hair loss Anxiety and/or depression Joint or muscle pain Menstrual cycle problems Recurrent BV (Bacterial Vaginosis) Guest Bio: Dr. Robert Whitfield is an experienced, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. He completed six years of surgical training at Indiana University Medical Center. He remained at the Indiana University Medical Center to complete his Plastic Surgery Residency and at the completion, he chose to gain additional training in Microsurgery and Aesthetic Surgery by completing a one-year Fellowship in Las Vegas, Nevada under Dr. William Zamboni.  He is an Active Member American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and the American Medical Association.  Dr. Whitfield focuses on providing clients with nutritional guidance, nutraceutical advice, personal genetic predisposition screening, and non-invasive, minimally invasive, and surgical options for treatments all over the body.  He has completed over 4000 breast procedures since 2004 including over 500 implant removals.  He has the largest series of explant specimens with PCR testing. While serving as the President-Elect of the Research Foundation he gave testimony at the FDA hearings in 2019 regarding BII. Dr. Whitfield’s Philosophy Statement Choosing to have surgery is a major life choice. Dr. Whitfield has personally been involved in helping make decisions about surgery since 1992 when his sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Each patient has to know the risks and benefits so they can make an informed decision. With the proper plan and meticulous attention to detail, each patient has the best opportunity for a successful outcome in his hands. Patient safety is incredibly important to him and at the forefront of each surgical decision. After spending so many years training and practicing he only tries to provide the safest and most appropriate surgical care.  In This Episode: A problem associated with textured implants. (12:30) Why fat transfer is a better option than an implant for reconstruction after a mastectomy. (15:00) Breast implant illness causes a lot of inflammation. (16:10) How to know if you need to have your breast implants removed. (17:47) The necessary tests to ascertain whether someone has breast implant illness. (19:20) What breast implant illness is. (20:03) Why patients may suffer from breast implant illness. (20:14) What an en-bloc capsulectomy is, and why it’s crucial to have it done by a surgeon who specializes in explants. (25:39) How a patient can know if they have had silicon toxicity. (37:37) Whether or not silicone can leach into patients’ bodies over time and cause silicone toxicity. (40:02) The difference between silicone and saline implants. (41:16) What a functional medicine approach to pre-op planning for an explant includes. (44:20) How patients can be helped through the change after having their implants removed. (49:41)   Dr. Robert Whitfield’s quotes: “I am very critical of both my patients’ diets and their hormone status.” “The DNA company has a special program using AI to look for what’s called indels. Unlike SNPs, which are spelling errors, this looks for an entire paragraph of the missing code.” “Everybody’s probably familiar with an easter egg that has the candy in it. So, you don’t want to crack the shell of the easter egg when you’re taking out the implant because maybe the candy in the middle is bad for you. Or it’s leaking silicone gel.” “I’m a micromanager of everything that goes in the body before and after surgery because that’s the way I get the best recoveries.” Li