Breast Implant Illness Expert - Dr. Robert Whitfield, MD, FACS

Doctor Robert Whitfield I'm a board certified plastic surgeon specializing in some of the most forward thinking cosmetic procedures for breast, face and body. I've completed thousands of successful and diverse cosmetic procedures over the past decade of practicing here in Austin, Texas. But what I really want to share with you is something that is not widely spoken about and has become really the focus of my practice. I completed my plastic surgery residency in Indiana where I specialized in plastic surgery for critically ill patients, burn patients and reconstruction for breast cancer patients. Now, as a problem solver, working with cancer patients on their reconstruction gave me purpose. And I followed that purpose when I started practicing here in Austin more than a decade ago. I started my solo practice in 2017 in Austin. Since then I've completed thousands of cosmetic procedures. But one experience, one patient, gave me a deeper purpose. In 2016, a woman came to me wanting a consultation regarding her existing breast implants. After careful consultation, we uncovered that for years she was experiencing chronic fatigue. But now, after meeting with hundreds of breast implant patients like this, they're all in experiencing these symptoms. And she gave me a list including headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, unexplained respiratory problems, hair loss, frequent skin rashes, chronically dry mouth and eyes, poor memory, concentration problems, depression, anxiety and insomnia. The list was surprising, but knowing what I know now, it was clear to me she was suffering from a new condition in the world called breast implant illness, otherwise known as bi. That day before she left my office, we scheduled her explant surgery. A week later we were in the operating room removing her silicone breast implants. And because of my sister who suffered from breast cancer, I knew I had the opportunity to check the area for any residuous cancer cells. After removing each implant and its capsule cultures of the area were taken. At the follow up appointment, I was very happy to report that she had no cancer recurrence. But we were shocked to find she actually had an E. Coli infection. I was able to treat her with antibiotics which accelerated her recover. So in 2019 I actually pioneered using PCR testing protocol for all of my patients during explant surgery to check for low grade infection or micro amounts of bacteria or fungus. With the rising movement of bii, more and more women are coming to me wanting to have their implants removed. Now they're all experiencing some level of brain fog, inflammation, bloating, fatigue and other symptoms that they couldn't connect to any other cause. But what I noticed is that after their explant surgery, they all began to improve, albeit at different time. Periods after their surgery. Since then, I performed more than 700 explant surgeries and become one of the leading surgeons in the country for explant surgery.