A health and wellness coach has opened up about the horrific side effects that she says she suffered as a result of getting breast implants – from depression and anxiety to a total loss of libido – which she says were completely cured after she had them removed.
Safia Berrada, 27, from Miami, Florida, got 650cc breast implants in August 2017, having always wanted larger boobs to complete her enviable figure.
For the first few months after the surgery, Safia was thrilled with her new look – and the new-found confidence that she gained as a result of her enhanced chest, as well as the extra attention she received from her friends and social media followers.
However, around three months after she got her implants, the health coach says she began to struggle with a series of new health issues, including chronic anxiety and depression, and serious fatigue that left her so exhausted she was struggling to get through her typical workout routine.
She also began to experience heart palpitations, nausea and a decreased libido, all symptoms that she hadn’t battled before.
Then and now: A health coach has shared her struggle with suspected breast implant illness (BII), which she says left her with a host of health issues until she had them removed
Battle: Safia Berrada, 27, from Miami, underwent surgery to increase her chest size in August 2017, when she had 650cc implants in order to boost her natural assets
Shock: While she enjoyed her enhanced chest for a few months, Safia (seen after her explant) soon began experiencing several health struggles, including chronic anxiety and depression
Safia also began to struggle with the size of her implants – admitting that her larger breasts didn’t fit in with her incredibly active lifestyle, which saw her new feelings of confidence disappear, something that was further exacerbated by her anxiety.
While she struggled to understand where these feelings were coming from, Safia says she tried her best to embrace them and continued trying to live her best life.
As time progressed, she noticed more symptoms including weight gain, vertigo, fever, chills, muscle weakness, and even hair loss.
‘I liked my breast implants at first, but then I grew to hate the way they looked,’ said Safia.
‘They were very big and did not fit my personality and lifestyle. They looked fake and I felt like I was more confident before the implants.
‘About three to six months after getting the implants I started to notice that I wasn’t feeling right. I was dealing with shortness of breath.
‘Other symptoms I had included anxiety, extreme fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, vertigo, fever, chills, muscle weakness, temperature intolerance and sensitivity to light.
‘I also experienced hair loss, a choking feeling, ringing in my ears, decreased libido, mood swings, sharp pains in my breasts, inflammation, weight gain, heart palpitations and night sweats.
‘For several years I had been dealing with extreme amounts of anxiety beneath the surface of my smile and positive uplifting energy. I was so confused as to where these feelings were coming from and why they were happening to me.
‘I embraced them as my “normal” and continued to live my life the best way I could, but the signs were right in front of me all along.
It wasn’t until earlier this year when one of her friends had her implants removed, quoting exactly the same symptoms that Safia was experiencing, that she began to realize that her health problems could well be related to her breast implants.
With and without: Safia didn’t initially connect her medical struggles to her breast implants – and she initially tried to deal with all of her symptoms, treating them as her new ‘normal’
Symptoms: It was only when a friend told Safia that she’d had her breast implants taken out after suffering from many of the same issues that the health coach began investigating BII
Treatment: In January, Safia made the decision to undergo an explant surgery and have her breast implants removed – and she says her symptoms began receding almost immediately
She began to investigate breast implant illness on Instagram and online – and was shocked to see that there were many other women experiencing exactly the same, or very similar, symptoms.
As soon as she realized her implants were the cause of her symptoms, she called her doctor and was connected with a surgeon – Dr. David Rankin – who specialized in explant procedures.
She had her breast implants removed on January 25, 2021 and feels like she’s got her life back. Her symptoms have receded and now she says if she had done more research before the decision, she never would have gotten breast implants.
Following the explant procedure, she had comments from friends and followers saying that she was glowing and had made a good decision to remove them, with many people noticing that she looked healthier and happier without the implants.
‘Earlier this year I started doing research using the #breastimplantillness and #BII tags on Instagram and was shocked to read the countless women’s testimonials and hear of the similar symptoms they were experiencing.’
Breast implant illness is not currently recognized as an official medical diagnosis – however the term is widely used to describe women who start to suffer with the same, or similar, symptoms to Safia after getting implants.
For some people, these symptoms start immediately whereas for others they can take years to develop, and some people never experience them at all.
There is currently no formal way of diagnosing or identifying BII. The FDA has released a statement saying that the organization is ‘taking steps to better characterize [BII] and its risk factors’ – however there has not yet been any official information given about how to diagnose it, or what causes the symptoms.
Overjoyed: Safia shared, ‘When my implants were finally removed I was very happy – the first words that came out of my mouth when I woke up from surgery were “implant free”‘
Warning: She is now sharing her story in the hopes of increasing awareness about breast implant illness – which is currently not recognized as an official medical diagnosis
Regret: ‘If I had done better research before getting the implants I never would have done it. It would have saved me so much emotional pain, physical pain and financial pain,’ she said
In a lot of cases, but not every case, the symptoms can be eliminated by having the implants and surrounding scar tissue removed.
‘I was lucky enough to find a doctor who specialized in explant procedures, Dr. Rankin,’ continued Safia.
‘I called the doctor’s office as soon as I came to the realization that my implants were the cause of my symptoms.
‘When my implants were finally removed I was very happy – the first words that came out of my mouth when I woke up from surgery were “implant free”.
‘Thanks to my doctor, each day I am feeling more like myself. The first thing I noticed immediately after removing my implants was that I could take a full deep breath.
‘With those two foreign objects, made up of aggressive chemicals that were implanted above my heart and lungs I literally always felt something blocking me from breathing deeply.
‘If I had done better research before getting the implants I never would have done it. It would have saved me so much emotional pain, physical pain and financial pain.
‘When I look back at what I was carrying on my chest for the past four years I’m just blown away, but hey, we live and learn.
‘Following the procedure, people told me that I was glowing and I’ve made a good decision in removing them. Everyone noticed immediately that I looked healthier and happier without the implants.
‘It would be hypocritical of me as a health coach to teach my clients the importance of living a healthy lifestyle if I’m walking around with foreign objects in my body that are comprised of toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
‘I feel so much better. There’s nothing better than natural.’