Why I Regret Choosing Implants After Breast Cancer
We appreciate Cure Today for publishing this must-read by survivor Carol Small, who bravely shares why she regrets choosing breast implants after breast cancer. She details the long-term health impacts she faced including BIA-ALCL, a cancer of the immune system linked to textured implants, along with heart failure and chronic inflammation.
Her story challenges the medical norms that pushed reconstruction without full disclosure of risks. It's a powerful call for informed consent and a reminder that going flat is not just valid, it can be life saving.
Resources & Additional Reading
Cure Today: Why I Regret Choosing Implants After Breast Cancer
Woman shares why she regrets choosing breast implants after breast cancer and how that decision led to devastating health consequences.
Tampa Bay Times: Survivors bring fight over cancer linked to breast implants to Tampa
Tampa Bay Times coverage of BIA-ALCL survivors and the growing movement for FDA accountability.
FDA: BIA-ALCL
Official FDA resource outlining the known risks, symptoms, and diagnosis of BIA-ALCL.
AMA Journal of Ethics: Is the FDA Failing Women?
A searing commentary by Dr. Rita Redberg and Madris Kinard on systemic failures in medical device regulation.
Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA) BIA-ALCL Patient Guide
A clear, patient-centered guide to symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and how to self-advocate.
Not Putting on a Shirt (NPOAS)
A patient-led nonprofit championing “aesthetic flat closure” supporting individuals who choose a smooth, natural-looking chest after mastectomy and demanding it be offered with respect, full consent, and surgical expertise .
The Bleeding Edge (Netflix)
A gripping documentary that investigates the dark side of the medical device industry—including breast implants.
The Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA) is the largest organization of board-certified patient advocates and subject matter experts in the world dedicated to patient and consumer safety relating to breast implants. Representing the millions of individuals worldwide that currently have, had, or are considering breast implants, the alliance is a non-industry funded leading authority dedicated to providing balanced, evidence-based information for informed decision making about breast implant surgery and related issues. Founded in 2019 by women, BISA is a grassroots nonprofit organization led by volunteers who do not receive a salary for their work.
For questions, please contact Jennifer Cook, Director of BIA-ALCL Advocacy. Email her directly at jennifer.cook@bisanonprofit.org.