More women than ever are getting breast implants. And saline implants are considered to be super safe. But things can go wrong: hardening, scarring, leaking, deflation.
These problems can be bad enough, but now another horrifying complication has been reported: implants black with toxic mold.
Kathryn Gordon's experience all began when she got breast implants at age 21.
"I lived in a beach town," she said. "Literally, if you didn't have them, you bought them."
All was good for seven years. Then she noticed a little bit of joint pain, and her hair started thinning.
When she breast-fed her baby, the child developed a mouth infection.
And Gordon got sicker. She felt exhausted, had severe breast pain, chills, and began slurring her words.
"They'd run a couple of blood tests, but there was nothing they could detect," she said.
"After awhile, I started thinking I was crazy," she says. "I went to bed and I prayed. I said, 'God, please forgive me for what I'm going to do, but take me out of my misery. I'm useless.'"
Finally, in desperation, Gordon saw plastic surgeon Susan Kolb. Kolb urged Gordon to have the implants removed right away. And what she found inside Gordon's chest was horrifying.
The implant had discoloration inside consistent with fungus.
"They were black," Gordon said. "So of course it would make me sick."
Gordon had the implants tested. They were full of dead organisms identified as aspergillus niger and aspergillus fumigatis. In other words, mold. There was also a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
How did it get there?
Implants are shipped to a surgeon deflated, then filled with saline in the operating room. If conditions are not completely sterile, germs could be introduced. That's why the head of plastic surgery at Florida Hospital always makes sure he uses what's called a "closed system" to fill implants.
"We hang an IV bag, and then draw from the syringe through a one-way valve," he said. "Once the tubing is connected to the impant, there's no exposure to air."
Dr. James Baker heads the national committee on breast implants for the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. He said there have been a few cases reported of moldy implants, but that in some office surgery settings, the risk of nonsterile conditions could lead to trouble.
Gordon's doctor said she's seen cases of contaminated implants before. Still, experts like Baker insist it's rare and it has never been proven implants can actually make women sick.
As for Kathryn Gordon, she's recovering from her ordeal, but she thinks women need to be warned and doctors need to be more aware.
"They think it has nothing to do with implants, and a lot of times it does, that's the scary part," she said. "I really think I would have died. I really do!"
In addition to the closed system, hospitals use hepa air filter systems to keep contaminants out of the air -- something that's not required at doctor's offices.
Experts advise patients considering breast implants to ask a lot of questions. Be sure you are dealing with a board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon. Ask if he or she uses a closed system for filling saline implants. And if the surgery is done in the doctor's office, ask to see their hepa air filtration system.
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Video Report: Moldy Breast Implants
