Breast Implant Removal: Basics (I) @TheLuJeanFengClinic

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic Linda L. Haas answers questions from patients who have just started researching breast implant removal.

Linda L. Haas is the CEO of the Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Pepper Pike (Cleveland, OH). She has worked with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng for 18 years and is very familiar with Dr. Feng's patient population.

www.fengclinic.com/webinars

updated 8 years ago

Breast Implant Removal: Basics (I)

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-08-01 | Linda L. Haas answers questions from patients who have just started researching breast implant removal.

Linda L. Haas is the CEO of the Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Pepper Pike (Cleveland, OH). She has worked with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng for 18 years and is very familiar with Dr. Feng's patient population.

www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Breast Implant Illness - WKYC Interview September 2019

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2019-10-01 | CLEVELAND DOCTOR TREATS WOMAN WITH SEVERE BREAST IMPLANT ILLNESS
Dr. Lu-Jean Feng Pushes to Make Breast Implant Illness a Recognized Diagnosis

Reports of breast implant illness continue to grow. It's not a recognized medical diagnosis, but at least one doctor thinks its very real. See the full WKYC, Monica Robins interview.
A recent news segment reported by WKYC’s Monica Robins highlighted a local women’s health struggles with toxic breast implants and Dr. Lu-Jean Feng who believes that breast implant illness (BII) is a very real diagnosis. Dr. Feng is a board-certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon who has her own outpatient surgery/health and wellness center in Pepper Pike. She has been devoted to helping women with BII for more than 30 years.

Thousands of women are self-reported sufferers of the unrecognized medical diagnosis, breast implant illness. One of these women, Jill Stutin Gresham, never imagined the implants, used to reconstruct her breasts after breast cancer, would make her incredibly sick. Jill suffered from severe gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, chest pain, rashes, neurological and hormonal issues, labored breathing, vision problems, inflammation and pain. Her symptoms were so diverse that most doctors refused to attribute them to implants, except for Dr. Lu-Jean Feng.

"These symptoms are very typical for patients with breast implant illness," Dr. Feng says.

When Jill heard about the symptoms of breast implant illness from one of many Facebook groups, she learned she wasn't alone. It was there she learned about local plastic surgeon, Dr. Lu-Jean Feng and scheduled a consultation appointment.

Dr. Lu-Jean Feng is one of a few doctors who understands and treats breast implant illness. She has removed thousands of implants from women and says this diagnosis is not new, reporting that BII has been described in one form or another since the 1960s. She has determined that symptoms may vary based on the patient’s genetic makeup and predispositions, and Jill’s case was one of the most severe she has seen. Dr. Feng has seen patients from every state in the U.S. and from more than 38 countries around the world who have experienced breast implant illness.

Removal of implants is an extremely delicate and potentially dangerous surgery. It involves removing not only the implants, but the scar capsules that encase them and is connected to the chest wall. The majority of Dr. Feng’s patients have shown significant improvement in health after the surgery. Jill was no exception. Her vision and breathing improved almost immediately after her explant surgery in September 2019, and she continues to show signs of improved health. Dr. Feng, who takes a holistic approach to healing, also instructed Jill to quit smoking, clean up her diet, and take the appropriate vitamins and supplements to help her body fight back.

Jill consulted with a dozen doctors that told her BII doesn't exist. She allowed WKYC to share her story because she wants other women to know that if they're not believed, to keep trying. Dr. Feng agrees.

"When somebody tells you it's in your head, that means they don't understand the problem and shame on them." Dr. Feng says.

Dr. Feng is currently working on several research studies investigating the integrity of breast implants. Most recently, she has been collaborating with a team of doctors at University Hospitals of Cleveland doing research on defining breast implant illness and pulmonary improvement following removal of implants and capsules.

To learn more about Dr. Lu-Jean Feng and her holistic approach to surgery and healing, visit www.fengclinic.com and www.fengfitfoods.com or call 216-831-7007.

Welcome to The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-11-22 | Dr. Lu-Jean Feng and CEO Linda L. Haas take you on a tour of The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic.

What Is Cryotherapy?

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-11-07 | Cryotherapy is exposure to subzero temperatures. Extreme cold stimulates skin sensors, activating a central nervous system response. This causes the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain inhibitors and mood elevators, while the enhanced circulation activity, decreasing inflammation, and stimulates the immune system. Treatments have been adopted by elite athletes and pro teams across the world for muscle and injury recovery. Patients experience benefits of this therapy in as little as one 1-4 minute session.

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - Detoxification - Full Webinar

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-08-16 | Dr. Lu-Jean Feng explains different detoxification methods for patients who are symptomatic in relationship to their breast implants.

Excerpt taken from her webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? IV

Webinar archive: www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Can I Detox If I Have Interstitial Cystitis?

Detoxing: Breast Implant Rupture vs. Intact Breast Implant

Will I Need Supplements To Detox?

Dr. Lu-Jean Feng Addresses Mold in Breast Implants

Will I Recover From Breast Implant Illness Without Lymph Node Removal?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.s Detoxification Philosophy

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-08-15 | Excerpt taken from her webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? IV

Webinar archive: www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - Are Anti-Fungals Necessary?

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-08-15 | Dr. Lu-Jean Feng explains different detoxification methods for patients who are symptomatic in relationship to their breast implants.

Excerpt taken from her webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? IV

Webinar archive: www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - IV Glutathione and Detox

Infrared Sauna After Explantation

MTHFR and Breast Implants

Breastfeeding With Implants

Can I Detox Before My Explantation?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - Ionic Foot Bath Detoxification

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - Cryotherapy

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-08-15 | Dr. Lu-Jean Feng explains how cryotherapy could aid in the detoxification of a symptomatic patient.

Excerpt taken from her webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? IV

Webinar archive: www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Breast Implant Removal: Basics (II)

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-08-04 | Linda L. Haas continues her discussion and answers questions from patients who have just started researching breast implant removal.

Linda L. Haas is the CEO of the Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Pepper Pike (Cleveland, OH). She has worked with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng for 18 years and is very familiar with Dr. Feng's patient population.

www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - Contracture and Explantation Aesthetics

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-06-17 | Excerpt taken from Dr. Lu-Jean Feng's webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? III

Stream the full webinar here: youtu.be/JqzHs8jIz58

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - Fat Transfer and Lumpiness

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-06-16 | Excerpt taken from Dr. Lu-Jean Feng's webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? III

Stream the full webinar here: youtu.be/JqzHs8jIz58

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. - How Many Explant Patients Also Get Mastopexies?

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-06-16 | Excerpt taken from Dr. Lu-Jean Feng's webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? III

Stream the full webinar here: youtu.be/JqzHs8jIz58

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Breast Implant Removal Aesthetics - Full Webinar

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-06-15 | Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? III - Full Webinar

Featuring Lu-Jean Feng, M.D. and Linda L. Haas

Transcript:

Linda L. Haas
Good afternoon. Welcome to our webinar today, titled Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? Hi! I’m Linda Haas, CEO of The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. I’m here today with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng, world renown microvascular plastic and reconstructive surgeon, to explore this topic one more time. This is a very controversial subject but today we’ll take a look at the aesthetics behind the removal of breast implants and ensuring that the breasts look satisfactory. With that, I’ll introduce you to Dr. Lu-Jean Feng.

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Good afternoon! Good afternoon. So good to be here. I can’t wait to hear all of your questions and to give all the information that I know on the subject.

Linda L. Haas
Dr. Feng, we will start with our first question which is “Aesthetically, what is your biggest challenge with making the breasts look good after explantation?”

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s a very good question. The biggest challenge is how to overcome all the potential damage and deformity created by the implantation. Of course, the bigger challenge is when the implant has been in for quite some time. The shorter the implant has been in, the easier it is to correct it.

Linda L. Haas
Dr. Feng, another question: “What causes denting after explantation surgery?”

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Denting is from lack of tissue, so you can dent because the muscle is thinner, you could dent because there’s an area where the tissue is thinner. So those are the reasons for permanent dents. I can say this: ever since I started repairing the muscle, the muscle thinness does disappear more quickly- or the dent on the chest wall does disappear more quickly.

Linda L. Haas
Ok. Another question came in: “If my implants are under the muscle, does that mean that the muscle has been cut? If so, is that a problem?”

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
When your implants are under the muscle you have to cut the muscle to get the implants in. When the muscle cut is very short, and less muscle is disturbed, there is less disturbance of function and less thinning of the muscle. If the muscle cut is much bigger, meaning that you are trying to fit a fairly large implant into a smaller person they have to cut the muscle in order to make it look right. So frequently I have seen muscle cut much higher and so when you take out the implants of a breast who’s muscle has been cut there is greater deformity and unless you repair the muscle the deformity will persist. - Meaning that you’re going to see the ribs, and the breast bone and the ribs-more in the central area when you lay down, you’ll see that skeletonization. You’ll see an emptiness as you lose the natural cleavage area. So, the volume in the breasts is not just the breast volume, its also muscle volume. So, when you replace the muscle volume the breasts look better, even though you have a smaller breast. That’s part of the reconstruction of the explanted breasts- a very important part of the reconstruction. - All it is, all it is... can we return the anatomy to the previous breast tissue.

Linda L. Haas
Very good, thank you. [inaudible] Can the chest wall be indented by the implants?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s right. Well, let’s back up a little bit and say, well how does the- why is the muscle thinner? Well, first of all, when you cut the muscle, part of the lower part of the muscle doesn't work. Ok, when the muscle doesn’t work, because it’s been cut, its going to get thinner through no usage. Just like if I cut your biceps tendon, do you think you could lift any objects? Could you do a biceps curl? Of course not, you’re going to feel weaker, and when you feel weaker, and you stop using it the muscle will get thinner. That’s one reason. Second reason: the implant also stretches out the muscle fibers when the implants are placed under the muscle. When you stretch out the muscle fibers its not going to perform in the same way because your resting tension length is changed. I know that from my days as a microvascular surgeon and we do muscle transplantation that the resting muscle length is going to determine how well the muscle performs. So, in other words, if you put an implant underneath the biceps muscle its going to make that biceps muscle weaker and as it gets weaker its going to thin out because the muscle needs constant usage to maintain its bulk. Does that make sense to you?

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Breast Implants and Symptoms

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Is There A Connection Between Lyme Disease and Breast Implant Illness?

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Is Capsule Removal Always Necessary?

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Do You Perform Breast Augmentation With Implants?

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-04-27 | Excerpt taken from Dr. Lu-Jean Feng's Webinar Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? II

Featured in this video is Lu-Jean Feng, M.D., Medical Director at The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic and Linda L. Haas, Director of Operations at The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The complete webinar (50+ minutes) is available for streaming on our website.

www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Transcript

Linda L. Haas
Do you put implants in yourself, to this day when patients come to you inquiring about augmentation?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
I have totally stopped putting implants in people because I believe that eventually everyone will have problems with these implants, and some of these problems are not easily reversible. Whenever a cosmetic procedure and cause health problems it is not worth the risk. Cosmetic procedures are meant to improve the quality of life, so if the quality of life can be destroyed by a cosmetic procedure it is not worth doing.

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Breast Implants and Foreign Body Reaction

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Saline vs. Silicone Breast Implants

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Choosing An Explant Surgeon

Lu Jean Feng, M.D. - Mold and Detoxification - Breast Implant Removal

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2016-04-26 | Excerpt taken from Dr. Lu-Jean Feng's Webinar Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? II

Featured in this video is Lu-Jean Feng, M.D., Medical Director at The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic and Linda L. Haas, Director of Operations at The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. The complete webinar (50+ minutes) is available for streaming on our website.

www.fengclinic.com/webinars

Transcript:

Linda L. Haas
Good afternoon. Welcome to our webinar, Breast Implants: Are They Worth The Risk? part two. This is a continuation of a topic that was started by Dr. Lu-Jean Feng several weeks ago. We will continue the c!onversation.!
Hi! I’m Linda Haas, the Director of Operations and CEO of The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve worked with Dr. Feng for the past eighteen years and together we have experienced and help a lot of women who have had problems with both silicone and saline breast implants. There’s no one better to share her experience and expertise in this area than Dr. Lu-Jean Feng, a graduate of Yale and Yale M!edical School, a very brilliant surgeon... so let’s get started. Dr. Feng: I’ll turn the seminar over to you.

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Good afternoon! Hello everybody. I really cherish the opportunity to speak to all of you concerning this very important subject. So, let me hear your first question, Linda.

Linda L. Haas
We have many questions that have come in from all over the world including Australia, Canada and the United States. We have a number of participants today, I hope you find this very informative and educational.
Dr. Feng, the first subject matter that we’ll discuss this afternoon involves detoxification and mold. This seems to be a very important topic and something that is on the minds of many women who have breast implants because of the controversy involved. Why does one plastic surgeon have a high rate of patients who they see who has mold in or on their implants and you rarely see this in your practice?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
That’s a very good question. I can’t comment on one plastic surgeon’s experience, but in general there are very few plastic surgeons that see mold. And certainly in my own experience of thousands of implants, explantations since the early nineties I don’t see, ever see any mold except in one case in the late nineteen nineties. So I’m very familiar with the clinical picture of mold infection, but for the thousands of other cases I don’t see that.

Linda L. Haas
Thank you. Another question that was offered: How do you ensure patients that they don’t have mold in or on their implants?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
Well, first of all we are very careful in preserving the implants during removal and after the removal through and en bloc procedure where you have the implant and capsule coming out at the same time I have my nurse photograph right on the operating room table and then we cut open the capsule and really carefully look at the implant to see how clear the contents are, whether there are any black spots. Any black spots on the implant, in the actual valve itself, has been analyzed and these have been mostly actually components of blood, believe it or not. Then it is photographed and sent to an outside pathology firm to have it examined- especially the capsule. And so we are very familiar and certainly the pathologists are very familiar with the histomorphological picture of mold and so far they have not seen it, I certainly have not seen this since that one case in the late ninety nineties.

Linda L. Haas
Thank you. Another question regarding the same topic: Do you test the implants specifically for mold and fungus and if not, why not?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
We absolutely test specifically for any microorganism, whether it be fungus, bacteria [as well as] cancer. This is where the pathology is so important because your pathology examines your response to the implant, so if there is mold present there would be tell tale signs of that. Meaning there will be granulomatous formation, epitheliod cells, eosynaphils, but these are highly unusual. We see mostly lymphocytes, plasmacytes- these are all immune responses to a foreign body.

Linda L. Haas
Thank you. Another question: Do you think it’s necessary to send the implants and capsules to Dr. [Pierre] Blais in Ottawa Canada for further analysis?

Lu-Jean Feng, M.D.
The capsules in my practice are sent to a pathologist who is very experienced at reading capsular pathology. Now, Dr. Blais is a biomaterials PhD engineer. He has a lot of experience and knowledge regarding implants. If you need more information on the implants, then I would send it to him, but since most people are more concerned about their own response, their own reaction, and what is happening to their body I think the capsular pathology will be most important.

This Woman Had Her Breast Implants Removed — How Does She Feel Now?

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2015-10-14 | Dr. Lu-Jean Feng removed this woman's breast implants en bloc five months ago. Hear how she's doing.

Live Removal of a Breast Implant and Its Capsule, Otherwise Known as the “En Bloc” Technique

The Lu-Jean Feng Clinic 2014-12-12 | Dr. Lu-Jean Feng takes us into the OR as she carefully removes both breast implants and capsules from a woman who had experienced capsular contracture with accompanying nerve issues resulting from the implants