Dr. Shaher Khan M.D. double board certified plastic surgeon, en-bloc explant specialist and breast implant illness advocate of Executive Plastic Surgery in Novi, Michigan
Explant expert Dr. Shaher Khan explains why flat closure is best option for healthy outcomes
“Breast cancer is a very lucrative situation for medical facilities,” says Dr. Shaher Khan, a double board-certified plastic surgeon based in Novi, Mich. He said treatment is a long road paved with multiple examinations, tests, and procedures starting with a negative mammogram reading and ending with recovery after treatment.
Throughout the process, cancer patients meet with many specialists, including plastic surgeons who join the discussion when mastectomies are required. Dr. Khan says that what women rarely learn from their medical team is that there are options other than breast implants: flat closure and the tissue flap procedure.
With flat closure surgeons close the chest after cancerous tissue is removed. Dr. Khan says this procedure has the least risk with the quickest recovery. “This option requires only the one surgery, the mastectomy, and just follow-up treatment like any post-operative care.”
Second, patients can choose to use tissue from elsewhere on their bodies to reconstruct their breasts. Called autologous tissue reconstruction or tissue-based reconstruction, Dr. Khan says this option lowers the risk associated with breast implant illness (BII). However, it leaves scars from both the tissue removal and the reconstructive surgery, causing risk from two or more surgical incisions.
The last option is breast implants, which carry risks associated with multiple symptoms now linked to the devices, including several cancers and lymphomas. “Implants require the cancer patient to have multiple office visits and procedures before even beginning the reconstructive process,” Dr. Khan says. “Each procedure carries some risk.”
After mastectomies, patients have an expander inserted under their chest. They must return every week or so to have fluid or air added to the empty implant sac to stretch their chest walls enough to accommodate an actual implant.
Because insurance companies pay for implants and the surgeons’ services as part of the cancer treatment, Dr. Khan says most medical facilities steer women toward them. “These visits and procedures bring in a lot of money for hospitals and surgeons,” he said. “Patients are not really given the other choices of flat closure or tissue closure.”
April is Informed Women Month. Dr. Khan is determined women have all the data about breast implants and alternatives so they can make informed decisions regarding their health. Dr. Khan removes the implant, the scar capsule around the implant, and all scar tissue within the chest, called en bloc removal. This is the gold standard that women should seek when having their implants removed.
On March 8, the Federal Drug Administration published an update on its website about the link between implants and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) developing in the scar capsule that forms around breast implants. In fall 2022, the FDA warned about SCC and various lymphomas occurring in the capsules. The federal agency has shared information about the link between implants and Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) since 2011.
If you—or someone you know—is experiencing one of the more than 40 symptoms of BII, such as fatigue, joint pain, headaches, muscle aches and have breast implants, talk to your primary care physician about breast implant illness.
Many symptoms mimic autoimmune disorders such as lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Khan urges women to research the studies that demonstrate the links between implants and illnesses and to share their stories with others. Dr. Khan has a robust and active Facebook group where stories and support are shared. Visit Dr. Khan’s YouTube, Facebook or Instagram channels to stay up to date about BII.
ABOUT EXECUTIVE PLASTIC SURGERY
Dr. Shaher Khan is a Michigan-based plastic surgeon specializing in the en-bloc removal of breast implants. He advocates extensively against the use of implants due to the health risks associated with implants. He is double board certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Board of General Surgery and provides a variety of reconstructive surgeries in his practice. Learn more at ExecutivePlasticSurgery.com
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Breast Cancer survivor and patient of Dr. Shaher Khan of Executive Plastic Surgery shares her journey with Breast Implant Illness and explant surgery.