BOOB HELL
I thought I was dying after my 32G boobs gave me breast implant illness but docs said it was all ‘in my head’
A FORMER glamour model who had 32G breast implants has revealed she was left feeling like she was “going to die” after the surgery.
Malene El Rafaey has opened up about suffering from breast implant illness - a condition that is not medically recognised but hundreds of thousands women say they have it.
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Malene, who has modelled for FHM and Playboy, was tempted to increase her boobs to 32G at the age of 25 as she never felt like they were good enough.
At first, she loved her new chest, but around six years later, she started experiencing some serious health problems.
Speaking on , she said: “I was modelling at the time and for me it was my boobs don’t look good enough for this type of job.
“[After getting the implants] I was having a good time with them and was getting a lot of work.
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“Then I got pregnant and had my first baby, that’s when the symptoms really started.”
Malene said she was unable to get out of bed in the morning and couldn’t work.
She said: “I just slept all day long.
“Body wash, my creams, I could literally have a piece of bread and I would be coming out in a rash. In the end I just stopped eating.
“You think the worst, like I have breast cancer. I’m dying and there’s something wrong with me and I kept telling my doctor.
“Nobody listened to me.”
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Malene said that she felt defeated at the lack of support, especially from doctors, so she turned to the internet for help.
She said: “It wasn’t until a girl on Instagram told me about this group on Facebook and it was like ‘oh my God I have Breast Implant Illness (BII), it’s my implants’.
“There was no doubt in my mind that this is it.”
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Breast Implant Illness is not widely recognised by doctors but numerous women have reported experiencing chronic plain, tiredness, depression, rashes and weight gain after implants.
She decided to sell her jewellery to get her implants removed, but says the difference in her health was instant.
She said: “That brain fog that was sitting on top of my mind was gone. And the rashes literally disappeared before my eyes. It happened right after I had them out.”
I’m dying and there’s something wrong with me and I kept telling my doctor. Nobody listened to me.
Malene El Rafaey
Plastic surgeon Graeme Perks said: “It’s in your head, it’s not in your breasts. There is no proven breast implant illness, it’s a description which people use to describe a number of symptoms.
“Any scientist would tell you if the illness is related to a problem with the silicon, it doesn’t switch off the moment the silicone implant is removed, and so that makes you very suspicious that we don’t know enough about that’s going on.”
Plastic surgeon Ms Roy added: “We do not have a scientific link which proves these are caused by implants.
“This is something globally that needs more search.”
Is Breast Implant Illness real?
Nat's is just one of loads of stories about supposed breast implant illness.
Bikini model Melissa George was almost sectioned after her implants "left her suicidal", while fitness blogger Sia Cooper claimed hers "caused body odour, acne, hair loss and weight gain".
We asked consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS member Naveen Cavale about whether Breast Implant Illness was something more of us should be worried about.
"We went through a phrase in the '90s when America banned silicone implants because there was one case that went successfully through the courts there and it was judged that a woman had developed an autoimmune disease as a result of a breast augmentation...but if you think of all the millions who have had (the surgery), it's clear that there is no increase in autoimmune illnesses in women who have breast implants compared to those who don't," Dr Cavale told The Sun.
He went on to say that silicon is an "inert substance" - it's everywhere.
"Your lipstick and makeup will have it, your shower gel and talc contains silicon, every needle that's injected into you is coated in silicon to make it smooth and easy to insert - so every time you have an injection, you're getting a tiny amount.
"Given how long it's been around for and the fact that we're dealing with it every day, it's safe."
His bottom line?
"(Reactions to boob jobs) are rare - it's not something to worry about.
"Silicon implants are very safe - I wouldn't be putting them into people if they weren't and I'd highly recommend any of my friends, family or colleagues having them done, provided that they were going to have them done safely with a proper plastic surgeon who is a member of the proper society, has insurance etc."
According to , symptoms of the condition include:
- fatigue and brain fog
- muscular and joint pain
- premature aging
- weight issues
- poor sleep
- hormonal imbalance
- low libido
- slow healing and easy bruising
- coughing
- vertigo
- leaky gut
- skin rashes
- ear ringing
- yeast infections
- sudden food intolerances
- headaches
- heart palpitations
Despite what the doctors say, Malene has no regrets with removing her implants.
She said: “Yes I’m a lot more [confident now]. I love my boobs as they are now. I love the feeling of being natural.
“I have scars but I’ve never felt more sexy and confident as I do now.
“I know a lot of girls are probably scared to take them out as to how they are going to look or feel but I wouldn’t be scared of the feeling after because the minute you start feeling better, you start feeling more confident anyway.”
Most read in Fabulous
We shared how YouTuber Karissa Pukas revealed a boob job made her so sick she felt like she was in a 90-year-old’s body.
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And this woman revealed the "dark side" of boob jobs after claiming implants "poisoned her" and left her covered in eczema and suffering from night sweats.
Previously, former S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt revealed her breast implants left her in agony and made her hair fall out.
Strictly’s Shirley Ballas to have breast implants removed over cancer fears – but will only take three days off work