Breast Implant Information Project

07/15/2026

When National Geographic asked NCHR President Dr. Diana Zuckerman to explain whether were safe, she was surprised by their interest. but glad to explain why safety concerns were too often ignored for 50+ years.

Silicone implants were restricted to cancer patients in 1992 due to risks, but plastic surgeons used loopholes for augmentation patients anyway. What was supposed to be a major restriction was easy for surgeons and patients to ignore.

Patients have reported implant rupture, pain, autoimmune symptoms, fatigue, brain fog, and other health concerns. Due to a lack of research and plastic surgeons' financial dependence on offering breast augmentation surgery, it took 50 years to learn that breast implants could cause cancer.

Breast implants are less popular today because of changing views of beauty and the desire to look and feel natural. And perhaps because they can cause cancer.

Read the fascinating history here

Health concerns like "breast implant illness" are only one part of the story. The trend suggests a new interplay between American social status, fashion, and breast size.

10/23/2024

Michelle Tarver is the new director of CDRH, FDA's medical device center. We are hopeful that under her leadership, CDRH will focus more on ensuring safe and effective medical devices, reversing the bias of former director Jeff Shuren. We agree with AMA that the agency's standards are too low. She was interested in the risk of cancer from breast implants, but other patients felt ignored. Read the The New York Times article about this appointment here:

Patient advocates hope Dr. Michelle Tarver will lead the agency to focus more on safety and less on rapid approvals.

09/10/2024

After making the decision to decrease her cancer risk by removing her breasts and getting implants, one woman discovered a community of women suffering from breast implant illness. Celebrities describe similar health problems from implants and recovery after implants are removed. Despite popularity of explant surgery and mounting evidence of BII, many doctors continue to dismiss breast implant illness, leaving women dependent on online support groups for information. FDA has not ensured accurate information for patients. Read more here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13831205/breast-implant-illness-sick-surgery.html

Photo by philippe spitalier on Unsplash.

01/23/2024

Crack the code to a longer, healthier life with these 7 FREE keys!🗝️

Dive into this New York Times article to find out what is proven to matter: what you eat, how you play, and more. You might be surprised by what works. Your journey to longevity starts here!

Ignore the hyperbaric chambers and infrared light: These are the evidence-backed secrets to aging well.

01/23/2024

Can breast implants save a man’s life? They can when used as a temporary fix prior to his double lung transplant! Find out more in this very surprising news story. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998277?ecd=wnl_infocu1_broad_broad_persoexpansion-algo_20240117_etid6246545&uac=140425SY&impID=6246545

A first-of-its-kind surgical procedure used breast implants to hold the patient's heart in place before new lungs arrived. Va**ng, smoking, and lung infections led to an urgent need for double lung transplant.

12/29/2023

For almost 25 years, we have helped women get the accurate, unbiased information they need about breast implants! We’ve fought all the gaslighting from doctors and implant companies claiming that breast implants are “completely safe” and that the symptoms women were reporting were “in their heads.” We’ve convinced the FDA that implants can cause cancer and many other serious health problems. In honor of our upcoming 25th anniversary in 2024, a generous donor will double all donations made before January 1! Please donate online at https://donate.givedirect.org/?cid=13680&n=271786 or mail a check dated before January 1 to National Center for Health Research, 1001 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036.

If you see this message it means for one reason or another your access to this fundraising page has been blocked by our automated systems. This can happen for any number of reasons, but here are the most common.

12/15/2023

New evidence shows that Pharma spends more on patient groups than on lobbying Congress. Of course, those efforts overlap and often have the same goals: keeping drug prices high and FDA approval standards low. Read more here https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/15/millions-dollars-flow-pharma-patient-advocacy-groups/

A new Public Citizen report documents the flow of millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry to other companies and nonprofits, including organizations whose mission is to help patients.

12/01/2023

Good news!: We're celebrating Giving Tuesday for another few days, so all donations of any size will be doubled by a generous donor from now through Monday, December 4.

Why donate? Your generous support allows us to provide accurate information about breast implants, provide guidelines on how to get health insurance coverage for medically necessary explant surgery, and keep all adults healthy and safe, by reducing toxic exposures in our homes and communities and making sure that medical treatments are safe, effective, and affordable. That benefits all of us.

We are proud to also help individual patients like Corey R., who let us know how much she appreciated our personal assistance as she sought insurance coverage for explant surgery, telling us "Thank you so much. I have never felt like someone actually cared. This service is amazing."

If you want to take full advantage of this match, you can become a Friend of the Center (donors of $125-$249), a member of our Leadership Circle ($250-$999,) or a member of our President’s Circle ($1,000 or more).

If you'd like to help us help everyone stay safe and healthy while we also support women like Corey, now’s a great time to get your donation matched, dollar for dollar. All donations made between now and through December 4 will be doubled! Here’s the link to donate online https://www.center4research.org/get-involved/contribute/ or send a check dated December 4 or earlier and mail it to National Center for Health Research, 1001 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036.

How You Can Help   The National Center for Health Research and its Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund have been designated as one of America’s best charities because we are audited every year and keep our fundraising costs and administrative costs extremely low – less than 3%! That means that...

11/13/2023

Open enrollment for health insurance coverage for the 2023-2024 period is already underway! If your current insurance plan doesn't cover medically necessary breast implant removal, you may need to change your plan. To learn more about open enrollment and if your plan can cover your removal, click here on our website. http://breastimplantinfo.org/breast-implant-problems-obamacare-can-help

Don't delay! Open enrollment closes on January 15th in most states, but the sooner you sign up, the sooner you can use your new insurance.

Women who want their breast implants removed may qualify for insurance coverage for medically necessary explant surgery. Obamacare ACA marketplace opens November 1, 2022 for 2023 coverage.

09/21/2023

Want to get your breast implants removed ASAP and need a different health insurance policy to have your surgery covered? Under the Affordable Care Act Marketplace's Special Enrollment Period, you may qualify to change your policy right now instead of waiting until January. Find out if you qualify:

Special enrollment opportunities Outside Open Enrollment, you can enroll in or change a Marketplace plan if you have a life event that qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period.