Breast Implant Safety (ASPS Patient Guidance)
The main U.S. plastic-surgery society's patient guidance on breast implant safety and breast implant illness — how it describes BII, the symptoms patients attribute to implants, and that there is no diagnostic test.
View original source ↗What this source says
ASPS describes breast implant illness as a broad cluster of symptoms that patients, physicians, and researchers attribute to implants (joint/muscle pain, memory and concentration problems, chronic pain, depression, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, migraines, rashes/skin problems), notes there is no diagnostic test, advises evaluation by a board-certified plastic surgeon or specialist, and encourages reporting symptoms to the FDA.
Why it matters
The professional society's own framing — useful alongside the FDA pages, and honest that BII has no confirmatory test.
Key findings
- BII is “a broad cluster of symptoms” patients, physicians, and researchers attribute to implants.
- Listed symptoms include joint/muscle pain, memory/concentration problems, fatigue, and rashes.
- “There is no diagnostic test for breast implant illness.”
- ASPS advises evaluation by a board-certified surgeon and reporting symptoms to the FDA (MedWatch).
Limitations
Professional-society patient guidance, not a study; it synthesizes rather than presents new data.
What this does not prove
It does not establish that implants cause the symptoms, and notes some — not all — patients report improvement after removal.
Source / citation
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) · Updated March 8, 2023
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/patient-safety/breast-implant-safety
Last reviewed against the original source: 2026-09-02. Summaries are written in plain language; the original source is authoritative.
Breast Implant Illness Tracker provides education and organizational tools only and does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment.