Danica Patrick reveals that her breast implants became ‘deformed’ before having them removed

Danica Patrick revealed that her breast implants became ‘shrunk up’ from scar tissue and were ‘deformed’ before removing them in May.

After suffering from eight years of health problems, including hair loss and hypothyroidism, the 40-year-old former NASCAR driver revealed how she ‘started feeling better within hours after surgery.’

‘If you put something in your body that’s not natural, your body is going to protect itself. Your body will form scar tissue around it to protect you from it,’ she told Fox. ‘And that’s called a capsule. My implants produced a lot of capsules.’ 

Patrick continued: ‘They seemed soft enough for the first couple of years, but then they hardened up more.’ 

While she initially believed that the capsules were formed ‘from crashing into walls during her time on the race track, she continued to acquire more even after retiring. 

‘So I knew that wasn’t it,’ she said. ‘My body was continuing to try and protect me from [her breast implants].’ 

Patrick noted that her doctor said her ‘scar tissue capsules were both folded inside the implant’ and that her implants ‘shrunk up so much from so much scar tissue forming that they were deformed.’ 

‘But I also think it’s impossible to put a foreign object in your body and not have your body respond to some degree,’ she continued. ‘Every individual is different, of course … But are we really doing enough studies on them?’

She also pressed the question: ‘Are people truly educated on the potential side effects and risks? Doctors tell us that they’re safe, but they’re also selling them.’

‘I’m so grateful that I did share my experience,’ she said. ‘After hearing my story, some people may suspect they might be dealing with the same thing and not feel so alone.’ 

In May, Patrick has shared a positive health update with her Instagram fans just a week after the removal of her ‘toxic’ implants.

The American race car driver took to her Instagram Story to list all the improvements she’s already noticed in the last week, including a ‘healthy scalp,’ ‘natural face oil’ and ‘no swollen lymph nodes,’ triumphantly adding, ‘The heal is real.’ 

Danica also made a post that discussed her regret at getting the implants in the first place: ‘I wish I could of told this 32 year old girl that boobs won’t make you more perfect or have it all or be more feminine.’ 

She continued, discussing the cultural and social media pressure that encourages women to undergo plastic surgery. 

‘These were my reasons and to me these narratives are the problem. Implants just feed into it. Culture feeds into it. Social media feeds into it. Filters feed into it. Unhealed trauma feeds into it.’ 

‘The work is always an inside job. The real question is – how can I do the emotional work to see myself as perfect, having it all, and feminine? When we do that, we won’t seek outside validation or a way to get it,’ she continued. 

‘The world is just a mirror to show us where we are not healed,’ she added.

Danica then expressed her gratitude for her much improved health. 

‘Super grateful to be feeling better so quickly. To be clear, the transparency of the dangers of implants are an issue. I also understand that mastectomy’s require options. However, all I’m saying is, if we don’t have an insecurity issue… any potential risk or danger go away.’ 

In another photo posted to her Stories, Danica shared about having less inflammation and losing weight post surgery.

‘I told my sister I feel less inflammation and she asked if I had been peeing a lot and i said YES! I have already lost 5+lb of fluid in a week… eating the same and not working out,’ she wrote.

Danica also took some questions from her followers regarding her experience with breast implant illness, showing a photo of her removed implants and discussing the incision location, which for her was ‘through the nipple’ for both the original surgery and the explant.

‘Yes, these baseballs went through a very small hole,’ she wrote in a text graphic over the photo, adding a shocked face emoji. 

When a follower discussed feeling nervous about the appearance of their breasts post surgery, Danica shared her own experience.

‘I only did an en-bloc removal, but I was very small to start with and they looked normal immediately for me. It will be interesting to see if that changes of the next 6 months,’ she stated.  

In more Stories she shared a picture of her lab work, which appeared to show that she had an elevated level of inflammation prior to surgery. 

‘Been getting these labs done a lot over the last year (and will continue regularly until everything is normal), the CRP test is an inflammatory marker. It has been elevated everytime,’ she wrote. 

When a follower asked how they could approach speaking to their friends about them potentially having breast implant illness Danica gave a diplomatic answer.

‘This is hard and easy. The challenge is you’re bringing up soemthing that implies needing surgery which is big and the only REAL positive test is getting them out and symptoms improve. So what if they don’t and it’s your fault?! The easy is you can’t actually make someone have surgery.’

‘Let them use their own intuition on the mater. My intuition was sky high!’ she added.

In another post she revealed that she recorded an exclusive interview for Good morning America.  

In late April, Danica made a lengthy Instagram post that detailed how her implants have deteriorated her health, saying that in 2020, ‘the wheels came off.’

‘I had cycle irregularity, gained more weight, my hair wasn’t looking healthy at all and my face was a different shape (weird I know),’ she wrote.

Danica explained that after getting her implants in 2014, she decided to take them after beginning to see changes in her health four years later.

The star stated that she is sharing her story in the hopes of helping others: ‘My belief is, it’s not if but when you develop symptoms. Some are right away, others are over 15 years later. Silicone is a foreign object and leaches chemicals.’ 

‘I wasn’t sure I was ready to share this…. but then I remembered that true vulnerability is sharing something you’re not really ready to. So here it is,’ she began her post.

‘I got breast implants November of 2014. I got them because I want to have it all. I was really fit, but I didn’t have boobs. So I got them. Everything went well, and I was happy with them.’

‘Fast forward about 3 years to early 2018, and I noticed that my hair was not as healthy and was breaking off. I also gained a few pounds and had no luck losing it,’ she explained.

Patrick then revealed that in 2020 she started trying to figure out what was causing her symptoms.

‘I went down the rabbit hole to figure it out. I did every test that could be done.’

Her list of symptoms and medical tests included: ‘hypothyroidism, heavy metal toxicity, dysbiosis, 10/10, severe leaky gut, hypoglycemic, low estrogen, DHEA, testosterone, magnesium, white blood count, vitamin D, and progesterone.’

She went on to also list ‘adrenal fatigue, no AM cortisol spike, elevated CRP (inflammatory marker), temperature sensitivity, swollen lymph nodes in neck, dry scalp/skin, weird perspiration smell sometimes, easy to get dizzy, achy hands from time to time, face swelling, weight gain, capsular contracture (they were both folded from the amount of scar tissue) and hair loss.’

The Wisconsin native explained that she saw positive improvements just hours after the surgery, showing side by side photos of herself before and after the procedure.

‘I had them removed on Wednesday. The picture is a snap shot of a couple hours before and a couple hours after.’

‘Within hours after surgery this is what I noticed – my face had more color and less dark circles (no food before the second pic), my face started producing oil again, I could take a 30% deeper breath into my chest already, and I had so much energy when I woke up (and surgery was at 230pm).’

She went on: ‘The condition that is not universally recognized is called breast implant illness. Leave it up to the good folks at the drug companies who are selling them to say they are safe,’ she went on.

‘Look it up if you are struggling or know someone that is. The common denominator is you have conditions that can’t be resolved. For me this is true. I have tried 3 drs and 6-8 levels of thyroid meds, a 90 day gut protocol, and chelation to get rid of heavy metals and up to 30 pills a day…. With no resolution.’

She concluded her post, writing, ‘If this post helps just one get to the root of their issues, it did it’s job. I will share my progress as I go along.’

Patrick also took to her Stories, sharing photos of herself in the car on her way home after the surgery. ‘Feeling…. Well nothing I was pretty hopped up on meds riding home. But look at my face color!’ she wrote on the first slide.

In the next picture she was seen in a cheerful mood after the procedure, writing, ‘Then I smiled.’

In another snap, she shared her post surgery medication, which were mostly homeopathic. Patrick also shared a photo of her undergoing red light therapy for ‘mitochondrial health’ adding that she will also use a ‘dry brush’ to get the ‘lymphatic system going.’

Friends and followers were quick to praise Danica for her honesty, with entertainment reporter Catt Sadler, 47, commenting: ‘Wow Danica – what an important post! So happy you’re FREE and thank you for sharing this story. Feel better.’

Danica is far from the first celebrity who has shared similar struggles after getting breast implants.

Yolanda Hadid famously had her silicone breast implants removed on an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2016, after learning that she had silicone free-floating in her body.

Among other stars who have decided to remove their implants due to health issues are Ashley Tisdale, Crystal Hefner, Karen McDougal, Linda Blair, and Stevie Nicks.