Episode Transcript
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Darnah Mercieca (00:03):
Could the
implants we got to make us feel
sexier actually be aging usfaster and stealing away our
vitality?
This is Empowered Explant thepodcast helping women ditch
their breast implants withconfidence.
I'm Darnah Mercieca boardcertified health and wellness
coach and explant warrior.
(00:23):
Aging is a natural part of life, but what if I told you that
your breast implants might bespeeding up that process?
Today, we're diving deep intothe ways that breast implants
can contribute to prematureaging, both inside and out.
We'll explore everything fromthe superficial signs to the
(00:46):
more hidden internal effects,and I just want you to know that
everything that I'm talkingabout today is based on real
stories from women like you,including my own personal
journey and the incredibletransformation I've seen in my
mom.
A quick disclaimer please knowI'm not a medical doctor and
(01:07):
this podcast does not constitutemedical or mental health advice
.
I share from my personalexperience, research and
conversations with other people.
If you're experiencing symptoms, pain, post-surgery
complications or mental healthconcerns, please seek care from
your medical provider or surgeon, and please make any medical
(01:28):
decisions in consultation with aqualified and experienced
healthcare professional.
Let's start with something wetalk about often in this
community Inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is likethe dark angel of death lurking
in the shadows, slowly chippingaway at your health.
(01:50):
I know that sounds morbid anddark, but it's true and it's the
reason why chronic inflammatorydiseases have been recognized
as the most significant cause ofdeath in the world today.
In case you're not aware,breast implants cause chronic
inflammation in our bodies.
When your body is constantlyfighting off something it sees
(02:12):
as foreign, like breast implants, this inflammation can become a
constant low-level stressor onyour system.
How much this actually affectsus and shows up as symptomatic
or visible depends on our body'sability to handle the
inflammation and foreign objects, which has a lot to do with our
(02:35):
genetics.
But no one is completelyunaffected, even if you're a
beast and your body is reallyable to handle the implants.
It's really just a matter oftime.
Now, how does this tie intoaging?
Well, inflammation doesn't justcause discomfort.
It accelerates the agingprocess overall.
(02:56):
Systemically, inflammation islinked to many of the things we
associate with getting olderright, like joint pain, muscle
weakness and even cognitivedecline.
And if you've got BII or you'refamiliar with BII, some of this
starts to sound familiar.
It can also affect yourhormones, pushing you into early
(03:19):
menopause or throwing yourimmune system off balance.
And when your immune system iscompromised, your body's ability
to repair and regenerate cellsdiminishes, leading to even more
signs of aging.
Now let's talk about the thingswe can actually see in the
mirror.
Okay, because I know that we belooking in the mirror a lot.
(03:42):
I mean, let's face it, we doand we notice all the things.
Okay, I mean, I'm 36 now and Iam noticing all the things.
And it really started to hit mewhen I had my breast implants
and I was looking in the mirrorand I was seeing, you know,
(04:03):
noticeable signs of aging, andsome of that is completely
normal and beautiful and naturaland just a part of life.
But when it comes to, you know,talking about inflammation, it
can cause major problems withyour skin.
It can lead to dullness,wrinkles, age spots, random
(04:25):
lumps and bumps and pigmentationissues.
We just start seeing all ofthese things that we're like
that wasn't there.
I don't remember seeing that,you know, and all of a sudden,
these things, and I think youstart to see it more and more
and more.
And then hair loss is anotherbig one.
(04:45):
You might notice thinning hairor even patches where hair just
doesn't seem to grow back.
And let's not forget aboutweight gain, with women having
really stubborn weight gain,around the midsection especially
, that just seems to be stubborn, no matter what you do.
(05:06):
Now, these changes that wenotice in our body, they can
often make us feel older, olderthan we are for sure, and I
think they're often justdismissed as normal, as just a
part of getting older, right?
I mean, how many times have yousaid I guess I'm just getting
(05:33):
old?
I know I have and did.
I just thought, oh, I guessthis just what happens when you
hit your thirties.
Um, you know, it's somethingthat I heard my mom say a lot
I'm just getting old, I'm justgetting old.
And it just frustrates me nowwhen I hear that, because what
if these signs are actually yourbody's way of telling you that
something's wrong?
(05:54):
They usually is right, it's notusually just getting old.
And I think it's time for us tostart really investigating that
and not just settling.
Not just settling for I guessI'm just getting old.
Every time we feel something inour bodies that isn't quite
(06:16):
right.
And it's not just about thelooks.
I just want to make that clear.
Just about the looks, I justwant to make that clear.
This is not just about lookingin the mirror and looking older
because, first of all, like Isaid earlier, aging can be a
beautiful thing and not everywrinkle is bad.
(06:37):
It doesn't mean you have to runout and get Botox and getting
gray hairs and stuff like that.
There are natural progressionsto aging and then there are
signs that our body is in astate of decline.
But, like I said, it's not justabout looks.
(06:59):
The physical toll that it cantake on us can be just as, if
not more, significant, and Iknow a lot of women in this
community can relate to this.
So joint pain, posture changes,muscle weakness all of these
things can make you feel likeyou're aging faster than you
should be as well.
(07:19):
Vision problems, fatigue andcognitive issues like memory
loss and brain fog are all supercommon.
Now I, just when I think aboutall of these feelings that I
(07:41):
used to have, it makes meemotional, because I I just
remember waking up every day andgoing like, oh, wow, like I
just feel like I am gettingolder.
I just feel like I can't do thethings I used to do.
(08:03):
I can't remember the way I usedto.
I can't even speak the way Iused to or put together
sentences or go for a nice dayout or a hike Just so many
things that changed and shiftedfor me.
I've heard from so many womenwho feel like they're losing
(08:25):
themselves, not just physicallybut mentally.
It's as if the implants arestealing years from their lives.
But, my dear breasties, thereis hope from their lives.
But, my dear breasties, thereis hope.
I recently asked women in aFacebook group to share their
(08:45):
experiences with how theirimplants have aged them and what
they had experienced.
Let me tell you the responsewas overwhelming, which is scary
because it goes to show thatthe breast implants are having
an effect on women.
But it also gives so much hopeto hear from the women who have
(09:08):
explanted and are feeling somuch better and are seeing and
feeling the shift in theiryouthfulness, in their vitality,
in their energy.
Over 60 women commented,sharing stories that echoed
these exact struggles and alsovalidated that explanting can
(09:36):
make a big difference.
Many women described how theirimplants made them look and feel
years older than they actuallywere, only to have those
symptoms reverse or improvedramatically after explant
surgery.
Some of the ladies have, forsure, aged backwards.
They're posting photos and Ijust love seeing the before and
(09:59):
after photos because thatdifference is really obvious
sometimes, you know, you can seeit in their face, you can see
it in their eyes, you can see itjust in the way they're
carrying themselves and theirposture.
It's really cool to see, and alot of them were just happy to
return to their lighter, naturalframe.
You know, after noticing theirimplants making them look more
(10:22):
matronly, dumpy andgrandmotherly those were their
words.
I just I took their words andused them, because I just
thought that it really painted apicture, and I think a lot of
us can relate to that and howour implants make us feel after
many years of carrying themaround.
(10:43):
It's incredible to hear thesestories, though, because it just
validates that we're not alonein this, we're not crazy, and
while we are getting older,ladies and we cannot stop that
maybe aging doesn't have to meansaying goodbye to our health
and vitality.
(11:05):
You know, before my own explantsurgery, I was dealing with so
many of these issues fatigue,memory loss, joint pain,
weakness and just a generalfeeling of being old before my
time.
You know, I was like I am 30years old.
I am not ready to feel likethis, but after removing my
(11:27):
implants and kind of coming toterms that that's what I thought
was wrong in my body and takingthat chance of removing them
and and um, and really bettingon that.
It was like hitting the resetbutton on my life, I kid you not
.
My energy came back, my memoryand mental clarity improved.
(11:49):
My physical fitness, just, Imean, took such a turn for the
better.
My posture shifted.
I just remember immediatelywaking up from surgery and
feeling like I was an inch ortwo taller just because I could
sit up straight.
I didn't have this weight kindof rounding my shoulders and I
(12:12):
remember that feeling of justlike I feel taller.
So there were a lot of things.
My skin got its youthful glowback.
I didn't feel like that gray,kind of washed out, pasty, half
dead look anymore and my hairactually started to regrow.
(12:33):
So you know lots of cool thingsthere.
And then my mom is anotherincredible example.
Oh my goodness, I just I'veloved watching her
transformation.
So much she had been strugglingwith low energy, constant aches
and pains and cognitiveimpairment that I mean it was
(12:54):
scary how bad her memory was andhow much she was struggling
with brain fog and puttingtogether sentences and things
and it was really affecting herquality of life and her
confidence.
But after her explant surgery.
It was like watching her comeback to life.
It was the most beautiful thingever and, oh my gosh, like at
(13:19):
59.
Now she is thriving, seriously.
She started her own business.
She hits the gym five days aweek.
She crushes it.
She's more vibrant and full oflife now than she has been in
years.
So you know, it's fun to seewhat the change looks like at
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both my age you know makeexplanting in my early thirties
versus my mom who explanted inher later fifties, and just
seeing how it made a big impactin both of our lives and kind of
helped us both reverse theaging effects on our body, both
(14:02):
internally and externally.
And within three months afterexplanting I felt a huge
improvement.
But the real magic happened,I'm going to say, after about a
year.
That's when my body truly hadthe time to heal and regenerate
from the inside out.
It was a similar timeline formy mom as well.
(14:25):
The difference was noticeableimmediately for her, but after a
year she was like a new person.
It's important to remember thatthis timeline doesn't look the
same for everyone.
Okay, some women take longer tofeel the improvements after
explanting.
But you know it makes sense.
(14:48):
Our bodies have a ton of healingto do.
They have to process everything, like the years of having
implants and inflammation takinga toll on our body and our
system.
So it takes time for that toall reverse and to heal and
improve.
But there are things that youcan do to support your body in
getting its vitality back faster.
(15:11):
Think of it as removing yourbreast implants being just one
layer of this process, and thatalone is addressing the root
cause and will make a bigdifference.
But your body needs to repairand the chances are your system
is probably pretty compromisedand needs help getting back on
(15:32):
track.
In my opinion, the key tobouncing back faster after
surgery and experiencing areally noticeable transformation
more quickly is preparing yourbody before surgery with things
like the right nutrition andexercise, reducing toxic load in
(15:54):
your environment, in your food,in your skincare, in your
household products all thethings increasing hydration and
decreasing stress and worry Iknow there can be a lot of that
leading up to eczema and thencontinuing to support your body
(16:16):
with what it needs to repairduring recovery, of course, and
beyond.
So you know this is a lifestylechange, especially if you want
to reverse the effects of agingin your body.
This you really have to show upfor that.
(16:36):
You know, it's not like, oh,I'm just going to take my
implants out and theneverything's going to be good.
I mean, it's going to make adifference.
Yes, of course it's going tomake a difference, but like it's
just.
It's just so much more thanjust taking them out and then
putting some fancy skincare onyour face and being like all
(16:59):
right, am I?
Am I young yet?
Um, so it's it.
All of this really happens.
All of this change reallyhappens at a cellular level.
It happens at an epigeneticlevel.
It happens at a gut healthlevel, at just like the deepest
level you could possibly imagine.
Your hormones come into playand this is just a new way of
(17:24):
showing up for yourself andhonoring your body.
And it can be one of the bestthings to come out of this
explant journey a completetransformation in your life and
how you look after yourself.
Aging doesn't have to feel likethe life is slowly being drained
from us.
(17:44):
It shouldn't feel like that.
It can and should be a gradualand healthy transition through
the chapters of our lives.
So are your breast implantsaging you?
If you're noticing these signsthat I talked about, it might be
(18:05):
worth considering.
Trust me, your health, yourenergy and your sense of self
are all too important to ignorethis.
Okay, I have a free symptomstracker that lists all of the
symptoms of breast implantillness, which are also very
closely associated with thesigns and symptoms of
(18:27):
inflammation, which, as wediscussed, causes aging.
Okay, so if you want thatsymptoms tracker, you can
download it atsymptomsempoweredxplantcom.
It might be helpful for you.
I hope that this conversationwas helpful.
I think we talk about breastimplants and breast implant
(18:48):
illness a lot from a symptomsand illness perspective, but not
so much from a agingperspective, and I think that
that's so important because,let's face it, we want longevity
, we want to feel good.
We don't just want a longlifespan, we want a quality
(19:10):
health.
Health span meaning we want theyears of our lives to feel good
.
We want the years of our livesto be filled with health and fun
times and quality memories withloved ones and all of those
good things.
You um going after our dreams.
Just all of the things thatthat I felt were being stripped
(19:38):
away from me when I had breastimplant illness, all of the
things that I saw being strippedfrom mom when she had breast
implant illness, and the amazingladies in our community.
We just deserve better and, andI think, instead of just
band-aiding this with botox andenergy drinks and too much
(20:01):
coffee and uh, a gazillionsupplements and like, put the
band-aids away and address theroot cause so that your body can
do what it's supposed to do ata cellular level right, your
body knows what it needs to doanyway.
(20:22):
I feel like I could rant on thisfor so long, because because
aging can feel good, and my lifeis now proof of that, thank God
.
Anyway, thank you for joiningme today and listening to my
rants.
If this conversation resonatedwith you, please share it with
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the women in your life.
The more we spread the word,the more we can help others
reclaim their health and theirbeautiful, sexy, youthful energy
.
I'll see you here next week,rusty.