SZA reveals why she had her breast implants removed
Four-time Grammy winner SZA is opening up about her decision to get her breast implants removed.
The 34-year-old discussed the decision in a new interview with the "SHE MD" podcast, hosted by former fashion designer Mary Alice Haney and OB-GYN Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, who counts SZA as one of her patients.
SZA, whose full name is Solána Imani Rowe, recounted a visit with Aliabadi, also known as Dr. A in the podcast, and said her mother had breast cancer. Aliabadi also said the "SOS" star had previously dealt with noncancerous lumps in her breast.
"She was telling me all these things about, like, my testosterone levels and PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome], and all these things that I was plagued with but didn't really know what was actually happening to me," SZA said.
Added Aliabadi, "You had a fibroadenoma, which is a benign, you know, breast mass that a lot of young girls have."
SZA said she was supposed to consult Aliabadi before getting breast implant surgery but didn't.
"I was supposed to see you before I got my breast surgery but I didn't and I snuck and got it anyways," she said.
The singer-songwriter said she didn't have the implants for long.
"So basically, I put them in. They ended up hurting me. I got way too much scar tissue ... I didn't feel good and it was painful, so I took them out," she said.
While not linked with breast cancer, doctors say breast implants can come with other potential risks.
ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton said risks of breast implants include persistent pain, scarring, contracture or shortening of the muscles or scar tissue, the rare risk of rupture or deflation of implants, or a rare risk of developing cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and lymphoma, more often associated with older forms of implants that are no longer used.
For saline and silicone implants, Sutton said scientific research shows there's no difference in safety factors between the material types.
"Overall, when you look at the data, they're equally safe. Both have a silicone shell so there's really no way to avoid silicone," Sutton said on "Good Morning America" Tuesday. "For those gel-filled silicone implants, in the case of rupture, that might be more difficult to repair and that might lead someone down one decision versus another."
Most data indicates that women with and without implants are diagnosed for breast cancer at similar rates but women with implants may require additional images to be taken during mammograms to improve imaging quality.
Sutton said implants are generally safe but it is still important to remain aware about one's health and pay attention to any new symptoms that may arise such as skin changes, swelling or pain. Sutton also said it's important to keep health records.
"Breast implants, as well as any device implanted in the body, have a device card that has the information as far as the lot number and the serial number. You might need that for future needs," Sutton said.
"Also, call ahead before your mammograms," Sutton added. "[Make] sure that the imager has experience imaging breast implants, and then if needed, you might want to consider other forms of imaging like MRI or ultrasound."
