Bravo Below Deck cast
“Below Deck” star Rhylee Gerber just got her breast implants removed and revealed that one of them was completely ruptured and leaking arsenic into her body. The season 6 and 7 deckhand had previously shared that she would be undergoing the explant surgery after suffering some health issues in the last couple of years that she thought were linked to her implants.
Gerber kept her followers in the loop on her Instagram Stories and shared after the surgery that she was only able to bring home one implant, the one from her left side, because the other was completely ruptured. “This other implant was just completely ruptured and leaking into my right breast capsule which is probably why I felt a lot of nastiness,” she shared, posting some graphic photos of the surgery and her ruptured implant.
Gerber said the implant was full of bacteria and “leaking arsenic and other poisonous toxins in my body.” She added, “More than likely this implant ruptured more than a year ago slowly leaking toxins into the body.” Gerber explained that scar tissue helped to keep the toxins from spreading more quickly and saved her body from more damage.
The “Below Deck” star is now recovering from the surgery and is getting help from fellow “Below Deck” star Aesha Scott, who flew to Florida this week. “Rhylee messaged me this morning and said she could really do with some help this week,” Scott said on her Instagram Stories. “I’m doing some day work on her boat… And I’m gonna work with Rhylee for the week! Which I’m very excited about because I haven’t actually met her yet!” Gerber said she was grateful for the help, calling Scott her “boobiesitter” and joking, “There is only one rule. Do not make me laugh.”
Follow the Heavy on Bravolebrities Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Gerber Previously Opened Up About the Health Struggles She Experienced That She Thought Were Linked to Her Implants
Before her surgery, Gerber shared in an interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet that she’d been having health issues for about two years. She said she often felt lethargic, bloated and inflamed. “I’m very, very bloated all the time, which could be caused by inflammation throughout my whole body,” she shared. “Which I think is stemmed from the implants, which are now approaching 12 years old. So they’re already past due for being upgraded or removed.”
Gerber said she started researching breast implants after her friend who’d gotten some also had many of the same symptoms but worse. She told the publication that there is a list of poisonous toxins in her implants, which are FDA-approved. “It literally says arsenic in these specific implants that I have in my body,” she shared. “And I can only imagine that’s a leading cause as to some of these symptoms that I’m feeling.”
The FDA Recently Strengthened Its Warnings Involving Breast Implants & Added Requirements for Healthcare Professionals to Communicate Risks
In late 2021, the FDA issued a warning requiring breast implants to come with a warning listing the possible risks, which include infection, rupture, scarring around the implant, breast implant illness, and in rare cases, lymphoma. It also required healthcare professionals to communicate those risks with patients.
The FDA states that “breast implant illness” is a possible risk of breast implants and consists of “systemic symptoms” that include, “fatigue, memory loss, rash, ‘brain fog,’ and joint pain.” The FDA also stated that implant manufacturers should list the ingredients in implants and gave an example of 20 heavy metals found in implants, including mercury, lead, arsenic and platinum.
READ NEXT: Andy Cohen Calls ‘Nightmare’ Real Housewife a ‘Disaster’