Danica Patrick Has Breast Implants Removed, Says She's Noticeably Healthier

Former race car driver Danica Patrick admittedly had some breast implants, but has been forced to go back to her natural state. She admitted as much in a lengthy Instagram post on Friday, saying she had been diagnosed with something known as "breast implant illness."

Patrick, 40, said she started noticing side effects -- such as hair loss and unexplained weight gain -- back in 2018. She received the implants four years before that.

More recently, things got worse. She started to experience everything from hypothyroidism, swollen lymphnodes, dizzy spells and vitamin deficiencies. On the bright side, Patrick said the symptoms vanished as soon as she had the implants taken from her body and thrown away. Or whatever they do with them once they've been removed.

“The condition that is not universally recognized is called breast implant illness,” Patrick wrote. “Leave it up to the good folks at these drug companies who are selling them to say they are safe. 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. I haven’t felt or looked any different.

"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."

Patrick added that she is spreading this message in the event someone is experiencing something similar, and can maybe help them get to the root of the cause.

She stepped away from racing in 2018, but not before becoming the only woman in IndyCar Series history to win a race. Without a doubt, Patrick is "the most successful woman in American open-wheel racing history," as Steve DelVecchio of Larry Brown Sports wrote.