After a three-year health ordeal that began after a 2023 trip to Morocco, reality star Brandi Glanville says a sonogram has identified ruptured breast implants leaking silicone into her lymph nodes, a discovery she describes as life-threatening and that prompted emergency removal in early 2026. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum had suspected a parasitic infection tied to her time filming in Morocco, but the imaging technician told her the implants — in place for nearly 20 years — were the primary problem. Glanville says one implant was fully ruptured and the other had a slow leak; she has declined reimplantation and is recovering after surgery. The revelation reframes a prolonged medical mystery that involved dozens of medical consultations and visible facial symptoms that drew public attention in 2024 and 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Duration: Glanville reports a three-year medical struggle beginning after early 2023; she sought help from roughly 21 doctors before a sonogram clarified the cause.
- Diagnosis: A sonogram on Feb. 11, 2026, reportedly showed the right implant completely ruptured and a slow leak from the left, with silicone detected in lymph nodes under both arms.
- Treatment: She underwent emergency removal of the ruptured implants in 2026 and has said she will not replace them with new silicone implants.
- Symptoms and public timeline: Glanville publicly shared images of facial disfigurement in 2024 and posted updates about ongoing drainage attempts into 2025.
- Screening gap: She said prior mammograms did not identify rupture; the sonogram was decisive in detecting leakage and lymph-node involvement.
- Health warning: Glanville described the situation as potentially life-threatening if not identified and treated.
Background
Breast-implant complications can surface years after placement, and anecdotal guidance circulating among patients and some clinicians recommends routine monitoring. Glanville says her implants had been in place for almost 20 years, and she noted in interviews that she learned implants are often advised to be reviewed or changed every 10 years. The public side of her case began after her return from Morocco during production of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in early 2023, when she developed symptoms she and some outlets at first associated with a parasitic infection.
Her condition drew periodic public attention through social posts and interviews in 2024 and 2025 as she sought diagnosis and treatment, sharing images and videos that showed visible facial changes. The case highlights a frequent difficulty in cosmetic-device medicine: delayed recognition of device failure when routine screening tools vary in sensitivity and when symptoms overlap with infectious or inflammatory causes. Multiple specialists evaluated her over three years, according to her statements, before sonographic imaging tied silicone leakage to lymphatic obstruction.
Main Event
According to Glanville, a sonogram technician delivered the decisive assessment on Feb. 11, 2026, informing her that the right implant was completely ruptured and the left had a slow leak, with silicone migration into lymph nodes under both arms. The technician is reported to have urged immediate removal, saying the lymph nodes were clogged. Glanville says she had previously undergone mammography that did not show rupture, and she expressed shock that the implants appeared intact during prior routine checks.
She recounted seeking opinions from an estimated 21 physicians during the course of the illness, reflecting the challenge of finding a single unifying diagnosis when symptoms are complex and intermittent. In response to the sonogram, she underwent an emergency explant procedure to remove the ruptured devices and has publicly declined plans to replace them with new silicone implants. She told reporters the experience was frightening and potentially life-threatening if left unaddressed.
The presence of a suspected parasite in her face remains part of the narrative: her team previously treated and investigated an organism believed to be contributing to facial symptoms. The sonogram finding, however, offered a mechanism that may have prevented normal drainage of inflammatory material from the face by obstructing lymphatic channels with silicone. After removal surgery, Glanville reported cosmetic improvements credited to a plastic surgeon who helped smooth texture and restore volume with minimal downtime.
Analysis & Implications
Clinically, this case touches on two intersecting concerns: foreign-body complications from breast implants and the diagnostic challenge when infectious and inflammatory processes coexist. Silicone migration to lymph nodes is a recognized phenomenon that can provoke local inflammation and systemic symptoms in some patients. If lymphatic drainage is impaired, inflammatory material or organisms in peripheral tissues may not clear effectively, complicating both diagnosis and recovery.
From a patient-safety and regulatory standpoint, high-visibility cases like Glanville’s raise questions about monitoring standards for long-standing implants and the appropriate imaging modalities for suspected rupture. Mammography is primarily used for breast-cancer screening and may not reliably detect implant rupture; ultrasound and MRI are more sensitive for implant integrity. The actor’s experience underscores a need for clinicians to consider device failure when symptoms are unexplained and persistent.
There are broader implications for cosmetic surgery patients and clinicians: informed consent discussions should include long-term device risks and surveillance plans. Public figures reporting adverse outcomes can accelerate patient awareness but also risk amplifying anecdote over evidence; clinicians and regulators will likely reiterate that individual reports are not substitutes for population-level safety data while acknowledging the real suffering these cases represent.
Comparison & Data
| Year / Period | Event |
|---|---|
| Early 2023 | Returned from Morocco after filming; initial symptoms reported |
| 2024 | Shared photos publicly showing facial changes |
| Feb. 11, 2026 | Sonogram reported to show left implant leak and right implant rupture with silicone in lymph nodes |
| Early 2026 | Emergency removal (explant) of ruptured implants; declines reimplantation |
The timeline above is built from Glanville’s public statements and media reports. It shows a multiyear course from symptom onset to definitive imaging and surgery. The sequence illustrates how device-related complications can be delayed and intermittent, complicating diagnosis and prolonging patient distress.
Reactions & Quotes
“Brandi, you need to get those out yesterday,” the sonogram technician told Glanville, according to her account; the technician added that silicone was present in lymph nodes under both arms.
Sonogram technician (as quoted to InTouch/Daily Enquirer)
“I was shocked, because they’re implants that I’ve had for almost 20 years… It wasn’t until I had a sonogram,” Glanville said, describing how prior checks—she says including mammography—had not detected rupture.
Brandi Glanville (interview excerpts)
“It just sucks to age, like, 20 years overnight,” she told TMZ while reflecting on the visible effects and emotional toll of the illness and recovery process.
Brandi Glanville (TMZ interaction)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the facial parasite identified earlier was a specific species or pathogen has not been publicly confirmed by independent medical reports.
- It remains unverified whether the infection originated in Morocco in early 2023 or developed independently of travel; causation between travel and illness has not been conclusively established.
- Precise medical records confirming mammogram findings and their dates have not been published; the discrepancy between mammography and sonography results is based on Glanville’s account.
Bottom Line
Brandi Glanville’s case underscores how long-term implant complications can present with confusing, multisystem symptoms that mimic infection or inflammatory disease. Her account highlights diagnostic limits of some screening tools and the value of targeted imaging when device failure is suspected. Patients with long-standing implants should discuss surveillance plans with qualified clinicians and consider ultrasound or MRI if symptoms arise that cannot be otherwise explained.
At the population level, single high-profile cases prompt questions but do not replace systematic safety data; regulators and clinical societies set guidance based on aggregate evidence. Still, clinicians should remain alert to device-related causes in unexplained chronic presentations, and patients should be empowered to seek second opinions when symptoms persist.
Sources
- Entertainment Weekly (Entertainment reporting; original summary of interviews and timeline)
- TMZ (Entertainment news; on-scene comments and informal interview excerpts)
- InTouch Weekly (Celebrity news; published interview remarks attributed to Glanville)
- Brandi Glanville/X (Primary social posts and public updates from the subject)