Danica Patrick Reveals The Real Reason She Decided To Remove Her Breast Implants

Danica Patrick is known for finding success in the testosterone-fueled world of professional race car driving. 

Within three years of signing to a professional team, she was already making records, including becoming the first woman to hold the lead position in the legendary Indy 500 race in 2005. She didn't slow down after that and proved her mettle in a different league. Switching from IndyCar to NASCAR, Patrick won the time trials at another famous race, the Daytona 500, in 2013, making her the first woman to win pole position there.

Now retired, the 40-year-old — who fell in love with racing at age 10 and dropped out of high school to pursue her passion — led a fantastic career and has shared the secrets to her success. "You have to be determined and believe in yourself," Patrick wrote in her book "Pretty Intense" (per CNBC).

That self-confidence might explain why she's never shied away from expressing her feminine side in public, despite being in the minority in her profession. She's just as comfortable in her racing gear as she is decked out in a designer dress for the red carpet. And, when Patrick wasn't feeling 100% happy about her body, she did what every woman has the right to do: She got cosmetic surgery, she shared via Instagram. 

However, things didn't exactly go as planned, as Patrick is now telling the world.

On April 29, 2022, Danica Patrick shared some very personal news on Instagram. "I wasn't sure I was ready to share this.... but then I remembered that true vulnerability is sharing something you're not really ready to," she wrote. "So here it is." Spoken like the legend she is.

Despite having a stunning transformation during her years in racing, Patrick went on to detail why she decided to get breast implants in 2014. "I got them because I want to have it all. I was really fit, but I didn't have boobs. So I got them," she wrote. "Everything went well, and I was happy with them."

However, things started to take a turn three years later when she began seeing symptoms like unhealthy hair, unusual weight gain, and an irregular menstrual cycle. Patrick even felt that her face shape had changed. "So I went down the rabbit hole to figure it out," she wrote. "I did every test that could be done."

The results revealed that she suffered from a slew of conditions, including severe leaky gut, hypothyroidism, heavy metal toxicity, dysbiosis, adrenal fatigue, and more. Her breasts both had capsular contracture, which is when thick scar tissue completely surrounds the implant. "They were both folded from the amount of scar tissue," Patrick recalls. So she decided to have the implants removed.

Just hours after the surgery, she says she already felt better, looked healthier, could breathe easier (literally), and had more energy. She shared a side-by-side photo of her face before and after, pointing out that "my face had more color and less dark circles," she wrote.

We're glad that Patrick is feeling like herself again and showed her trademark bravery in sharing her story with the world.