Muriel Hemingway on implants

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Mariel Hemingway Reveals that Implants Burst, Leading to Chronic Health ProblemsBy Afsun

January 15, 2003 -- Fame came early to Mariel Hemingway, who at age 13 starred in the movie 'Lipstick' with her sister, the late Margaux Hemingway.

Then, after playing a young athlete in "Personal Best", Mariel decided she was tired of the "butch" image she had and opted for implants to create a more feminime look.

Mariel got breast implants around that time, but says she didn't get them for the film. "I did it for me. I didn't want to be thought of as a tomboy. I didn't want to be thought of as this kind of butch girl," she said.

They worked for her well when the lead role for "Star 80" came up, when she portrayed the buxom but cursed Playboy bunny, Dorothy Stratten, but she had them removed shortly afterward, since they ruptured. She also claimed that the implants led to her constantly being sick.

Hemingway had recurrent sinus problems, severe eczema on her hands, and it seemed she was constantly fighting off yet another viral or bacterial infection. She had sought the help of alternative medicine practitioners and had gained some short-term benefit, but somehow the underlying cause of her mounting discomfort had not been pinned down.

After intensive chiropractic sessions and alternative therapies, Hemingway realized that one factor in her life that was making her feel sicker as the years passed was the chemical toxicity from silicone breast implants she got when she was 19.

Thinking they might be contributing to her lowered immune function, Hemigway had them removed three years after she began alternative treatment. "Plus they were so contrary to who I am."

Removal revealed that the implants had ruptured and a blood test confirmed that a considerable amount of silicone had leaked from her implants into her blood. To deal with this dangerous source of toxicity, Mariel underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The intense oxygen infusion of this approach would convert the silicone in her blood and tissues into silicon-citrate, a form that is easily eliminated from the body.

Mariel lay inside a sealed single-person oxygen chamber and was bathed in pure oxygen for two hours a session. She did this for five days in the space of a week. After that, her blood test was clear of silicone and her energy levels picked up.

"I think implants are bad news," Mariel says. "I enjoyed them for about a year, then from ages 20 to 32, I was asking, 'Why do I have these? I hate these. They were not me, it's kind of the antithesis of who I am. I'm a real natural person - but I was afraid to take them out because I thought I might look deformed. But I was fine. Now I think implants are bizarre looking-and I'm happy I can say it."

Hemingway is amongst a growing legion of stars who have had their implants removed due to leakage or other issues, including Sally Kirkland, Loni , Stevie Nicks, , Love and more.

Now, she told that she has a clean bill of health, an oddity considering the "Hemingway curse" - that is, a family history rife with alcoholism and drug abuse.

Hemingway is dedicated to being healthy. Her daily yoga routine has contributed to a healthy lifestyle, as well as abstinence from drugs and alcohol.

"I don't think of it that way but I know that I'm gonna keep it at bay by taking care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally," she told . At 41, shel is clearly a survivor. She says yoga and meditation have saved her — bringing serenity to a life threatened by demons.

Mariel Hemingway is promoting her new book, Finding My Balance. She started her life story as a personal journal, rather than a book, because as a Hemingway, she was afraid of the comparison to granddad who wrote such critically acclaimed novels as A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises and Old Man and the Sea.

She lives with her two daughters and her husband in Ketchum, Idaho.