"Picture it. Charlotte, North Carolina, 2018. A young queen, shortly after a career-defining WrestleMania victory, finds herself sicker than sick at her brother's house," Charlotte says.

"A trip to the doctor tells us the likely culprit is silicone poisoning, and that my implant had been leaking for quite some time. It was one of the worse cases the doctor had seen."

Flair says she consulted with doctors about her options but ultimately decided to go with the choice that "allowed me to return [to pro wrestling] the soonest. That was the choice I made."

The 34-year-old pro wrestler says things appeared to be resolved for a while ... until a few months ago when "something felt off."

She returned to the doctor and found out the new issue was NOT related to silicon poisoning ... but she still needs another operation to fix the problem.

"The surgery is cosmetic to fix an issue from a prior surgery," Charlotte explained.

"This time, I'm going with an option that I believe will solve the issue long time, even though the recovery period is a little longer than I would like."

Now, Charlotte says she'll be taking some time off from WWE to fix the issue -- and she'll return "when I'm ready."

"The body will be rested, and the mind still focused on legacy. Focused on this job. Focused on being better. Always being better."

Flair later said she refuses to feel ashamed over the medical issue -- and seemingly wants to put a spotlight on it to let other women suffering from a similar condition to know they're not alone.