Pre-Pectoral Implant Reconstruction
Prepectoral (or “above-the-muscle”) breast reconstruction is an innovative, less invasive, breast reconstruction approach with quicker recovery, less pain, and better outcomes than older approaches that place implants under the muscle. In this approach, implants are covered with a skin substitute that helps protect the implant and reduces the chance of hardening around the implant in the future. With pre-pectoral reconstruction, the chest wall muscle is not cut or disturbed in any way, so recovery is faster and there’s less chance of long-term chest wall pain. Prepectoral reconstruction also completely eliminates a problem frequently seen with under-the-muscle reconstruction called “hyper animation,” where rippling of the muscle and movement of the implant is visible with flexing of the chest muscles. Prepectoral reconstruction can often be combined with nipple-sparing mastectomy and one-stage implant reconstruction, which gives natural results and gets women back to their lives and activities more quickly and smoothly.