Breast reconstruction with a breast implant placed above the chest muscle

A breast implant that's placed on top of the chest muscle is called a prepectoral breast implant. This procedure may be done in one stage or two. If there is enough healthy breast skin, the surgeon may place the implant at the time of the mastectomy. When the reconstruction is done in two stages, a plastic surgeon first places a balloonlike tissue expander under the skin. Over a period of a few weeks to months, a healthcare professional may slowly fill the expander with saline to the size you prefer. In a second operation, a plastic surgeon removes the expander and replaces it with a breast implant.