One-Stage Silicone Breast Reconstruction On rare occasions, a permanent small breast implant can be placed under the chest wall muscles at the end of the mastectomy operation. This can be done in some small-breasted women who have had a minimal amount of breast skin removed with their mastectomy.
Advantages
• Re-establishes the completed breast mound with minimal additional surgery.
Disadvantages
• Can be used only to produce a relatively small breast contour that may not have as natural a shape as that produced by other techniques.
• As with any silicone implant, there is a low but definite risk of complications, which could lead to further surgery.
Tissue Expansion Technique An inflatable silicone prosthesis is placed under the muscles of the chest wall and is gradually inflated with saline (sterile salt water).
