How do pectoral implants work?

Nowadays, some men, especially bodybuilders, choose pectoral (pec) implants to help create the chest shape they want. How do pectoral implants work? Top plastic surgeon Dr Gary Horn explains!

How does pectoral implant insertion work?

Today, every man wants a perfect chest, but even if you go to the gym every day, sometimes it simply doesn't work. That's why some men choose pectoral implants.

So how does that work? The implant procedure is performed under general anaesthetic. It's a one-hour surgery. The incisions are 5 cm long and they are made, in 90% of the cases, in the armpits. In 10% of cases, they are in the inframammary crease and this is only done for specific reasons. The implants that are used are specific implants made of cohesive silicone, which have the shape of the muscle and they come in two or four different sizes.

Who gets pectoral implants?

There are four types of patients that I see in my consultation who require actual implants.

Originally, this operation was only made for people who were born with a difference between the two sides of their chests or had suffered an injury that aesthetically changed one side. Then in 1990, an American surgeon started to use pectoral implants on both sides for bodybuilders, but he was using hard silicone implants.

There are also patients who struggle to build their chest muscle even when trying very hard. Here, I started using a specific implant – as you know, about three different types and three different sizes.

The last category of patients is those who have had extensive (perhaps too aggressive) surgery, like liposuction for instance, and they need reconstruction of the chest and that's why we use the pectoral implants.

What is the approximate size increase used with pectoral implants?

The increase that you can get with pectoral implants depends on what sort of implants you have, but it ranges from 2.4 cm to 2.9 cm. Now, you have to keep in mind that we’re putting an implant under a muscle which has already a certain thickness and you want a natural result. You don't want the chest to look too feminine, and you also have to keep in mind that this new chest size has to match with the arms (in other words, you don't want the biceps to be too small compared to the chest). This is why we have only three different sizes. Tis provides a good answer to what the patients need.

What risks are there in having pectoral implants?

Pectoral implants have potential risks. Because they are implants, they have a life expectancy. In theory, they should last for around ten years.

They are also painful for about three weeks. There's always a risk of infection, so the patient needs to take antibiotics, and you should rest for the first three weeks; otherwise there's always a risk of the implants moving out of place.

Finally, just like with any type of implants in the body, there's a risk of harming the tissue around the implant (what we call a capsule contracture). However, the risk here is quite small.

What happens if you gain weight after having pectoral implants?

If you gain weight after having pectoral implants, it is always possible to remove this excessive fat with liposuction. However, first of all, I would say that people who want pectoral implants should be careful with what they're eating and go to the gym, at least in a reasonable way.

While I used to insert pectoral implants alone, recently I decided to combine this operation with VASER liposuction to the chest, which is actually done before inserting the implants, and the purpose of this VASER liposuction is to remove all the excess fat that can be found around the pectoral muscle. Combined together, these two techniques will give you the perfect shape and I now recommend this dual procedure to all my patients.