When are soft tissue expanders used?
If there is an adequate amount of skin remaining following a mastectomy, then a breast implant or prosthesis can be placed beneath it to reconstruct the breast mound. If not, then remaining skin can sometimes be expanded by placing an inflatable expander beneath the skin and filling it in increments over several weeks, then replacing it with a permanent implant. With expander or implant techniques, a pocket is created beneath the remaining skin where the implant is placed to create a breast mound.
