Partial Muscle Coverage
With partial muscle coverage breast reconstruction, the pectoralis major muscle is used to cover the top part of the implant, leaving the lower portion of the implant uncovered. Since there is no muscle to constrain the lower part of the implant, it is kept free, supported only by existing breast skin. This can help provide more natural looking ptosis, or hang, to the breast compared with full muscle coverage techniques. However, there are a number of limitations (see table below).
Artist's renderings
| POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES |
POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGES |
| Helps to achieve a more natural looking breast shape and contour (by keeping lower part of implant unrestricted by muscle) |
| Better defined crease where the breast naturally hangs |
| Greatest breast projection, the way the breast hangs and points |
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| "Bottoming out" of the implant: risk of implant moving downward, falling below the natural crease of the breast towards your waist |
| Lateral malposition: implant can shift sideways, toward patient's side |
| Exposure and extrusion of implant: the weight of the implant can stretch the skin to the point that it breaks through the skin itself |
| Symmastia: implants can move towards one another resulting in the breasts possibly touching in the middle |
| May be able to see or feel the implant through the skin |
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