Pectoral implants at Yanhee: cost, surgery and recovery
What pectoral implants are
A pectoral implant is a solid piece of medical-grade silicone shaped to sit under your chest muscle. Unlike gel breast implants, it is not filled, so it cannot leak or deflate. The surgeon places one implant on each side, in a pocket created between the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor, so that muscle and soft tissue lie over the implant and the outline reads as chest development rather than as an object under the skin.
Implants come in a range of shapes and sizes, and the two sides do not have to match. Where one side of the chest is flatter or smaller, the surgeon can fit a different implant on each side, or place a single implant on one side only. For reconstructive cases a laboratory can make a custom implant from your own chest measurements.
You may see the procedure called pec implants, chest implants, pectoral augmentation or male chest enhancement. They describe the same operation.
Who they suit
The chest is one of the harder areas to change with training. Most men can add thickness to the pectoralis major, but the width of the muscle and where it attaches to the collarbone and breastbone are set by anatomy, and no training programme moves them. That gap is what implants address.
Pectoral implants are generally suited to men who:
- Already train and have reached the limit of what their chest will do
- Have fully formed adult muscle and a stable body weight
- Have a flat, narrow or visibly uneven chest
- Were born with pectus excavatum, where the breastbone sinks inward, or Poland syndrome, where the chest muscle is missing on one side
- Are having chest contouring as part of gender-affirming surgery
- Do not smoke, since nicotine slows healing and raises the risk of complications
- Understand what the operation can and cannot change
It is not the right operation if your weight is still moving significantly, if you have an unmanaged physical or mental health condition, or if what you want from the result is out of reach. Those points are worked through at consultation before anything is booked.
Implants or fat transfer
Fat transfer is the main alternative. The two approaches produce different results, and the choice usually comes down to how defined you want the outline to be and how much donor fat you have.
| Feature | Pectoral implants | Fat transfer |
|---|---|---|
| What it adds | Fixed, defined muscle shape | Softer, more diffuse volume |
| Predictability | Volume is known before surgery | Part of the fat is reabsorbed |
| Requires donor fat | No | Yes, from the abdomen, flanks or elsewhere |
| Suits lean men | Yes | Often not, for lack of donor fat |
| Invasiveness | Higher | Lower |
| Reversible | Yes, the implant can be removed | No |
Some men have both, using implants for the shape and fat grafting to soften the edges. Liposuction of the flanks or upper abdomen is also often done at the same time, since a tighter waist makes the chest read wider.
What happens during the procedure
Care runs in three stages.
- Consultation and sizing — the surgeon examines your chest, takes photographs and measurements and selects the implant shape and size for your frame. You will have a physical examination and blood tests, stop nicotine several weeks beforehand, pause certain medicines and supplements, fast before surgery and take antibiotics to lower infection risk. No lotion or deodorant on the day.
- Surgery — under general anaesthesia, the surgeon makes an incision of about 3-4 inches in the crease of each armpit, works through it to create the pocket between the pectoralis major and minor, positions the implant and closes with stitches. Operating time is usually one to two hours.
- Recovery — you wake in recovery wearing a compression garment or elastic chest binder that holds the implants in position and limits swelling. At Yanhee the price covers a two-night stay, so the first two nights of recovery are under nursing observation rather than in a hotel.
What it costs at Yanhee
Procedure | Hospital Stay | Price (THB) |
Pectoral Implants | 1 Night | 358,000 |
The price covers the surgeon, the anaesthesia, the implants and the two-night stay; flights and accommodation are not included. Liposuction or fat grafting done at the same time is quoted separately. Prices are subject to change and are confirmed after consultation — see plastic surgery prices for the current list.
Recovery and aftercare
Expect your chest to feel tight, sore and stiff for about 2 weeks. Ice packs and over-the-counter pain relief handle most of it. The incisions generally heal within two weeks, and bruising fades over one to two weeks.
You wear the compression garment to keep the implants seated and control swelling. Depending on your surgeon's instructions this can run up to six weeks. Most men go back to desk work and light activity inside a week, but raising the arms above the head is restricted until your surgeon clears it, because that movement pulls on the pocket while it is still forming.
Chest training and heavy lifting usually wait about six weeks. Going back early risks displacing an implant before the pocket has healed around it. Most of the swelling settles by six weeks and the final shape is visible at three to six months.
Risks and what to watch for
Pectoral implant surgery carries the risks common to any operation under general anaesthesia — bleeding, bruising, swelling, infection, blood clots and reaction to the anaesthetic — plus risks specific to implants: an implant shifting out of position, which shows up as asymmetry and needs a further operation to correct; scar tissue forming around the implant; muscle spasm; nerve injury and numbness; and changes in skin sensitivity or colour.
Call the hospital or your surgeon if you have heavy bleeding, swelling or bruising, severe pain, muscle spasm, nausea and vomiting, fever, or discharge from an incision.
Result satisfaction is worth being honest about. Most men are happy with the outcome, but some find the shape reads as unnatural, or as fuller and rounder than the flat, squared look they wanted. Sizing at consultation is where that is decided, and it is the conversation to spend time on. If the result is not what you wanted, the implants can be removed or exchanged for a different size or shape.
Frequently asked questions
How much do pectoral implants cost in Thailand?
At Yanhee, pectoral implants are 358,000 THB with a one-night stay, covering the surgeon, the anaesthesia, the implants, 3D CT and the hospital stay, in a JCI-accredited full hospital rather than a day clinic.
Where is the scar?
In the crease of the armpit, roughly two inches on each side. There is no scar on the front of the chest, and once armpit hair grows back it is generally hard to see.
How long do pectoral implants last?
They are solid silicone, not gel-filled, so they cannot leak or deflate and there is no replacement schedule. They can last twenty years or longer, and are only removed or exchanged if you want a different size or shape, or if an implant shifts.
When can I go back to the gym?
Desk work and light activity in about a week. Chest training and heavy lifting at around six weeks, once the pocket around each implant has healed. Raising the arms overhead is restricted until your surgeon clears it.
Implants or fat transfer?
Implants give a defined, predictable shape and suit lean men, since no donor fat is needed. Fat transfer is less invasive and adds softer volume, but part of the transferred fat is reabsorbed, so the result is less predictable, and it needs a donor supply many lean men do not have.
Do they look and feel natural?
The implant sits under the pectoralis major, so muscle and soft tissue cover it, and solid silicone is made to feel firm like muscle. Sizing decides the outcome: an implant matched to your frame reads as chest development, an oversized one does not.
Can they correct pectus excavatum or Poland syndrome?
Yes. Pectoral implants were first developed in the late 1980s to fill the hollow of pectus excavatum, and they are also used for Poland syndrome, where the chest muscle is absent on one side from birth. Reconstructive cases often use custom implants made from your own chest measurements, and a single implant may be placed on one side to match the other.
Available doctors
Your surgeon is confirmed at consultation.
- Doctor of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (1990)
- Plastic surgery, Siriraj Hospital (1996); general surgery (1994); postgraduate training, Chang Gung Medical School, Taiwan (1996)
- Professor, College of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Prapokklao Hospital branch (1996–2010)
- ISAPS; American Society of Plastic Surgeons; Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons of Thailand; Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons of Thailand; Medical Council of Thailand
- Speaks Thai and English