Nipple / Areola surgery
Duration: 1 hr
About one in ten women have inverted or flat nipples to some extent. It affects both women and men. Inverted nipples can affect people’s self-confidence and in some severe cases this could even affect the ability to breastfeed. “Inverted” means having an indrawn nipple. This often becomes obvious during breast development.
Some people develop inverted nipples at a later age. If this appears relatively sudden and is asymmetrical or if you encounter a sudden nipple discharge on top of this, you should always have this checked out immediately with your GP. The GP can then refer you to a gynaecologist if they deem it necessary because these symptoms can be an early sign of breast cancer development. If you have had inverted nipples for years it is highly unlikely this is due to malignancy and you may make a good candidate for surgery.
Additional Information
The cause of nipple inversion is an exaggerated inward traction on the milk ducts. The balance with the muscle that usually pulls the nipple outwards is gone. When the inward tethering force of the milk ducts becomes greater than the outward pulling force of the muscle this leads to an inverted or flat nipple depending on the severity of the pulling force. There are three grades of severity of inverted nipples with grade three being the most severe one.
Many people don’t like the appearance of their nipples. Having a nipple that is too large or having asymmetrical or droopy nipples can be very disturbing. This can be easily corrected with minimal downtime and little scarring.
Having worked in major breast units Dr. V will tell you all about certain risks and complications involved with this procedure. This procedure starts with the consultation and proper assessment of your breasts. We decide on the desired result and discuss the goals together.