Individuals who are unhappy with their nipples have a variety of nipple surgery alternatives depending on the severity of their condition. The term “nipple surgery” is any procedure or surgery to alter the appearance of your nipples.

Areolas that are oversized or asymmetrical are a typical complaint among women, especially after breastfeeding.  Puffy areolas are a common complaint among both men and women. When the patient is warm, and the smooth muscle of the areola is not constricted, they are most noticeable. Individuals who are unhappy with their nipples have a variety of nipple surgery alternatives depending on the severity of their condition.

Nipples and areolas (pigmented skin that surrounds the nipples) come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colours. If you’re unhappy with the appearance of your nipples and/or areolas, surgical techniques can be used to correct the problem and give you the breast appearance you want.

The most common nipple and areola surgeries include:

• Inverted nipple correction

• Nipple reconstuction

• Nipple reduction/correction of puffy areolas

• Nipple lift

• Supernumerary nipples/third nipple removal

• Irregular and asymmetrical areolas

Nipples that are inverted are fairly common. They happen when the nipple does not protrude normally due to overly tight ducts that lead to the nipple. The nipple is dragged into the surrounding areola as a result of this. Breastfeeding may be difficult or impossible with inverted nipples because the nursing baby is unable to latch onto the breast and get the nipple into its mouth.

Step One – Anesthesia 

Inverted nipple correction can be corrected with a minor surgical procedure usually performed under local or general anesthetic.

Step Two – The Incision

A small 2mm incision is placed along the edge of the nipple. The overly tight ducts are then gently released, and this will allow the nipple to immediately project.

Step Three – Closing the Incisions

A small single stitch is placed along the edge of the incision, usually with a suture that will dissolve in about a week.

Step Four- See the Results

After surgery, the results will be immediate, and the scar is usually invisible.

If you had a mastectomy and one or both of your nipples were removed, you can usually have surgery, tattooing, or both to recreate the nipple and the areola.

Nipple reconstruction or nipple tattoos should be done at least four months after breast reconstruction surgery, according to most plastic surgeons. This will allow your breasts to recover and settle into a permanent position.

Skin graft reconstruction

To create the areola, your surgeon will extract a little piece of skin from another part of your body, such as the inner thigh, stomach, or buttocks. They may be able to construct the nipple from the skin of the breast mound, depending on the amount of available skin tissue. If there isn’t enough skin tissue on the breast mound to form both the nipple and the areola, this technique works well.

Skin flap reconstruction

Your surgeon will raise small flaps of skin from around the area where the intended nipple location is to be. They will then fold and sew together these skin flaps above the level of the surrounding skin, creating a bump that will become the new nipple.

Breast-related cosmetic concerns, particularly among women who have nursed, include enlarged or prominent nipples. Nipple reduction is a procedure that is used to reduce nipples that are excessively large or prominent or nipples that are out of proportion to the rest of the breasts. Not only does the operation improve the appearance of large nipples, but it also reduces or eliminates chafing or irritation caused by the nipples rubbing against clothing.

Your surgeon can reduce the length and/or width of the nipples or the size of enlarged or puffy areolas.

Step One – Anesthesia 

A local or general anesthesia is commonly used during nipple reduction surgery.

Step Two – The Incision 

Your surgeon will cut a doughnut-shaped piece of tissue out of your areola. This incision will be made around the existing border of your areola, so the scar is easily hidden.

Step Three – Closing the Incision

Your new areola will be secured with a permanent suture deep inside your breast, and this will prevent the areola from stretching. Your incision will then be closed with removable or dissolvable sutures.

Step Four – See the Results 

Areola reduction surgery has a quick recovery time. Even if there is some swelling and bruising, you should be able to return to work in one or two days.

You may not be able to appreciate the results of your areola reduction surgery for a few weeks. The outcomes are frequently obscured by the post-op swelling and bruising.

Your breasts will settle into their final position when the swelling goes down, and your areolas will appear smaller and more centered as a result of this. Your new areola will also have a ring-shaped scar around it. It can take up to a year for this to recover.

When the position of an individual’s nipples is too low, a condition also known as ptosis is one of the most common cosmetic issues.  This appearance is common in women who have enlarged breasts, but it can also develop over time as the skin ages, and the nipples appear to droop lower or point downward. Nipple ptosis correction, which raises the nipples into a more attractive posture, can also relocate nipples that are too far apart or too close together.

Both breast lift and breast reduction surgeries, which treat hanging breasts and oversized breasts, include a nipple lift. Increased breast volume with implants often produces a small degree of nipple lift in patients with small breasts and only a small degree of ptosis and does not require a separate procedure.

Step One – Anesthesia 

A nipple lift surgery is usually performed under local or general anesthetic.

Step Two – The Incision

The circumareolar breast lift begins with the areola being reduced to around 1.5 inches in diameter. After that, the excess skin around the areola’s outer layer is removed.

Step Three – Closing the Incisions

The areola is put into place, and the skin around it is closed like a purse string. Additional sutures are generally used to close the incision precisely.

Step Four – See the Results

The skin surrounding the areola is puckered and bruised in the first few weeks following surgery, and the breasts are tight and “perky.” The skin flattens, and the breasts soften with time, giving the breasts a pleasant, natural appearance.

A third nipple (also known as supernumerary nipples) is a condition in which one or more nipples are present on your body. This is in addition to the two traditional breast nipples.

While a third nipple is the most typical number of extra nipples in patients with this condition, up to eight extra nipples are possible.

Step One – Anesthesia 

A nipple lift surgery is usually performed under a local anesthetic.

Step Two – The Incision 

The third nipple removal procedure involves a small incision that allows the surgeon to remove the nipple, as well as any extra breast, fat tissue, and skin, if present.

Step Three – Closing the Incisions

Sutures will be used to close the incision site.  Sutures are usually dissolvable, so they will dissolve on their own within a few days, and you won’t need to go back to the clinic to have them removed.

Step Four- See the Results 

Following the procedure, you may have some bruising, redness, and swelling. It’s possible that the swelling will last up to two weeks. A dressing will be applied to the incision site, which can be removed after one week.

Areolas, like breasts, can be asymmetrical in shape or size. Surgical correction can improve the symmetry between the areolas if there are irregularities in their diameter or shape. To achieve a better cosmetic result, skin next to or within the areolas is trimmed depending on the situation – this can be done by undergoing a nipple reduction surgery.

25/25 people who have undergone nipple surgery have rated the procedure “worth it” (100%).

• Source – Realself.com