NIPPLE & AREOLA CORRECTION

Repositioning of the nipple into a more attractive location, correction of nipple inversion and reduction of the areola.

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about nipple & areola correction

Plastic surgeons are often called upon to correct nipple deformities. Some patients are born with “inverted nipples” while other patients develop inverted nipples later in life. While the nipple normally “protrudes” in most women, in patients with “inverted nipples” one or both nipples are pulled inward. This is not only is this aesthetically unattractive for most patients, but inverted nipples may also interfere with the ability to breastfeed.

Correction of inverted nipples is a straightforward procedure. Dr. Handel usually performs the operation under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis in our office treatment room. After a small amount of lidocaine (local anesthetic) is injected into the area around the inverted nipple, small incisions are made around the base of the nipple and the bands that are retracting the nipple are divided. A suture is then placed to maintain the nipple in the desired configuration. This surgery is very safe and has a very low complication rate.

While the results are usually permanent, there is a chance that nipple inversion can recur, in which case, it can be corrected again as needed. Sometimes, patients with inverted nipples are undergoing other surgical procedures such as a breast augmentation, a breast uplift (mastopexy) or breast reduction surgery. In these cases, surgical correction of the inverted nipple is conveniently performed at the same time as the other procedure(s).

Before & After images of Nipple & Areola Correction Surgery