Nipple Surgery

Las imágenes de la cara y el cuerpo que no sean del personal y los pacientes de la Dra, Rodríguez son modelos estándar

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Abigail Rodriguez in Houston performs nipple surgery for men and women who are unhappy with the appearance or feel of their nipples. This is usually due to inversion or an enlarged size.

While you might think that you’re the only person in the world with inverted nipples, it’s actually incredibly common. About 10% of the population has inverted nipples, meaning the nipple is retracted inwards and does not stick out beyond the surrounding skin surface.

In most cases, it is present from the time of birth and is not worrisome. During development in the womb, early breast tissue develops under the skin surface in both men and women. Usually, this tissue pushes the nipple outwards and above the level of the areola. If this doesn’t happen, the result can be an inverted nipple.

It is also common to have nipples that are disproportionately large or puffy. This may mean that the nipples stick out too much to the point where they are frequently visible through clothing. This might have been present for much of your life or may become apparent after pregnancy or breastfeeding. Overly large nipples can also rub against clothes and cause chafing or irritation, especially during exercise.

First, it is important to understand the difference between the nipple and the areola.

Nipple surgery can help correct an inverted nipple or make it less prominent by reducing its size. Both versions of this operation can easily and comfortably be done under local anesthesia.

An inverted nipple is corrected by making a small incision along its base, where it meets the areola. The tissue bands that pull the nipple inwards are then cut to release the nipple and improve projection. The incision is then stitched closed. 

A large or puffy nipple can be reduced by removing a portion of the nipple skin and underlying tissue. Stitches are then used to close the incisions. 

If you are having a breast reduction or breast lift, Dr. Rodriguez may advise against having nipple surgery at the same time. During both nipple surgery and breast surgeries, some blood supply to the nipple is disrupted. If the nipple does not receive enough blood supply, the skin at the nipple does not survive. 

To minimize this risk, Dr. Rodriguez may instead recommend having nipple surgery several weeks after a breast reduction or breast lift. Separating these procedures allows the nipple to recover and develop a new blood supply.

The incisions on the nipple are dressed with antibiotic ointment, which is reapplied twice daily for the first few days of recovery. Padding is applied around the nipple to protect it from the pressure of your clothing. For women, a soft, loose bra is recommended during healing. 

In most cases, Dr. Rodriguez will use absorbable stitches, which should fall out on their own and not need to be removed. You can usually return to work the following day.

After inverted nipple repair, they may look overly projected. This is done on purpose to combat the fact that scarring at the nipple tends to start pulling it back inwards. It will not stay in the overly projected position forever. After several weeks or months, you should notice that the nipple sticks just slightly outwards. 

After nipple reduction surgery, the results are more apparent early on. It should not become overly projected again. The texture and pigmentation of the skin at the nipple/areola usually camouflage the scars quite well.