What You Want to Know About Nipple Aesthetics

Aesthetic surgeries applied to eliminate various problems in women’s nipples and surrounding areas  (the brown area called “areola”) are included in the scope of nipple aesthetics. It is possible to combine nipple aesthetic surgeries with other breast aesthetic surgeries such as breast augmentation, breast reduction and breast lift if needed.

Nipple aesthetics can be applied to eliminate problems such as buried, sunken, wide or large nipple as well as to create a non-existent nipple. Thus, deformations in the nipples and other problems can be resolved.

Aesthetic problems in the nipple can be congenital or caused by genetic factors, various infections, developmental reasons, burns, accidents and cancer. In addition, there is a risk of developing some nipple deformations due to the breastfeeding process.

Factors that cause the enlargement of the brown areola around the nipple, on the other hand, can cause the breast tissue to lose its unique form and cause distortions in the shape of the breast. Although the areola is more prominent in women with dark skin color, it is possible for the areola to be in different colour tones due to hormonal changes.

How is nipple aesthetics performed?

A sunken or buried nipple is a condition that occurs due to the retraction of the nipples as a result of the milk ducts being short during the developmental period. This problem can be graded according to how short the milk ducts are.

Nipple aesthetics can be applied simultaneously to patients who have the problem of sunken or buried nipples, called “inverted nipples”, if breast reduction, augmentation or lift is to be performed. If the patient’s nipples are sunken or buried, but there is no different problem with the breast tissues, only nipple aesthetics may be considered.

In order to eliminate the problem of sunken or buried nipples, care should be taken not to damage the milk ducts while releasing the milk ducts that pull the nipples in. Depending on the degree of the problem in particular, the need to place fat tissue under the nipples may occur. Within the scope of nipple aesthetics, the nipple is pulled upwards by using surgical methods or suture applications.

If the patient only complains of having a large nipple, a small incision is made on the nipple. Some tissue is removed from the nipple, taking care not to damage the milk ducts. Thus, the nipple is reduced. In cases where the nipple is very prominent and long, necessary corrections are made by using a special incision technique that will protect the milk ducts.

Different Methods Can Be Used for Different Problems in Nipple Aesthetics

In case the areola around the breast is small, areola tattooing using medical dyes or imitating the nipple and surrounding tissues by taking skin pieces from appropriate body parts can be applied. In this way, a symmetrical and aesthetic appearance can be obtained in the breasts.

In some patients, there may be situations such as the absence of a nipple congenitally or the loss of the nipple due to trauma or cancer. In such cases, the breast skin of the area where the nipple will be made is used to reconstruct the nipple and, if necessary, the areola, and the nipple is made. In some cases, it is also possible to use other tissues in the patient’s body. Transferring a part of the healthy nipple to the non-existent nipple is another method that can be applied.

On the other hand, filling or fat injection methods are used to smooth out the faint, flattened and small nipples and make them more prominent and fuller. In order to achieve a more attractive appearance, the details of the preferred procedure are determined depending on the current shape, size and projection of the nipples.

Although rare, there is a risk of infection, bleeding and short-term loss of sensation in the nipple after nipple aesthetics. Performing nipple aesthetics by a plastic surgeon with sufficient experience and expertise in this field is an important factor that minimizes the possible risks that may develop after the surgery.