Before and after bilateral inverted nipple repair in a 37 year old woman. Her nipples were completely buried and she felt she “wasn’t a complete woman”. She wanted to feel more feminine, which included having nipples that were visible and that responded in intimate situations.
Correction of her inverted nipples was performed in the office under local anesthesia. A mild anti-anxiety medication was prescribed, and because she was awake, she did not need to fast for several hours before surgery.
Local anesthetic was injected which took away any sensation; only mild tugging or pulling was experienced during surgery, but no pain. Her nipples were recovered by trimming tight bands beneath the nipple that were pulling them completely within the breasts.
In order to keep them in an “outie” position, the base of the nipple was reconstructed and reinforced using dissolving sutures in order to prevent the nipple from falling back down. Recurrence of inversion is the most common complication after inverted nipple correction. Additional supporting sutures were placed to reinforce the repair.
Early follow up photos are shown 10 days after surgery. She has some minor bruising that is still resolving, but her nipples are now out! They are mildly swollen (as seen by markings from a bandage overtop) and still a little tender to the touch. At 6 weeks after surgery they will be softer and most of the surgical swelling will be gone.
Inverted nipple correction aims to preserve the two functions of the nipple, namely the ability to nurse a baby in the future and erogenous sensation to the nipple. Only the most constricting bands are released below the nipple to preserve the very best chance for milk to exit the nipple and for complete nerve recovery.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
