Before and after bilateral inverted nipple correction in a 47 year old woman. She had always been self-conscious of her nipples and she unfortunately had been unable to breast feed her child. Now that her daughter was older, she wanted to do something for herself!
Inverted nipple repair is done in our office under local anesthesia. An oral anti-anxiety medication helps to “take the edge off” and fasting is not necessary before surgery. Following injection of numbing medicine, only tugging or pulling sensations are experienced.
A small semicircular incision is made around the base of the nipple. Tight, constricting bands that are pulling the nipple downwards are snipped until the nipple is able to pop outwards. Reconstruction of the base of the nipple is performed by suturing to create a more stable base and prevent recurrence of the nipple falling back down.
All sutures are dissolving. Often, additional reinforcing sutures are placed to encourage an outward projection of the nipple. A couple of days off work is recommended, and exercise should be avoided for 10-14 days after surgery.
Follow up photos are shown 2 months postoperatively. Most of the surgical swelling is gone and our patient is very happy to finally see her nipples!
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
