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Cosmetic Surgery For Moms
Understanding Nipple Reduction?

Mommy Makeover - Breast - Abdomen - Vagina

Nipple reduction is an often overlooked procedure when thinking about having a cosmetic breast procedure.  It is, however, a very common addition when a patient is thinking about having a breast augmentation or breast lift after having children.  

The nipple complex will often either widen or stretch after pregnancies, age, and/or breast feeding. 

Enlargement of the nipples will often bother a woman because they will often show through clothes or even a padded bra, the appearance is different than she remembers from her youth, and stretched nipples will often droop and point downwards.

A nipple reduction is a safe and effective way of reducing the size, and can be performed in the office without anesthesia.

Nipple reduction surgery is a safe and simple procedure that can be performed in the office without anesthesia.  

Women will often ask about a nipple reduction because:

  • They are already having another cosmetic breast surgery like a breast augmentation or breast lift.
  • Their nipples protrude and show through clothing and bras
  • The woman is sensitive or embarrassed in times of intimacy
  • The nipple points or hangs downward when naked

There are a few techniques that are used depending on the appearance of the nipple.  

If the problem is that the nipple is too long:

The ring or donut of skin at the base of the nipple is removed.  Only skin is removed leaving the more vital tissue underneath untouched.  The remaining tissue is compressed like an accordion and closed.  Because we remove only skin, there is not loss of sensation and breast feeding is intact.

If the problem is that the nipple is too wide:

A small pie wedge of tissue is removed.  Imagine cutting up a piece of a pie.  The triangular piece of pie is removed and the remaining edges are brought back together forming an smaller circle.

The procedure:

A nipple reduction surgery can be performed in the office under local anesthesia.  The surgery will take less than an hour.  Most patients will return to work right away.

There should be minimal to no downtime with a nipple reduction as the majority of the procedure is skin related.  Pain is minimal.  Most patients will return to work either the next day or over a long weekend.  The only exceptions are patients with very physical jobs such as factory or construction workers.

Most patients can start light work-outs in 1 week.  This would include long walks and light weights.  Hard work-outs should wait for 2-3 weeks as significant movement can delay your healing.  

Nipple reduction surgery should not affect breast feeding.  Only 1% of patients will not be able to breast feed after a nipple reduction if the wedge technique is used.  But it is not clear whether these women lost their ability because of the surgery or from some other reason given that up to 20% of normal women will lose the ability naturally between pregnancies.

Nipple reduction surgery should not affect nipple sensation.  Less than 1% of patients will complain of a loss of sensation after nipple reduction.  The procedure is mostly the removal of a ribbon of skin; and does not involved underlying structures.

A nipple reduction surgery is a common procedure added to a breast augmentation or mommy makeover procedure.  The addition of the procedure completes the cosmetic appearance of the breast procedure.  

It is also common in the proccess of an areola reduction, breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast reduction surgery.

Common Mommy Makeover Procedures for the Breast

breast augmentation
Breast Augmentation
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Breast Lift

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Breast Lift plus Augmentation

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Breast Augment with Fat Transfer

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Nipple Reduction

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Areola Reduction

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