Inverted Nipple Correction Surgery
What is an inverted nipple?
An inverted nipple is a condition where the nipple, instead of pointing outward, is retracted into the breast. In some cases, the nipple will be temporarily protruded if stimulated, but in others the inversion remains regardless of stimulus. Both Women and men can have inverted nipples.
What causes inverted nipples?
The cause of nipple inversion is
- An imbalance between the inwards traction of the milk ducts and the outward traction of the muscle within the nipple
- If the inward tethering force of the tight, shortened milk ducts is greater than the force by the muscle within the nipple, inverted nipples will result
The severity of the inverted nipples may vary considerably. An initial consultation is required to assess the grade of your nipple inversion.
Do you really need surgery? Non-surgical verse surgical options
Before choosing to undergo nipple correction surgery, we advise you to consider treatments which can help correct your nipple inversion without surgery. Many people don’t realise there are non-surgical treatments available, and we would always encourage you to explore them before considering about surgery.
What are the non-surgical treatments for inverted nipples?
These may include the nipple suction device that can be used overnight as you sleep. The nipple suction device has the effect of gently stretching the milk ducts which are the main cause of your inverted nipples.
The patients with flat or grade 1 nipple inversion tend to respond well to the nipple suction device but it does not work so well with grade 2 to 3 nipples.
How is inverted nipple correction surgery performed?
- Generally performed under local anaesthetic
- The milk ducts which are tethering your nipple inwards are divided or released. This allows your nipple to come out and lie in its normal position
- Soluble internal stitches are used at the base of the nipple to hold it in position when it is healing
- Lasts about 30 minutes
Are there any disadvantages of having nipple correction surgery?
The main downside of the procedure is that you will be unable to breast feed after inverted nipple correction. This is because the milk ducts which carry the milk from the underlying breast glands to the nipple will be divided or lengthened during the operation.
The inability to breastfeed afterwards is the main downside of inverted nipple correction surgery and is something you will need to consider carefully if you are planning to have a family and would like to breastfeed.