Inverted Nipple Surgery

Before scheduling surgery to correct your inverted nipples, Dr Konrat will check your level of inversion to see if surgery is even necessary. There are three basic inversion levels:

• Level One – The nipple is inverted but will respond to cold or touch and protrude normally. The protrusion is only temporary. This may also be referred to as “shy” nipples.
• Level Two – The nipple is constantly inverted but suction may bring it out briefly. Again, the protrusion is only temporary as long as the suction is working.
• Level Three – At this stage, the nipple will not project even under stimulation or suction. This is due to severely constricted tissue beneath the skin’s surface and will likely require a surgical procedure to correct.

Dr Konrat will evaluate your personal situation to help you determine the best proedural option for you. She will check your general breast and nipple health as part of your consultation to determine if surgery is the right option for you.  If surgery appears to be the best choice, Dr Konrat performs a procedure that is most likely to preserve your nipple sensation afterward.

Before making a decision to proceed with surgery, please review our Consent for Surgery form about this surgery.

Surgery Consent Form

This procedure is performed under sedation with long acting local anaesthesia but can also be performed under local anaesthetic alone. A small incision is made in the estimated natural crease at the base of the nipple, and the short, tight ducts are cut to enable the nipple to protrude. This is then stitched into position. A special dressing is placed over the nipples for the first 14 days after the procedure to protect them in their newly projected position while healing occurs.

The recovery and healing after time needed is relatively short. Most of Dr Konrat’s patients are back to their regular activities within 3-7 days. Although there is no guarantee the nipples will remain in their projected position permanently, this procedure offers a much higher success rate than any other procedure today. Patients may return to work in 48 hours, and light exercise only is recommended for the first 2 -3 weeks post-surgery.

Nipple inversion is rarely a serious medical concern but requires appropriate consultation, examination and investigation to exclude other more serious causes of Inverted Nipple prior to surgery. Contact Dr Konrat’s office today to book a consultation.

You should never make a decision by reading a web page alone, no matter how comprehensive the information is. We encourage you to book a personal consultation with Dr Konrat, where she will assess you, explain the procedure in detail and help you to understand all the options as well as the risks and complications of surgery in general and this procedure in particular.

While inverted nipple correction surgery is considered a straightforward procedure, as with any form of cosmetic surgery, there are certain risks that patients need to know prior to having any surgery. Some of these include

Bleeding

There will be some minor bleeding following the procedure. Bleeding will usually subside on its own. This appears as bruising in the breast surrounding the nipple. If the bruising becomes extensive or there is excessive bleeding, we recommend getting in touch with Dr Konrat for assessment.

Infection

While infection is rare with nipple surgery, infections can occur after any surgical procedure. If minor infections do occur, they can slow the rate of healing. Following your nipple correction surgery aftercare instructions carefully will help to reduce the risk of infection.

Scarring

The possibility of scarring is another risk associated with nipple surgery.  Most patients find it difficult to detect their scar 3 months following their procedure. The scar will mostly be hidden in the natural crease line of the nipple and will routinely improve over time and be well camouflaged. The severity of scarring will vary from patient to patient, in many cases the scar will fade to be almost invisible, while in others it may more noticeable.

Swelling

The tissues in the nipple are delicate and minor swelling may persist for some weeks. This is not unusual and will heal well in time.

Asymmetrical results

With inverted nipple correction, there is a small risk that the nipples may not match in size or shape following the surgery.

Loss of ability to breastfeed

Following inverted nipple correction surgery where the ducts are cut, breast feeding will no longer be possible.

Loss of sensation

While rare, sensation loss can occur in the weeks following surgery and will usually return to the nipple within 3 to 6 months after surgery.