Drooping nipples / retracted nipples: All info about the topic
The nipple is still a taboo body region and is often neglected in medicine. The cross-cultural importance of nipples as an aesthetic and sexually attractive feature can also be scientifically proven. Below the areola are small muscle fibers that raise the nipples when cold or sexually aroused. This process is similar to the way the fine hairs of the skin stand up when we get goose bumps. Men find protruding nipples very sensual and attractive. Women associate the sight of erect nipples with pleasant feelings [1].
Are you ashamed of your nipples? Do you avoid looking in the mirror and seeing your partner? In the following article you will find everything about nipples.
Decide on a neckline that suits you:
- Endlich auch ohne BH wieder wohlfühlen
- Durch die richtigen Proportionen den Körper ins Gleichgewicht bringen
- Attraktivität durch Schlupfwarzen Korrektur erhöhen
- Eine dauerhafte Lösung ohne Piercing
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CenterPlast is your specialist for the treatment of inverted nipples. Feel free to schedule a consultation for your plantar wart treatment.
Korrektur einer Schlupfwarze
What are the reference sizes of a nipple?
In adult women, the diameter of the areola is 35 to 45 millimeters and the nipple is 8 to 12 millimeters. The female nipple has a height of 6 to 9 millimeters [1]. The beauty of a female breast is also decisively influenced by the position of the nipple on the breast. Nipples that are minimally above and to the side of the center of the breast are considered particularly attractive [2]. [3].
What are inverted nipples?
Droopy nipples are nipples that point inward. Colloquially, different synonymous terms are used such as inverted nipples, slipped nipples, retracted nipples or slipped nipple. In technical terminology, this is referred to as an inverted nipple or nipple inversion. The extent of nipple retraction can be divided into three degrees of expression [4]:
Grade I: These nipples are flat. The nipples can be highlighted, but tend to retract after a short time. After some practice, breastfeeding is possible without problems at this level of severity.
Grade II: The nipples may be ejected briefly under pressure, but immediately retract. Breastfeeding is significantly more difficult for the mother.
Grade III: The nipples are strongly retracted and cannot be pulled out.
What discomfort do inverted nipples cause you?
Hatch warts affect sexual self-confidence. The congenital malformation can also cause recurrent inflammation. In addition, breastfeeding may be difficult or impossible because the baby cannot suck the nipple with its mouth. If you suffer from any of the above complaints, we will be happy to advise you in detail.
What helps against inverted nipples?
The treatment of inverted nipples depends on the degree of expression. An attempt at treatment without surgery is useful in the case of mildly pronounced inverted nipples. The use of a vacuum pump or suction device, also called a niplette, for several weeks, or highlighting the nipple with a piercing are suitable for mild-grade slippery or flat warts. Injection of flat warts with hyaluronic acid is also possible. The result of the injection is immediately visible in you, but usually not permanent. Operational methods, on the other hand, provide a reliable, long-term solution to the problem.
The first surgical treatment of slipped warts was described in 1879 [5]. Modern microsurgical techniques can be used to specifically cut the retracting strands and spare each milk duct. The surgical procedure to correct inverted nipples is usually performed under local (topical) anesthesia and on an outpatient basis. If you have questions about anesthesia, ask your attending aesthetic surgeon.
Facts about inverted nipple correction for you at a glance
Does the health insurance cover the costs of a nipple correction surgery?
Congenital nipples are benign changes of the nipples. Therefore, the health insurance does not pay for non-surgical, i.e. so-called conservative treatment attempts (for example, niplette or piercing), nor for the scientifically proven effective and low-risk surgical treatment.
Preliminary investigation
A preliminary examination is performed before the treatment. Unusual unilateral changes in the nipple should prompt further investigation. In rare cases, breast cancer can cause nipple deformity. Other signs of what is called Paget’s disease include a sore, redness of the skin, or bloody discharge from the nipple. Your gynecologist may order an ultrasound, a mammogram, and a tissue sample to treat you appropriately after the visual inspection.
How is an inverted nipple correction performed on me?
A plastic-aesthetic surgery for inverted nipples can be performed painlessly under local anesthesia. Minimally invasive nipple erection requires a small incision a few millimeters short below the nipple. Surgical treatment is performed without cutting the milk ducts. Usually, self-dissolving sutures are used by the plastic surgeon. The dressing prevents nipple shrinkage during wound healing. You can remove and reapply this special dressing independently, for example after showering. The anesthesia lasts beyond the minor breast surgery and gradually wears off. The outpatient procedure takes about 45 minutes.
Before leaving the plastic surgery office, appointments are made for check-ups and the doctor will advise you of the aftercare recommendations to follow. In addition to a comprehensive written report, you will receive a 24-hour emergency phone number. Under this you can reach the surgeon in an emergency at any time. If you wish, you can use virtual reality glasses to watch movies or a favorite series, for example, during surgery. This method has been proven to reduce pain sensitivity through distraction and entertain you before, during as well as after the surgical procedure.
What must be taken into account after treatment of the inverted nipples?
After the procedure, your surgeon will make sure that healing has taken place according to the rules. This can be done in a video consultation or on-site. You can easily change the dressing yourself after a brief instruction.
Our experience nipple correction surgery
Our microsurgical treatment method has been developed over decades of experience. The results and comfort of the treatment have convinced many patients. Many patients have agreed to share their experiences with other affected women. After a consultation with our specialists in aesthetic plastic surgery, we will be happy to help you get in touch with our patients.
Our before and after pictures of an inverted nipple correction
Women who are dissatisfied with their outwardly directed nipples for aesthetic or medical reasons usually inform themselves in advance on the Internet about the methods of aesthetic plastic surgery. For this reason, you will also want to view before and after pictures of inverted nipple correction to verify the success that surgical techniques and procedures promise. During a personal consultation, patients can view before-and-after pictures of the surgical correction at CenterPlast. You can find more information in the Service menu tab under the Before/After images item.
Nipples inward cause
The tissue of inverted nipples is characterized by certain features. Fibrous bands are found around the milk ducts that retract the skin [6]. In addition, the supporting tissue below the nipple is less pronounced. The cause of this malformation of the underlying tissue is thought to be a hereditary disturbance of cell maturation and cell division during the first weeks of life [7].
Illustration of a nipple in cross-section on the left and a slipped nipple in cross-section on the right. In the case of a slippery wart, also called an inverted nipple, there are coarse strands of tissue made of collagen around the milk ducts. These strands pull the nipple inward.
How common are inverted nipples?
Inverted nipples affect about 2 to 10% of women…. Inverted nipples occur much less frequently in men and usually in association with breast disease or injury. In 90% of cases, the nipples are indented from birth [8]. In 70 to 80% of cases, both nipples are affected [9] [10].
What is a flat wart?
Occasionally, the term is used to describe a mild-grade slip wart. In a flat nipple, the nipple does not protrude above the level of the areola. Unlike the nipple, the nipple is not retracted under the areola. A slight flattening of the nipple may also occur after breast lifts and breast reductions [11].
What are the risks of surgery to correct the herniated warts?
Surgical correction of the nipple is usually a very safe procedure. Immediately after the procedure, there is often slight swelling and tenderness, but this subsides without problems. Bleeding and wound infection are the most common surgical complications, although both are rare. Recurrence of nipple inversion is the most important complication, and the greatest risk of recurrence is 6 to 12 months after this cosmetic surgery procedure.
Inverted nipple correction surgery cost
Would you like to know the costs associated with a nipple correction? Try our free interactive price calculator now to find out the price of an inverted nipple correction.
The author
“We provide you with extensive expert knowledge so that we can work with you to select the best possible treatment path.”
Dr. med. Stéphane steel is the former director of the Clinic for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery / Hand Surgery at the Lüdenscheid Clinic. Dr. Stahl studied medicine at the Universities of Freiburg and Berlin. In 2011 he passed the European and 2012 the German specialist examination for plastic and aesthetic surgery. Further specialist qualifications and additional qualifications followed (including quality management, medical didactics, physical therapy, emergency medicine, laser protection officers, hand surgery) as well as prizes and awards. In 2015 he completed his habilitation in plastic and aesthetic surgery in Tübingen. He is an experienced microsurgeon, a sought-after expert and a regular speaker at specialist congresses. After a multi-stage selection process, Stéphane Stahl became a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), one of the world’s largest and most influential specialist societies for aesthetic surgery. His authorship includes numerous articles in respected peer review journals and standard surgical textbooks.
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