Inverted Nipple Correction

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Many women are born with inverted nipples, nipples that do not protrude but instead point inward, and others develop them during puberty, after weight loss or months after the cessation of breastfeeding.  While the great majority of inverted nipples do not represent a medical problem, rarely an inverted nipple could herald a serious condition such as breast cancer, especially if one develops rather suddenly.  Therefore, the onset of an inverted nipple should be evaluated by a medical provider, preferably a breast surgeon.

Both Doctors Pellegrino and Perrotta are very experienced in correcting inverted nipples.  They utilized a rather simple procedure they normally perform with local anesthetic alone.  the procedure takes approximately 45 minutes

Candidates for Inverted Nipple Correction

Women with inverted nipple(s) who do not desire to breast feed in the future

The Goals of Inverted Nipple Correction

Nipples that protrude

The Surgery

During this procedure, the plastic surgeon numbs the nipple by injecting anesthetic such as licocaine.  Several incisions are made where the base of each nipple should be.  Through these incisions, the milk ducts are stretched or severed.  As the nipple is outward, small flaps of skin are pulled through the new base of the nipple in order to prevent it from sliding back into the breast.  The incisions are then closed with sutures.  The surgeon or his/her assistant then applies a donut dressing.

Post-Op Recovery

Recovery from this procedure is quite simple.  The donut dressing must remain in place, as it protects the nipple from pressure which could flatten it.  The sutures are removed 6-10 days post-op.