Inverted Nipple
The most common causes of nipple inversion include:
Born with condition
Breastfeeding
Trauma which can be caused by conditions such as fat necrosis, scars or it may be a result of surgery
Breast Sagging, Drooping or Ptosis
Breast cancer including breast carcinoma, Paget's disease and Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)
Breast infections or inflammations such as mammary duct ectasia, breast abscess or mastitis
Around
10-20% of all women are born with this condition. Most common nipple
variations that women are born with are caused by short ducts or a wide
areola muscle sphincter.
There
are three "grades" of inversion - which basically means three levels of
severity. While some nipples may only be inverted some of the time (and
"come out" or become everted in response to cold or physical touch),
others are more severely inverted and never come out. Some women can
breastfeed normally, while others will never be able to breastfeed.
The surgery
consists of a small incision at the base of the nipple while the nipple
is in a protected projected state. Then a gentle spreading of the
fibers is performed within the nipple (these fibers are what pulls the
nipple inward). Special care is taken: the spreading happens parallel to
the milk ducts in order to preserve them. Once the fibers are spread
and the nipple is free and in an outward, normal position, special
sutures (stitches) are placed inside the nipple. This adds stability and
strength to the base of the nipple and helps retain its outward
projection.
- Price range
- 400-600 euros
- Anesthesia type
- Local anesthesia
- Recovery time
- 1-2 days
