Nipple & Areola Surgery Sydney

Your consultation with Dr Dona in Sydney

During your first visit to our clinic in Sydney, Dr Eddy Dona will take a careful history and find out what you would like from your nipple correction surgery. He will then perform a physical examination to assess and advise you on your options, taking into consideration your hopes and expectations.

You will also have the opportunity to discuss with Dr Dona any questions you have in relation to your nipple correction surgery.

Preparation for Nipple/Areola  Surgery

You will need to disclose your complete medical history to Dr Dona, including all health problems. You will be given the opportunity to discuss your medical history and concerns in your initial consultation and are asked to disclose all relevant details in your “Patient Registration Form”.

Do not take any blood thinning medications such as aspirin or any medicine containing aspirin, large amounts of vitamins or anti-inflammatory drugs for two weeks prior to any surgery.

Do not smoke for at least two weeks prior to surgery, as smoking increases surgical and anaesthetic risks and can lead to serious complications.

TYPES OF NIPPLE AREOLAR CONCERNS

INVERTED NIPPLES

There are different degrees or grades of nipple inversion possible. The nipples can be inverted intermittently or constantly and can vary from being simply flat to a slit like depression. For women, this can at times mean difficulty with breastfeeding. The surgery required to address inverted nipples depends on the severity of the problem. Any scars are very small and concealed within the nipple areola region.

Mild Inversion

The nipples are intermittently inverted but can evert in response to temperature or stimulation. With mild inversion the potential to breastfeed is generally not affected following surgery.

Moderate Inversion

The nipples are constantly inverted and if they do evert, return almost immediately. The potential to breastfeed following this type of surgery can be reduced as surgery often affects the milk ducts.

Severe Inversion

The nipples are severely inverted and by no means evert. Breastfeeding is typically not possible following reconstructive surgery as milk ducts are in most cases divided to achieve the correction.

ENLARGED NIPPLES

Women may have nipples that become long, dark or sometimes wide in girth. This can be a result of prolonged breastfeeding or part of the normal development of the breast. With surgery, nipples can be reduced in length and/or girth.

Length

To adjust length, a circumferential excision of skin around the nipple is removed. The deeper structures including milk ducts and nerves are left intact. The nipple is then sutured to its shorter, predetermined length.

Girth

A number of surgical techniques can be utilised to adjust the nipple girth.

ENLARGED AREOLARS

The pigmented area around the nipples is also known as the areola. In some people, the circumference of the areola can be very large. Although there are no functional concerns, people may seek surgical intervention for aesthetic purposes.
The required amount of pigmented area is removed by one of three methods:

• An incision can be made around the outside of the areola – most common.
• Around the base of the nipple – uncommon.
• In severe cases a lollipop incision is required – this is usually associated with a Breast Lift (Mastopexy).

PUFFY AREOLARS

This is where the breast tissue appears to ‘herniate’ into the areola. This is caused by a number of factors – but ultimately it causes the areola to appear “cone shaped”. The appearance can change when the nipple is stimulated or with a cold temperature change but will revert back once the areola ‘relaxes’. The surgery required to address this will depend on the severity of the issue. However, it will likely include an incision made around the outside of the pigmented area or around the nipple.

Often these procedures are part of a larger operation such as a breast augmentation, lift or reduction. Therefore, the usual post-operative recovery is as per the larger operation. Those details can be found on the relevant pages.

When can you expect your final results?

You’ll typically see the results of your surgery within a few weeks. However, the full results won’t be appreciated for up to six months.

What are the Possible Complications?

More information on general potential complications can be found on our site. LEARN MORE 

Whenever someone is having an anaesthetic, no matter what it’s for, then things can potentially go wrong. That is why no surgery should be considered “minor”. Of course, whilst the chances of the following potential problems occurring are extremely small, you still need to know about then:

• Anaesthetic issues – which can affect heart, lungs or cause strokes
• Allergic reactions – This can be very mild to life threatening.
• Clots
  • Superficial vein clots, which is a complication of the cannula or drip that’s placed in your vein
  • Deep vein clots – these can potentially spread to the lung and be life threatening. We do several things during surgery and after surgery whilst you’re in hospital to minimise the risk of you developing these.
• Wound problems – such as infection and breakdown
• Bleeding – early or late
• Death – whilst the chances of this is exceeding rare, any of the previous issues can result in this devastating complication.

All these potential problems are standard for any operation, although some operations and some patients have an increased risk of developing them.

Specific potential complications include:

Nipple Sensation – Changes in sensation (increase or decrease) can occur after any breast surgery but normal sensation should return over the course of 6 – 12 months.
Permanent loss or alteration of sensation will occur in at least 10% of women.

Nipple Loss – If the blood supply to the soft tissues underlying the nipple/areola is compromised, partial or complete loss of the nipple/areola is possible. Cigarette smoking will greatly increase the risk of this occurring.

Breastfeeding – As previously mentioned, some corrective nipple surgeries can reduce your potential ability to breastfeed.

Scarring – All surgery involves scars. We will advise you on ways to optimise the quality of your scar, such as LED therapy, massage, use of silicone strips and scar creams.

Longevity – The results of your nipple correction surgery will be long lasting but, over time factors such as childbirth, breastfeeding or hormonal factors will continue to affect the size and shape of your breasts and therefore possibly nipples just as they did before surgery.

Will Private Health Insurance cover costs?

As a general rule, private health insurance will not help cover these types of surgical procedures.