What is Nipple Sugery?

Every breast shall droop with time. However in some women, the droopiness of the breast is such that they may not need full breast uplift. In such patients nipple lift through a small incision around nipple may be performed. All these operations may be performed under local or general anesthesia, as a day case.

What Does the Procedure Involve?

Nipple reduction is a technique used for reshaping nipples that are overly-projecting, and thus often tend to fold over, and sometimes hang downward. This situation is most often seen in women with small breasts, and small diameter areolae. The cause may be developmental, or may be seen as a consequence of breast-feeding.

A woman's nipples may need corrective surgery. Inverted nipples may be partial or total. This can be corrected with a simple procedure. In some women the size and shape of areola ( the pigmented area around nipples) can be embarrassingly big or misshaped. This can be addressed by nipple reduction or shape correction.

What Are the Risks and Likely After-Effects?

Cosmetic surgery, like any other surgery, involves a "trauma" to the human body and there are risks associated with any procedure. Each woman's body is different, and your general health, level of fitness, age and genetic profile will all have an effect on the speed of healing and also on the risk of side-effects.

If you smoke, drink alcohol, are overweight and/or take drugs for medical or other reasons, the risk of complication during and after surgery can be greatly increased. Smoking, in particular, is discouraged because it increases the risk both of infection and thrombosis (blood clots).

After a nipple reduction it is normal for all women to experience swelling, bruising, tiredness and numbness. A smaller number may also encounter infection and/or some bleeding around the scar area, and sometimes infection from germs which are present in the ducts of the breast. Infection can be treated with antibiotics, though this can delay the healing process somewhat.

You are also very likely to experience a loss of sensitivity in your nipples, which usually improves in the months after surgery, but can occasionally remain permanently.

Scarring is a normal and unavoidable consequence of this procedure, and will vary in appearance and severity, depending on the extent of surgery and on your body type. The nipple disc and the area underneath the breast are the most likely areas to be affected. Your scars will certainly reduce and fade over a period of months and, whilst permanent, should not be visible under the average bra or bikini top. Most women consider scarring to be an acceptable "trade-off" for correcting the problem of over-large breasts.

Another side-effect of breast reduction is the inability to breast-feed as the procedure involves the separation of the nipple from the underlying milk ducts. Whilst breast reduction has no counter-indication to pregnancy, you should be aware of the effect on breast feeding.

What Will Happen After the Operation? Post-Op

Your surgeon will see you when you have come round from the anaesthetic to check that all is well, and will discharge you providing you are fit to return home. You will be given medication and full post-operative instructions along with appropriate telephone numbers in case you need to contact us at any time. A special elasticated garment will have been applied to your chest wall after surgery and this must be left in place for the next 4 weeks. Some pinkish discharge may be experienced.

Week 1-2

During the first week after surgery, you should not remove the garment at all. You should try to resume normal daily activities as soon as possible: general mobility will help speed up the healing process. You should NOT, however, undertake any strenuous activity or exercise. You will see the nurse after 7-10 days so that she can check your progress an remove your dressing and stitches. Bruising and swelling will continue to diminish.

Weeks 6 -10

By this stage you should be able to see good results but full results will take 6 months to appear. Bruising and swelling will have disappeared. You may find that there is still some irregularity or lumpiness in the chest wall, but this will settle down after a couple of months, aided by regular massage. You will see your surgeon once more at between 8 and 10 weeks after your operation for a full post-operative consultation.

Full Post-Operative Cover

We're confident that you will be delighted with the results. For that reason, we guarantee that we will provide post-operative cover for a full three years after your procedure. It's our way of ensuring that you have peace of mind and confidence in LINIA.