Will Areola Incision Damage Milk Ducts?

My doctor seems to have a preference for the Areola incision due to its scar visibility, and he would use the Keller Tube to make it a smaller incision. However, I am younger and still want to breast feed my future children. Will an Areola incision pose a higher risk to damaging milk ducts or nerves than an infra mammary incision?

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14 Doctor Answers | Asked by Jaz.mn

Doctor Answers (14)
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Will Areola Incision Damage Milk Ducts?

I believe you should go with the periareolar incision as your surgeon suggests. I believe you should go with the technique that your surgeon is most comfortable with performing. Both surgical approaches and both surgeries have a risk of milk duct transection and therefore, decreased ability to breast-feed. In addition, there is not just one breast duct in the female breast. In the average female breast, there are anywhere between 13 and 25 or more breast ducts. The milk ducts are most... more

Areolar incision for breast augmentation

The areolar incision often results in a beautiful scar. But the scars with other approaches can also be equally good. I believe that the scars from each of the 3 traditional approaches can all be great if done well. My personal opinion is that the inframammary incision offers the lowest risk of contamination and (for me) the best exposure and control of the implant pocket. I believe that the capsular contracture rate is slightly higher when using the areolar approach. With that said, I think... more

Will Areola Incision Damage Milk Ducts?

When an incision is made around the areola, the breast tissue is then cut through until the area where the pocket will be made is encountered. So, yes, the breast tissue is cut, and the breast ducts are within the breast tissue. Not all ducts are cut, but some in-evitably are. When an incision is made under the breast or in the axilla, the breast tissue is not cut. I would discuss your concerns with your doctor, and decide on which approach will be best for you in... more

Areolar versus inframammary incision

Recent studies have found that the areolar incision, while having a nice scar, actually does have a higher risk of complications compared to the inframammary incision - such as capsular contracture, nerve injury and chronic breast pain. Discuss this with your surgeon and make the choice that is right for you once you understand the risks and trade-offs.

Breast Feeding after Breast Augmentation

You should still be able to breast feed after a periareolar incision breast augmentation if performed correctly. Your breasts may change shape after a pregnancy from getting larger and then shrinking.

Will Areola Incision Damage Milk Ducts?

The milk ducts enter the nipple from the interior of the breasts,therefore the circumareolar does not affect the milk ducts if correctly performed I use a nipple shield to prevent bacterial contamination frome the nipple

Injury Of Milk Ducts With Periareolar Incision

Typically a periareolar incision will not preclude the ability to breast feed. Having said that, I favor an inframammary approach as there is a question of increased capsular contractures with the periareolar incision secondary to bacterial contamination from the ducts. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

Choice of incision

Hi, all good answers from my colleagues. I agree with Dr. Squires: i have returned to the IMF incision under the breast and found a dramatic reduction in the rate of capsular contracture. Lot's of recent evidence points to possible bacterial contamination and the biofilm created by them that leads to a capsular contracture.

Best Incision for Breast Augmentation?

Thank you for the question. You will find that, like many things in plastic surgery, every doctor will have “strong preferences” about a certain issue. This preference does not necessarily mean that one way of doing things is better than the other. Each plastic surgeon may have his/her opinion that is based on their specific/unique education, experience, and personal preferences. Their opinions may also be shaped by unfavorable results they have encountered in their... more

Areolar incision is avoided by most surgeons today

The areolar incision was preferred over others because of the inconspicuous scar and I used it for many years. It does injure some of the breast and ductal tissue. The main reason I switched to the inframammary crease incision is the issue of capsular contracture. There is bacteria in the milk ducts and patients with periareolar incisions have many times the incidence of capsular contracture than patients with IMC incisions, even with the use of a Keller funnel insertion sleeve. more

Will Areolar Incision Damage Milk Ducts?

There is usually no damage to the ducts when using the periareolar incision. However, the inframammary fold incision is preferred by most now for insertion of the implant and for dissection.

Areola incision

The periareola incision should not cause a significant problem in terms of damage to the milk ducts. Yes, some tissue is divided but overall it is a small portion of the breast. Sensory changes is usually not an issue either.

Steven Wallach, MD

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Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Will Areola Incision Damage Milk Ducts

Using the areolar incision to place an implant should not damage the milk ducts. The dissection should stay outside the breast tissue, following around it lower pole to reach the site for creation of the pocket for the implant. There is no uniformly accepted evidence that one incision is superior to the others, or you would probably not be offered a choice. My personal preference is for incision in the fold, largely because it is right where the implant goes, with the least... more

Will Areolar Breast Augmentation Damage Milk Ducts?

The infraareolar incision will not damage milk ducts if performed correctly. Sensation may change and be somewhat less than present, but most of these issues are transient. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA