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Why Can't I Be the One to Decide Where my Nipples Should Be with a Lift?

asked 1 year ago by Patricia372
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 1,094 times
Tags: age 25-34, nipples, 5 ft 0 in to 5 ft 3 in, placement

25 yrs,108 lbs,5" 2. Nursed 4 bABES. 1ST pg I went from a perky B to torpeedo DDs w/ angry red stretch marks! I have been to three consults for a lift/augment and am becoming very discouraged. 1st said minimal lift w/ larger implant than I want to gain shape. 2nd said no lift w/ implant. 3rd said refuses lift and said implants would just make me sag further! My nipple is right at the level of the mamory fold and they say thatis right where it should be. I want it at least 1 inch higher! Why not?

17 answers to Why Can't I Be the One to Decide Where my Nipples Should Be with a Lift?

Location of nipples with a breast lift

As you can see from your consultations, there is not one single style that all plastic surgeons adhere to. Placing the nipples a bit higher than may seem not too big a deal. However, if nipples are too high, and they peek over standard garments, including bikinis. Patients end up being embarrassed and wear large "granny bikinis" to hide their exposed nipples. It is sometimes difficult to revise too high nipples. Also, some lifts and implants may bottom... more

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.drbrent.com

Nipple Position with Lift

Ideally, we would prefer to place your nipple at the position the patient chooses. It would look great, right after surgery. However, we know the breast and the implant will settle over the weeks and months after the lift. Though we can shape the breast and remove extra skin at surgery, we can't control skin elasticity - the resistance of the skin to stretch over time. We don't have the ability to affect that quality of your skin, which is genetic and age-related. As... more

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

www.pzwiebel.com

Nipple Position after Breast Lift

I can't say with certainty from your photo's, but based upon your description you have glandular ptosis (the nipple is at or above the infra mammary fold, but the breast tissue hangs below it). In that situation you have several options: you can perform a breast lift with or without an implant you can place an implant alone There are pluses and minuses to each of these approaches, and you should have a careful discussion with your surgeon to weigh the options.... more

Mark Preston, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

Who has a say in my nipple position after surgery?

This is a decision that you and your plastic surgeon must decide together. The nipple should be in the most projecting part of the breast. If it is higher than that than it looks like your breasts "bottomed" out an the nipples point to the ceiling. If it is below the mound and points toward your shoes, it looks like you need a lift. You need to decide if you like the breast volume in a bra or you would like to be larger. With your small frame and thin skin with stretch marks, I... more

George Marosan, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

www.bellevueplasticsurgeons.com

Breast Lift and Nipple/Areola Position?

The decision of where to “place” the nipple/areola complexes with breast lifting surgery can be a decision made by patient and physician with good communication. In other words, there is some leeway as to what is an acceptable position of the nipple/areola complexes. Typically, this positioning is determined by evaluating the position of the inframammary fold, positioning of the breast implants and other factors such as patient height and goals… For example, you will... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Deciding Nipple Position in Combination Breast Lift with Implants Is A Joint Decision Between Patient and Their Plastic Surgeon

The combination of lifting a breast and adding volume with an implant simultaneously can be a challenging procedure to achieve the ideal result. Deciding beforehand where one desires the nipple to end up on the mound afterwards helps determine what type of breast lift is needed and the amount of scarring that will result. Knowing what the scar tradeoffs are for the amount of nipple elevation desired is an important part of your presurgical education. When there is a doubt as how the... more

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

Lift and nipple position

Without an exam , it is difficult to say where your nipple should be. However, it does look a bit low, and I would caution trying to raise it too much, because it may fall out of your bra with implants.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Nipple position with lift

I wonder the qualifications of whomever you saw. With proper planning and skill, it should not be very difficult to get you from the condition on the left of the pictures to that on the right. You need a small implant with a lift. You may be able to have only a vertical lift, but may need an infra-mammary incision. With a small amount of breast tissue and all the excess skin removed, the nipple belongs at least an inch above the infra-mammary crease (the bottom of the areola should be at... more

Robert T. Buchanan, MD
Highlands Plastic Surgeon

Why Can't I Be the One to Decide Where my Nipples Should Be with a Lift?

You can always have you desires but the surgeon must feel that what you want is unrealistic. Continue to see other boarded PS in your area. Regards Dr. Darryl J. Blinski

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Where the nipple should be after breast lift

After a breast lift the nipple should be front and center over a well shaped breast mound, and centered over a breast implant. Often this will be along a line drawn across from the middle of the upper arm, or at least 2 cm. above the fold under the breast. Visually the nipple may appear too high if the breast skin from nipple to fold is longer than 8 cm. or look low if the distance is 5 cm. or less. The position is an issue of aesthetics, no matter what it should look right and if the... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Pick the breast volume first; then decide on nipple position.

Yes, you should be in charge of what you want your breasts to look like. If you want a larger cup size than you are now, bring in a bra of the size you want to be, and try different size breast implants in the bra to find the size YOU want ot be. Then, given that there must be some losse skin and nipple descent after losing your pregnancy-stretched breasts, you can decide if you want the nipples to be higher and the breast skin or envelope to be mad tighter. it should be all up... more

G. Gregory Gallico III, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Strange breast lift opinions

If you heard them correctly, I am surprised by the opinions you have been given. First, you do have input as to the nipple position and the nipple SHOULD NOT BE DOWN TO THE CREASE! It needs to be well above the crease on the front of a nicely shaped breast mound. Overcoming the loose skin with a huge implant rather than a lift is also a bad idea. So sorry you are being given such bad advice.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Implants and lift

Your search for a definitive answer is not a simple one since you might have to compromise on all the things you want. You should describe as closely as possible the final result you are looking for and then negotiate from there regarding size, dimension and style of implant, technique and options/necessity of scarring from various lifting techniques. It might take you a number of visits with a surgeon to get the optimal formula for your specific situation and goal. That is what I do with... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Breast lift with augmentation can be very effective

Your inframammary crease determines the position of your nipple. That being said, the final position is usually deterrmined at surgery. I would let your surgeon know what your wishes are, but you should leave the final positioning to his discretion at surgery. Be careful trying to use an implant to lift or take up the loose skin. You will often end up being larger than you planned, and have a greater tendency to droop. Be sure to ask to see some pictures of your... more

David H. Bauer, MD
Little Rock Plastic Surgeon

Stage surgery to prevent ""star-gazer" nipples.

Raising the nipple too high may result in "stargazer" nipples. These are implants that look up to the ceiling and sit on the upper portions of the implant. In your case, it may be better to place the implants first and perfrom a nipple lift 6-9 months later when the breast mound has become stable and you can more accurately predict the appearance of the larger lifted breast.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Post Pregnancy Breast Augmentation with Lift

Based on your preoperative pictures, you appear to be a candidate for a circumvertical breast lift with augmentation. The most important factor to determine first is your desired breast size. Based on this and your chest wall measurements, your plastic surgeon can recommend an array of implants to reach your desired cup size. Only after your cup size has been chosen, can the degree of breast lift be accurately determined. If I were to guess you... more