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Part of Nipple Missing After Augmentation

asked 1 year ago by dodgegal in Calgary, AB
Latest answer by David Finkle, MD
Question viewed 1,054 times
Tags: nipples, bottom out, repair

I had an augmentation and lift done at the same time just over a year ago. The results are ok except I think a bit of "bottoming out" has occurred. The worst thing is that part of the bottom half of my right nipple is missing! It was like that right after the surgery and I was in tears about it but the doctor told me to keep coming back every few months to see if it would repair itself. It still looks weird and I can't get a straight answer from him. Why did this happen?

13 answers to Part of Nipple Missing After Augmentation

Areolar symmetry after breast lift with augmentation

This is not very difficult to fix. This happens most likely due to the way the areola is sutured during the surgery. The upper pole stretches out and the lower half does not during the repair. This does most often "take care of itself" with time. However sometimes it does not. Ask your surgeon to perform this minor procedure to correct this issue under local anesthesia.

Bhupesh Vasisht, MD
Voorhees Plastic Surgeon

Smaller nipple

This should be easy to correct and can be done in the office under local.A small segment of skin can be cut out where there is a deficiency and the nipple stretched out to expand.

Robert Brueck, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

Areola is misshaped.

From the photos, I see two issues that are apparent. The implant has bottomed out slightly and the areola is misshaped. The nipple itself is fine. When the lift was performed, an incision was made around the areola. This removes a portion of the areola and the goal is to keep the shape as circular as possible. Technical issues with closing of the incision, tension on the closure, or wound healing difficulties can all lead to an abnormally shaped areola. This is not difficult to correct in... more

David Bogue, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Nipple loss after Breast augmentation

Thank you for the pictures. You are not missing the nipple, your areola is a little mishapen after augmentation and mastopexy. This is a normal result and is due to tension. Visit with your plastic surgeon and ask for a scar revision. I bet he/she can give you a more rounded areola with a small procedure under local anesthesis. In terms of the " bottoming out," perhaps the capsule can be adjusted/tightened or the breast lift can be improved. In general, larger implants that... more

Leo Lapuerta, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Breast Lift or Reduction and Nipple Asymmetry

Hi dodgegal in Calgary, AB, There are many reasons why there can be some deformity after a procedure such as this, including some irregular lies of the areola. If it was visible right after the procedure then it may be just a question of the way it was inset; ie, put into its new position. If that's the case, a relatively small procedure under local anesthesia may stretch the areola out enough to flatten it a bit. Of course, the specifics of this would have to be... more

Alan Engler, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Why is the areola abnormal in shape?

The area that you are referring is called the areola. What has happened is that as a result of the wound closure and/or subsequent healing, the proper shape was disrupted by forces resulting in the contour irregularity. There is actually no loss of the areola. The solution is quite simple and straightforward. Using local anesthesia, this area of the areola can be stretched out to the proper shape and then inset by excising a small amount of the adjacent skin.

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

www.turkeltaub.com

Nipple issue

It looks like the areola is tethering up a bit, perhaps a scar revison at the base can help "stretch it out."

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Nipple irregularity

The reason your nipples are not circular and oblong is because of assymetric tension on your nipple and areola. remember that your nipples were pulled up and inset in their current location, well the upper half of your nipple is being pulled on by the upper breast skin where as your lower nipple half is sitting on the lower breast pole with minimal tension on it and so it has bunched up as apparent by your photo. To correct this you need to revise the lower nipple area by removing breast... more

Arian Mowlavi, MD
Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon

Nipple missing after breast lift?

Thanks for posting pictures - it is very helpful for other patients and allows us to give you more specific advice / information. Based on the pictures, it does not look like any part of your nipple is missing. The darker skin around your nipple is called the areola. It looks like the incisions from the lift have misshapen the areola. Since it is a year from surgery, you may want to consider a small revision surgery. With the procedure, the incision around the... more

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

Deformity of the areola

I do not think part of your areola is missing. When the areola was moves up to its new location the upper portion of the areola got stretched and lower portion folded over and it can be fixed easily under local anesthesia. As far as the bottoming out, it can also be fixed with a horizontal excision around the inframammary fold to decrease the distance from the areola to the fold. When this distance is long implants tend to bottom out.

S. Ozan Sozer, MD
El Paso Plastic Surgeon

www.elpasoplasticsurgery.com

Breast augmentation together with breast lift

From the photo is does not look like the bottom half is missing. It looks like the bottom half is folded upon itself. There is no way to be sure without a face to face physical examination but I would think this could be corrected by removing a small crescent of skin under the areola that surrounds the nipple. You should be able to simulate that by pinching a small piece of skin in the area. It is due to the way the upper corners of the vertical incision were aligned at surgery. Sometimes it... more

Aaron Stone, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Nipple change after augmentation

Although it is hard to see because the photos do not project well, it looks like the nipple itself is fine and untouched. I think you may be referring to the areola and what happened in the inferior part. If you had a circumareolar "lift" , there is going to be some change in the shape of the areola with all such procedures. The lower part of the areola looks a little gathered, but I do not see where part is missing. There could be a minor revision considered to... more

Francisco Canales, MD
Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon

Minor Revision Will Help

As has been alluded to previously, your nipple is fine. The shape of your areola is not quite circular. This can be improved with a minor revision surgery if you desire. Unfortunately, we cannot stop gravity, the weight of your implants have caused your skin to stretch and now your implants are sitting lower on your chest wall--they have "bottomed" out. Everyone's skin elasticity is different, in some women the skin is resilient and... more