When Getting a Breast Lift How Small Can I Reasonably Ask a PS to Make my Areola.?

You can discuss your preferred size of your areola with your plastic surgeon and it is possible to change the size at the time of breast lift surgery.

Generally 4 cm. A quarter is hardly 2.5 cm. If the nipples are large, the areola can't be made too small or it will not look aesthetically pleasing.

Some women do have 2.5 to 3 cm areolas. Some women with small areolas have large nipples which look disproportionate, and if they want a change it is usually to request a nipple reduction.

It is desirable to have a nice proportion between the size of the breast, the nipple size and the areola size. For most women this is about 4.0 to 4.5 cm. This is particularly pleasing when women start out with 6-8 cm areolas and want them smaller. When having a lift, the larger the areola and the greater the amount of skin to be removed, the less flexibility you have in areola size if the lift is strictly peri-areolar.  If you are having a vertical or inverted-T lift, then the areola can be smaller, according to the criteria above, because the breast skin can be matched exactly to the new areola. In a peri-areolar technique the larger the area of skin removed, the more difficult it is to gather the outer circle of skin down to the new areola without bunching and radiating pleats.  These usually go away, but there are limits if you want to minimize the chance of a revision.

A word of caution. If the areola is made too small, it does not look good, particularly when the nipple is relatively large and fills too much of the circle of the nipple/areola complex. This is uncorrectable and leads to unhappiness with the result.

In order to achieve a definitive redcution inthe areola size, you will most likely require a vertical lift. Althoug the areolas can be set at this size initally, it may be difficult to predicit the long term resutls and this may reuquire revision af 6-9 months. THis is easier if done without an implant whcih can stretch out the reduced areola as they settle.

Hi there-

Definitely communicate your goals with your surgeon, who would then be better able to tailor the procedure to those goals...

Realize however, that there is a limit to how much the areola can be reduced without causing detrimental change to the overall breast shape and proportion.

In planning your surgery, communication with your plastic surgeon will be  a crucial step in the process of helping you achieve your goals. You should demonstrate the size of  areola that you would prefer to have and ask your surgeon to do his/her best to achieve your goals ( without compromising safety and/or increasing complication rates).

Best wishes.

You shoudl voice your concenrs with your operating surgeon.  Most areola are between 38- 50 mm's in size or about the size of a half dollar coin.  In fact, these are standard size "cookie cutters" that we use in surgery.

By all means ask the surgeon exactly what you would like size wise.There will be some shrinking with the incision around the areola but you certainly can give him/her some input.

Since you are asking this question it is likely that you have an overly large areola and that this is a concern for you.  A quarter is approximately 25 mm in diameter.   A normal areloar size is between 37 to 45 mm in diameter.  A bigger concern should be, will the breast lift that I have plan contribute to a smaller areola or will it over time stretch out the areola.  A doughnut type life will have the potential to stretch the areola diameter out over time while a vertical pattern breast lift will keep the size smaller and is more likely to prevent late stretch.  Discuss your goals with your plastic surgeon and you will likely get a very nice result.  

The size of the areola is usually reduced in a breast lift, however the exact size cannot be guarantied , the size can be estimated.

A good conversation with your Plastic Surgeon is needed to help determine the approximate size that you are aiming for as well as the breast size.

Change or reduction in areolar size is a frequent request with a breast lift procedure. The size is a matter of taste and aesthetics, as there is no one correct size for all. The quarter size may be perfect for your breast and chest size, and photos which represent what you want will help your surgeon. Some breast lift patterns will have a more stable areolar diameter, such as the vertical lift. The around the nipple pattern tends to place the stress on the areola which can enlarge again over time. With a stable areolar and if size is important to you, a vertical lift is worth investing in.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd