Do docs have a guide or something they use to help them cut perfect circles for the areolas? Guide or no guide? (photo)

The technique I recommend is The Bellesoma Method.  This will reduce and reshape your breast tissue creating upper pole fullness without implants, elevate them higher on the chest wall and more medial to increase your cleavage.  The weight of the breast is transferred to the underlying pectoralis major muscle resulting in pain relief without excessive reduction.  Vertical scars are avoided, nipple sensation and the ability to breast feed are maintained.  The areolas can be reduced to the size desired.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Hi there, and thank you for your question. The answer is yes. I can't speak for every surgeon, but at my practice (and most) a sterile instrument we often refer to as a "cookie cutter" is used to create that perfect round shape. It comes in different sizes and based on your measurements that will determine what size we choose during surgery. Keep in mind how you heal and scar will determine the end result for your nipple shape.

During mastopexy or reduction, one of the first steps is to mark the borders of the new nipple-areolar complex with the breast tissue on stretch. This accomplished with a series of circular stencils or "cookie cutters" which are available in variable diameters. The size chosen is typically based upon breast size (with the average being around 4 cm).That being said, things can change post operative due to tension, stretch and differential healing.As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).Donovan Rosas MD
Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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To answer your question, yes there is a device that plastic surgeons use in surgery that will mark a perfectly round areola. Keep in mind that the final shape is somewhat dependent on the skin tension.   Humans rarely have perfectly round areolas.  Best wishes.

Areolas are rarely perfectly round. Everyone has a differently-shaped areola.  Genetics plays the biggest part in determining their size, color, and appearance. The shape is due to multiple vectors of pull and is not readily ascertained.Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Typically during a breast reduction or a mastopxy a sterile "cookie cutter" device is employed to assist in achieving a round areola. This marks the tissue to be resected leaving as close to a perfectly round circle as it possible for the inset of the areola.

Yes, plastic surgeons use devices such as "cookie cutters" (which come in different sizes) to help guide them when it comes to making incisions around the areola. Having said that, as healing progresses, areola may not be perfectly circular and/or symmetrical. I hope this helps.

Hello and thank you for your excellent question. Yes, when I perform a breast reduction, I use a device to mark a round circle where the nipple and areola will be placed.  The process is not perfect, but the results are reliably excellent.  If you are considering a breast reduction, it is best to answer your question during a face-to-face evaluation, when you can discuss your goals and expectations for the procedure, and you can have a physical examination to evaluate you. Preoperative visualization with Crisalix can simulate what your body will look like after surgery and can help you make your decision. I recommend that you find a board-certified, or board-eligible plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable. Be sure to have all of your questions answered during a face-to-face meeting with your surgeon, and review before and after pictures of similar patients whom have had this procedure. Good luck!