Can you explain to me how after a Breast Lift , can a nipple die?

This is due to reduced blood supply from one or more reasons. Find an expert in breast surgery who has
great reviews and great before and after photos.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

All tissue is dependent on oxygen reaching it via blood supply. If the blood supply is compromised then the area it was supplying oxigen to will undergo necrosis ( dead tissue). Sometimes it can be partial necrosis or at times, full necrosis. Smokers have a higher chance of poor tissue healing. The microcirculation in smokers has been affected and therefore delivery of oxygen to the tissue is compromised. I hope this has bee helpful. Good luck.

A mastopexy releases the areola from the surrounding skin (and some blood supply).  Blood flow through the breast into the areola remains and seldom is the areola in jeopardy.

Thank you for your question!  Basically, with breast surgery, viability of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC) is always a concern.  It is especially important when actually moving the nipple with procedures such as a breast lift or breast reduction.  Vascularity to the NAC should always be taken into account and should be preserved.  The blood flow to the area is already tenuous when the NAC is raised simply by cutting around it and the surrounding breast tissue.  Maximizing the vascularity to the area is critical and caution taken during the procedure to allow optimal blood flow by keeping the NAC attached to a reliable source from the underlying breast tissue.  Increased risk of necrosis is seen in smokers, diabetics, the use of implants during a breast lift, the degree to which the NAC is raised, too much compression on the NAC during the lift.  Your plastic surgeon will discuss the risks of nipple demiseand special care taken during the procedure itself.  Although a small risk, it is certainly present with any breast procedure.  Hope that this helps.  Best wishes!

It is uncommon to loose a nipple areola after a breast lift since blood supply is usually intact from these procedures.  Risk factors for this complication include prior breast implant surgery or excessive tension on the closure which can compromise the blood flow.  Could you provide additional details of your surgery or photos? 

This is the most dreaded complication in any breast surgery and yes it can happen. The nipple gets its blood supply from below the breast as well as the surrounding skin. In a breast lift, many of the surrounding skin blood vessels are cut in order to move the skin and make the overall breast higher and tighter. This drastically cuts down on the blood supply to the nipple. Most often this complication occurs when an implant is added at the same time. To put implants in, the breast is lifting off of its posterior surface (the side against the rib cage) and this takes out many of the blood vessels on the underside of the nipple and areola. So in this instance, the nipple is "attacked" from both sides and blood supply is drastically less and the nipple can completely die. This is why surgeons are often very cautious with augmentation/mastopexy procedures as the loss of a nipple can be devastating.

This is very uncommon but basically if the blood supply to he nipple is lost during theoperation the nipple can die.this is made worse if someone is a smoker but overall with proper design and execution loss of a nipple during mastopexy or breast lift is very uncommon.

Yes, this can
occur one of several ways, but all causes result in the same thing: a
devascularized, or poorly vascularized nipple. Nipples have to have good
blood flow to and from to remain viable. Depending on the type of lift,
nipples are moved on a pedicle. This is a bridge of tissue that connects
the nipple to its blood source (and return). When this pedicle is too
small, too long, is twisted, or compressed (usually by an underlying implant),
it can obstruct the blood to or from the nipple. Other factors that can
inhibit blood flow to the nipple include cigarette smoking, radiation, vessel
disease from diabetes, and other medical conditions.

after any procedure that involves incisions around the areola as blood supply is compromised by the incisions.  Pedicles that keep the nipples nourished can strangulate or twist, cutting off blood flow to the nipple resulting in death.  It is distressing when it does occur.  If you have adequate nipple on the uninvolved side, a nipple graft could be done and provide a happy ending.  Your surgeon is primarily responsible for helping you navigate this journey to recovery and I hope you are not asking this because it is happening but rather just trying to get more information.

This is a good question.  The blood supply at the base of the breast very reliable coming out from between the ribs and through the pectoralis muscle but as the blood vessels course through the breast toward the nipple this blood supply becomes more and more random.  We rely upon a redundancy of blood vessels to make the operation safe.  Prior surgery, especially a subglandular breast augmentation can severely jeapordize this blood supply.  The same goes for smoking.