Will I regain lost sexual sensitivity in my nipples after 3 months post-op?

Dear lj,In addition to the good advice below, I want to mention that an article in our journal demonstrated that nipple sensation in breast patients improved up to two years after the procedure (in the patient group that was studied).  So this is good news.  All the best, "Dr. Joe"

I'm sorry to hear that your nipples are less sensitive. Changes in sensation are usually temporary. They'll go away in a few weeks or months. Fortunately, it is very rare that permanent changes occur.

Because the skin
around the areola has been stretched some patients may experience either
sensitivity loss or heightened sensitivity. Although upsetting, the risk of
permanent sensation loss is very low and can take up to 6 months to return.  Give it some
time and you may find over the next several weeks a tingling sensation as the
feeling to the nerves around the breasts and nipples returns.  Always make your surgeon aware of your
concerns.

The sexual stimulation from your nipples should return within the next 3 to 6 months. No one can guarantee this. The only reasonable thing to do this for us to continue to wait. 

When breast implants are placed the nerves that provide sensation are by necessity stretched.  It takes these nerves months to recover but in 95% of cases you will recover full sensation although it may take a year of so.Good luck to you!

It's a good sign that you still have sensation in your nipples.  The decreased sensation usually will return in these situations, although it may take 6-12 months.  Please see your PS to discuss your specific situation.

Good question, if you have some feeling in your breast and nipples, things should come back. Nerves are finicky and can take up to a year to get all the unique types of sensation back, massage can help as it stimulates the nerves to fire more and can help the brain adjust to the healing

One of the most commonly asked questions preceding breast augmentation is "Will I loose feeling in my breasts". When a breast augmentation is performed placement of the implant stretches the surrounding tissue. The nerves in the surrounding tissue are stretched and sometimes the outer layer of the nerves are torn and until they heal can lead to temporary numbness, a sensation of pins and needles, or uncomfortably increased sensitivity (hypersensitivity). These changes are more likely to happen when larger implants are placed and more stretching occurs. These are normally temporary problems and resolve as the nerves heal and adapt to the stretching. The chances of loss of feeling in the nipple and areola area of the same whether or not an areola incision is made or an inframammary crease incision is made. The chances are also the same whether or not the implant is placed above or below the muscle. Incisions made in the inframammary crease are more likely to cause temporary loss of feeling in the lower part of the breast.

Dear lj, Thank you for your post. In general, most women who have a disturbance in nipple or breast sensation, whether it be less (hypo-sensation), or in some cases too much (hyper-sensation), the sensation goes back to normal with 3-6 months. Occasionally, it can take 1 - 2 years to be normal. Extremely rare, the sensation never goes back to normal. This is extremely rare in augmentation alone, more common in lift or reduction but less with a smaller lift like a crescent lift. Signs that sensation is coming back are needle type sensation at the nipple, itchiness at the nipple, or 'zingers' to the nipple. The number of women that lose sensation is much lower than 10%, closer to 1% in a simple augmentation. In some cases the same occurs with contraction where some women have no contraction and some women have a constant contraction of the nipples. Unfortunately there is no surgical correction for this. Massaging the area can help sensation normalize faster if it is going to normalize, but will not help if the nerve does not recover. In women with hyper-sensitive nipples, this will go away with time in most cases. Usually 3 months or so. In the interim, I have them wear nipple covers or 'pasties' to protect them from rubbing. It is unlikely that down-sizing the implant will cause regaining sensation. Down-sizing the implant may cause saggy breasts, however, and may necessitate a breast lift. Physical therapy with de-sensitivity techniques can help with this issue. As far as incisions go, the peri-areolar incision is associated with about twice the incidence of nipple numbness vs. other incisions. At two years, however, it is unlikely to regain sensation.Best Wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD

Many women experience changes in nipple sensation after breast augmentation, and this ranges from loss of sensation to extreme hypersensitivity, and everything in between. The sudden stretch of a large implant and the swelling that occurs after surgery puts a lot of stress on the nerves. With breast augmentation, the risk of these changes being permanent are extremely rare, so even after waiting 3 months, I would continue to be patient as 3 months is still in early phase of healing.