Is there anything at all that can be done to regain some sensation?

For the vast majority of patients, breast reduction will not cause a permanent loss of feeling in the nipple or areola. If you require “free nipple grafting”, it is inevitable that you will have loss of sensation.Best to check with the plastic surgeon who performed your breast reduction as he knows how the surgery was performed;  but in my experience, the sensitivity diminishes with time.  

Unfortunately loss of some or all of nipple sensation is one of the risks with breast reduction surgery, although rare, it is a risk. Most sensation will return by 6 months, after 2 years there isn't a likelihood of returning sensation. 

Thank you for your question.The sensory nerves are disrupted during surgery and can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to return to baseline. In some cases, the sensation increases or in your case it decreases. At 2.5 years from surgery, there is not anything you can do. It is one of the most common side effects of having the surgery and unfortunately there is no treatment to help the sensation return.

Dear Compassionate4069,
numbness is very common. It depends on the operation, but often times sensation can return in a couple of weeks, a year, or not at all.  Nipple sensation itself is very important and can sometimes be lost with breast surgery. This is often mentioned in the risks of the consent process.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

‘Complete loss’ of nipple sensation after breast reduction is surgical technique dependent and is rare if the procedure is done by an experienced, fully qualified plastic surgeon. Sensation can however be ‘decreased’ in about 10% of cases. This is generally temporary and most of the sensation returns to normal in about 3 months. Sometimes it can take about 12 to 18 months to fully recover, but at the end of this period there will be no further recovery of sensation. Even more rarely, the nipples can sometimes end up being hypersensitive. At the end of the day, percentage of risk is irrelevant even if it is as low as 0.1%, as if you end up being a patient in the 0.1%, then as far as you are concerned the risk has been 100% for you…!

Hi and welcome to our forum!Altered or loss of nipple sensation is not uncommon following breast reduction as the small cutaneous nerves to the nipple may be damaged or divided during the surgical procedure. There is no way to identify the nerve at surgery. If damaged, sensory return will be noted and may progress for 24 months or so. If divided, sensory return is dependent upon overlap of nerve sensory areas, but may prove inadequate, in which case sensory loss is permanent. I am sorry I could not provide better news.Best wishes...