Is it possible to regain sensation to nipple when it is detached during a breast reduction?

Thank you for your question. It sounds as though you had what is called a free nipple graft. This is used when breasts are excessively large and the nipple has to be cut from the underlying tissue and replaced as essentially a skin graft. In this situation, all the nerves are cut to the nipple and it loses sensation. That being said, over time, the nerves in the surrounding tissue will regrow and the sensation around that area can improve. This can improve sensation, but it may take several months. Hope this helps!

involve removing the nipple completely and then grafting it to the mound.  You will lose sensation with certainty but its surprising how often some sensation can be recovered with healing.  So the answer is yes, you can get it back but its unlikely to be as it was before your procedure.

Thank you for your question and it is normal to have loss of sensation of the nipples if you had free nipple grafts.  You might get some sensation back over time as some of the nerves may grow into the nipple area but this is usually not the case.  I will take up to a year to see if you get more sensation but after a year it is unlikely to change.  I would discuss this more with your surgeon who understands better what was done and what your recovery should be.

Most breast reduction techniques preserve nipple sensation (although there is always the potential for loss of nipple sensation with any breast surgery). The exception is a free nipple graft. This technique is sometimes necessary when the beasts are extremely large and the risk of using another technique would lead to a very high risk of complete nipple loss. In the free nipple graft technique, the nipple is removed during surgery and near the end of the procedure it is placed on the reduced breast in the appropriate location as a graft. This technique severs all the nerves to the nipple as well as all of the milk ducts. Thus sensation and the ability to breast feed is lost. In some rare cases, nerves from the skin onto which the nipple is grafted may regenerate into the nipple offering some slight sensation although the typical high sensitivity that the nipple has is not regained. More commonly the skin immediately adjacent to (and beneath) the nipple retains sensation and when the nipple is touched, the pressure placed on the nipple is transmitted to the adjacent skin giving the impression that the nipple itself has feeling.Breast reduction has one of the highest satisfaction rate of any plastic surgery procedure. By the time women come to see a Plastic Surgeon about this operation they have suffered for years with neck/back/shoulder pain, have had difficulty finding clothing (especially swim suits) that fit well and often have been limited in their ability to participate in physical activities. A study published in England cited a satisfaction rate well over 90% with a similar number of women saying that they would have the surgery again.It is commonly an outpatient procedure with a comparatively easy recovery. For more information about breast reduction surgery please see the web link below.

Your question is good, and your surgeon gave you the right advice.  Expect numb nipples, but be pleasantly surprised if some feeling returns.  Generally you will get return of feeling for sharp -dull. and hot-cold sensatons.  But it would be usual for sensual (sexually stimulating) to return.  I am sure the surgery had improve your back, neck, and shoulder pain,  and that is what it is meant to do. Further healing and remodelling of the shape will nolt be complete for 3-6 months after the surgery.  Good Luck