Nipple & Areola Correction Los Angeles
As the most prominent features of the breasts, nipples contribute dramatically to breast beauty. They deserve as much care and concern as any other aspect of your breasts.
If you are troubled by inverted or protruding nipples or puffy or otherwise unsightly areolas, you’ll be happy to learn about nipple repair and correction, which usually involves just a simple office procedure.
Nipple Inversion
Nipple inversion, a condition that causes the nipples to collapse inward instead of projecting away from the areola, affects about 2% of women. Dr. Stevens refers to some of these as “shy” nipples, meaning they can be coaxed out with stimulation. Others can be drawn out, or “everted,” but rapidly turn inward again. A third category, the “densely inverted,” are fixed in their inward position.
Breastfeeding can be both a cause and a casualty of inverted nipples. Women who develop inverted nipples in adulthood most often do so after breastfeeding as scar tissue builds up around the milk ducts. Women who have inverted nipples from birth – as well as those whose first breastfeeding experiences contributed to the condition – sometimes find themselves unable to breastfeed successfully. Rarely, inverted nipples can be a sign of breast cancer.
Because the nipple is important in appearance, sexuality and breastfeeding, and because densely inverted nipples can become irritated by trapped secretions, many women choose to have their inverted nipples corrected. Fortunately, Dr. Stevens associates have perfected a unique approach to nipple repair that’s simple and effective.
The procedure consists of holding the nipple in the everted position, dissecting the small fibers that were pulling and causing the inversion, and making small stitches to fix the nipple in place. A special device called the Stevens Stent holds the nipple steady for a few days and the sutures dissolve within a couple of weeks. The scars are nearly invisible and the overwhelming majority stay everted.
Nipple Reduction
Large, protruding nipples can be a major cause of embarrassment. Even when you can disguise them with clothing, when the situation calls for nudity there’s not much you can do. If you’re considering breast augmentation or another breast enhancement procedure, your nipples can very likely be reduced at the same time. Even if large nipples are the only aspect of your breasts that troubles you, there’s every reason to do something about it right away.
At Marina Plastic Surgery Associates, the simple nipple reduction procedure takes just about an hour with Dr. Stevens. Your nipples can be reduced in length, width or both. You’ll be back to your normal activities in a day or two, and the few stitches will dissolve on their own.
Puffy and Enlarged Areolas
The areola is the darkened area surrounding the nipple itself. Some women are bothered by areolas that are overly large, asymmetrical or both. Other people, men as well as women, find their areolas to be “puffy” and unattractive.
Creating more appealing areolas just takes a simple outpatient procedure. To reduce the size of an areola, the surgeon makes an incision around the edge of the areola or around the base of the nipple. Very large areolas may require a more extensive incision. The doctor then removes some of the pigmented area and place small sutures under the skin surface to close the incision.
The procedure to minimize a puffy areola is similar. After making a small incision, Dr. Stevens removes a portion of the areola and lifts the skin, thereby reducing puffiness.
Changing the appearance of your nipples or areolas is common and the procedure carries very few risks. It also poses minimal disruption to your schedule and almost no pain. On the other hand, the benefits are considerable. You can receive a free consultation when you request your appointment online and schedule during one of the convenient times they have set aside exclusively for Web visitors.
