Inverted nipple: causes, grades and correction in Turkey

An inverted nipple is a nipple that sits level with or below the areola instead of pointing outwards. It happens because the milk ducts and the fibrous bands beneath the nipple are shorter than the skin above them and pull it inwards. It is common, it affects men as well as women, and in most people it has been that way since puberty and means nothing is wrong.

One version of it is not harmless, and it is worth knowing which before reading anything else on this page.

• Suction devices and nipple formers. Worn over the nipple to draw it out over weeks. They help most in grade one, results vary between people, and the evidence is limited rather than absent.
• Nipple shields and formers during pregnancy. Often suggested for breastfeeding, and worth discussing with a midwife or lactation consultant rather than a surgeon.
• Piercing. Sometimes keeps a grade one or two nipple out. It also carries an infection risk in tissue that has ducts running through it, so it is a decision to take with a clinician and not on impulse.
• Nothing at all. An inverted nipple that does not bother you and is not new needs no treatment. The most honest answer a surgeon can give is that this is cosmetic and optional.

1. 1

   Examination and grading

   The surgeon checks whether the nipple can be drawn out and how it behaves when released, examines both breasts, and asks how long it has been like this. New inversion is investigated, not corrected.
2. 2

   Local anaesthetic

   Most corrections are done awake with local anaesthetic as a day case. General anaesthetic is used when it is combined with another breast operation.
3. 3

   A small incision at the nipple base

   Usually along the edge of the areola or at the base of the nipple, so the scar sits in a natural line.
4. 4

   Releasing what is pulling it in

   The tethering bands are divided. Whether the milk ducts are preserved or divided is the decision that matters, and it should have been made with you before you are on the table.
5. 5

   Holding it out

   A purse-string suture, an internal support made from local tissue, or a small flap keeps the nipple projected while it heals. The method used affects how likely it is to re-invert.
6. 6

   Dressing and going home

   A protective dressing keeps pressure off the nipple. Most people leave the same day and return to desk work quickly.

• One side or both. Inversion is often asymmetric, and quotes should say which sides are being treated.
• The grade and the technique. A simple release differs from a duct-preserving repair with internal support, and the price should follow the operation.
• Local or general anaesthetic. A day case under local costs less than the same correction done asleep alongside another procedure.
• Whether it is combined with other breast surgery. Done with a lift or reduction, this becomes part of a larger operation.
• What the package covers. Nights, transfers, dressings, follow-up, and what happens if you need to stay longer.

The clinic list on this page shows each clinic's current price with a note on what it includes. For instalments, see payment plans. Correction is often discussed alongside areola reduction, a breast lift or a breast reduction, and each of those pages explains what that operation involves on its own.

• Ask them to grade you and say so out loud. A clinic that quotes without grading is quoting for an operation it has not assessed.
• Ask about their recurrence rate and what they do about it. Recurrence is the known weakness of this operation. A surgeon who says it never happens is not counting.
• Ask to see results at least a year old. A nipple looks projected on the day of surgery. The question is what it looks like a year later.
• Ask who performs it. And whether it is done under local or general anaesthetic in your case.
• Ask what they do if they find something during the examination. A clinic that will stop and refer you is safer than one that will proceed regardless.