Inverted nipple

With an inver­ted nipp­le, the nipp­le is drawn inwards into the areo­la rather than pro­jec­ting out­wards. It can affect one or both sides and occurs in both women and men.

Cau­ses

Inver­ted nipp­les are usual­ly con­ge­ni­tal: shor­ten­ed milk ducts and tight bands of con­nec­ti­ve tis­sue pull the nipp­le inwards. If the inver­si­on appears for the first time in adult­hood, inflamm­a­ti­on, scar­ri­ng after sur­gery or, in rare cases, a tumour may be the cau­se. A new­ly inver­ted nipp­le should the­r­e­fo­re always be exami­ned by a doctor.

Sym­ptoms

The nipp­le is ful­ly or part­ly retrac­ted. Mild forms can be drawn out brief­ly by cold, touch or pres­su­re; more seve­re forms can­not. Pos­si­ble con­se­quen­ces include dif­fi­cul­ty breast­fee­ding, skin irri­ta­ti­on or inflamm­a­ti­on in the hol­low, and dis­sa­tis­fac­tion with appearance.

Tre­at­ment

Suc­tion devices can help in mild cases. A las­ting cor­rec­tion is pos­si­ble with a minor pro­ce­du­re under local anaes­the­sia in which the shor­ten­ed bands are released. If milk ducts are divi­ded in the pro­cess, breast­fee­ding may no lon­ger be pos­si­ble after­wards. The pro­ce­du­re can be com­bi­ned with an areo­la reduc­tion.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Nipp­le Correction