Treatment begins with a personalised Consultation to assess your condition and let you know your treatment options.
Inverted Nipple Surgery At A Glance
Time
from 45 minutes
Price
from £999 and £195 consultation
Treatment
Duct division procedure
Recovery
2-3 weeks
Do
Keep dressings on until review appt
Don't
Get dressing wet
Inverted Nipple Surgery in Leeds
Nipples usually protrude naturally, but some people develop inverted nipples that may cause them to feel self-conscious or embarrassed. A relatively simple surgical procedure under local anaesthetic can help to restore the natural shape of the nipple.
We are experienced in helping patients with this condition through inverted nippple corretion surgery.
Mr Williams is a specialist in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. He works within the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He also has expertise in skin cancer treatment and a range of other surgical procedures.
Before and After
Inverted Nipple Surgery by Mr Williams
BEFORE
*6 WEEKS AFTER
Is Inverted Nipple Correction Surgery right for me?
This page aims to answer all of your questions about this condition and your possible treatment options. Keep scrolling or use the links below to jump down to a specific part of the page.
Jump to:
If changes have occurred in your breasts or breast tissue recently, it is important to make an appointment to get them checked by before embarking on any surgical treatment or improvement. Of course, if you come to Skin Surgery Clinic and Mr Williams has any concerns, will refer you to your GP.
Typical inverted nipple appearance
Video: Can an inverted nipple be repaired?
Mr Williams explains more about this common condition and how we can resolve it for our patients.
He outlines the causes of the inversion and the options to try to improve it without surgery. Lastly, he explains the surgical process used to correct the inversion.
This video was filmed in the Consultation Room of our Minor Ops Suite.
Video: Inverted Nipple Surgery with Mr Williams
In this video you can see an inverted nipple correction procedure taking place. Our patient speaks to us before and after the procedure to tell us how she found it. The video was filmed in our Minor Operations Suite at Skin Surgery Clinic.
Viewer Note: The video contains footage of surgery taking place, for patients who would like to know exactly what will take place during their procedure.
Information about Inverted Nipple Surgery
What causes inverted nipples?
Inverted nipples usually develop during breast development or growth, such as in puberty, while pregnant or after breastfeeding.
If one or more milk ducts within the breast don't grow at the same rate as the breast, this can cause ducts to draw the nipple inwards. Sometimes a lesion within the breast may affect multiple ducts and cause the same effect.
They are less likely to be caused by an underlying medical condition.
How can I have an inverted nipple treated?
Inverted Nipple Correction begins with a consultation with your Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Mr Williams. In this appointment you will meet your surgeon who will assess you for treatment and answer any questions you may have.
The procedure itself takes approximately 45 minutes for one nipple or 1 hour for both. It is carried out in our Minor Ops Suite under local anaesthetic.
What happens during Inverted Nipple Surgery?
During the procedure, the Consultant Plastic Surgeon will first inject a local anaesthetic. They then make an incision under your nipple to detach it from the underlying connective tissue. The nipple is lifted out to a more natural position, and the milk ducts are divided.
A supportive sling of stitching material is inserted to support the nipple in its new position. Finally, the wound is closed with stitches.
A dressing will be applied to protect the area while it heals.
All the stitches we use for this surgery are dissolvable, so none need to be removed at a later date.
After the Procedure
Most patients recover quickly from this procedure and can resume normal activity relatively quickly afterwards.
You might feel that the area is tender, swollen or bruised in the days following the procedure and over-the-counter pain relief can help with this.
A sponge dressing stays on for a week after surgery to protect the nipple from pressure and infection. We will remove the dressing after a week to review how the area is healing and provide further dressings to be worn for the first 6-8 weeks after treatment.
We recommend that you avoid any strenuous activity for a week post-surgery. We also advise that you do not wear tight tops or bras for two weeks after the procedure so that the area has time to heal without any compression.
Will I have a scar?
The scars from this procedure are small and tend to settle very well.
The scar is hidden on the bottom outside quadrant of the nipple, in the 'shadow' of the nipple where it is least likely to be noticeable.
How much does Inverted Nipple Surgery cost?
We believe in open, simple pricing. Our current inverted nipple surgery fees are further down the page.
Does an inverted nipple indicate breast cancer?
If there is inversion in the nipple, we understand that you want to understand the cause.
As above, in most cases, inverted nipples develop at the same time as breast development caused by hormonal changes in the body and not by a medical condition. However, we do occasionally see patients who have the condition because of possible cancer.
Inverted nipples usually affect both breasts and occasionally if the condition is very one-sided that can be an indicator that it is being caused by a tumour, especially if there is also discharge coming from the area.
In these cases, the underlying issue must be treated rather than the nipple itself.
Mr Williams, your Consultant Plastic Surgeon, is both a breast reconstruction specialist and cancer specialist. He also sits on the Bradford NHS Skin Cancer Multidisciplinary Team.
FAQs
Is an inverted nipple the same as a 'shy nipple', 'flat nipple' or 'retracted nipple'?
Yes. These terms all refer to the same condition, where a nipple is flat or inward to the breast rather than extruding from it.
Does every patient with an inverted nipple need surgery?
No. Some patients we see only have slightly inverted nipples and may on balance opt against treatment.
Some patients try to use a Niplette device. In our experience this is not usually successful. The Niplette creates negative pressure through suction to stretch the ducts and gradually pull the nipple out from the breast.
Our experience has been that people struggle to wear them for so much of the day, and that most can't manage to use them enough to get a noticeable result.
Alternatively, surgery can correct the condition as a one-off with a short recovery period afterwards.
Is Inverted Nipple Surgery available on the NHS?
It's very rare for surgery to be offered on the NHS for an inverted nipple.
This is despite the many issues that the condition can cause.
Patients are often embarrassed and made self conscious by their condition. The breast is a very important part of many women’s femininity. Patients often tell us that the feeling of the breast not being complete or matching their image of what it should be can very much affect their self image, even feeling embarrassed in front of partners.
Can I correct an inverted nipple with a piercing?
Piercings are sometimes tried, using a bar to hold the nipple out. When it’s removed, the nipple usually goes back to how it was and the process creates scar tissue in the wall of the nipple at the same time.
This can make it harder or even impossible to ever treat properly.
It's better to treat through surgery before using a piercing, as the scar may prevent treatment.
Does inverted nipple surgery stop you from breastfeeding?
Surgery makes it unlikely that you can breastfeed. During the procedure, the affected milk ducts are divided and so their original function is usually lost.
We advise that you consider inverted nipple surgery after you finish breastfeeding for the final time and do not plan to do it again in the future. We discuss this in your consultation appointment to check that you understand and are happy to proceed with treatment.
Am I at risk from surgery?
Most patients are very pleased with the results they get from treatment.
All minor procedures come with some possible risks, such as bruising, bleeding, infection and a small scar which may remain.
Sometimes a little sensitivity in the area may remain. It's unlikely you will be able to breastfeed after this treatment. In rare cases (1-2% of procedures), a nipple may invert again.
Will I need to take time off work?
After surgery there is usually only a small amount of bruising and swelling in the treated area. You will have a dressing on to protect the area for the first week after surgery and a sponge after that to keep pressure off the nipple. We can discuss these more in your consultation appointment so you can plan ahead.
How do I go ahead?
We discuss everything about the procedure and answer all your questions during your personalised surgeon Consultation.
We then ask you to wait at least two weeks before treatment, to consider everything we've talked about and call us to speak to our Surgical Nurses with any questions that you have before proceeding.
Ready to explore treatment?
Inverted Nipple Surgery Treatment prices
All procedures are carried out by a Consultant Plastic Surgeon specialising in breast reconstructive surgery.
| Consultation | £195 |
| One Nipple | £999 |
| Both Nipples | £1850 |
