Inverted nipples, a breast deformity and in some cases even an external symptom of malignancy in the breast. Before puberty, female breasts do not develop and the nipples are small. After puberty, with the change of hormone level in the body and the onset of menstruation, the breasts start to develop and the nipples gradually increase in size and protrude. The nipples of unmarried women and unpregnant women are smaller, but they protrude from the areola plane; if some or all of them are lower than the areola plane, or even reverse the concavity and sink under the skin surface, resulting in a crater-like localization, this situation is nipple invagination (nipple indentation).
It is important to note that some girls are shy about breast development, they wear tight underwear to tighten their breasts, or prematurely wear too small a bra size, the developing breasts will be squeezed and become flat; at the same time, the pressure on the breast blood circulation is not good, the nutrient supply is not enough to affect the normal development of the mammary glands; nipples are also squeezed and sunken in the breast, forming nipple invagination (nipple depression).
The degree of nipple invagination (nipple depression) varies, with some showing only nipple recession and others showing nipple concavity or even turning over. Clinically, nipple invagination can be divided into 3 types.
Type I: the nipple is partially invaginated, the nipple neck exists, the invaginated nipple can be easily squeezed out by hand, and the size of the nipple after squeezing out is similar to that of a normal person;
Type II: the nipple is completely sunken in the areola, but the nipple can be squeezed out by hand, the nipple is smaller than normal, and most of the nipple does not have a nipple neck;
Type III: the nipple is completely buried under the areola, and it is impossible to squeeze out the invaginated nipple. The nipple inversion (nipple depression) not only hinders the beauty of the breast, hinders the function of breastfeeding, and is difficult to clean locally, the sunken part is easy to hide dirt, often causing local infection, and the breast ducts are connected to the depression, inflammation can spread to the breast and cause mastitis.
The nipple invagination (nipple indentation) is mainly congenital, but can also be caused by trauma or surgery, breast tumors, and fibroplasia after mastitis. Congenital nipple invagination is caused by dysplasia of the smooth muscles of the nipple and areola, and the inward pulling of these muscle fibers, combined with the lack of supporting tissue under the nipple, results in nipple invagination. It usually occurs bilaterally, but can also occur unilaterally. If the nipple is invaginated, it is mildly invaginated if the nipple can be retracted with a little squeezing or tugging. Congenital nipple invagination is most often seen in women with no history of breastfeeding.
Secondary nipple invagination is commonly caused by breast disease, such as breast cancer, and is often unilateral. For acquired nipple invagination (nipple sunken), it should not be taken lightly and should be seen in a specialized hospital for relevant examinations, such as breast ultrasound and mammography, to rule out the possibility of breast cancer. There is another condition: repeated eczema and itchy skin around the nipple that does not heal after a long time, you should consider the possibility of Paget’s disease, which is a special type of breast cancer.
Correction methods.
(1) Choose the right size bra: Avoid and correct the bad practice of bunching the breasts. A small and too tight bra will compress the chest and affect breathing. Because women are mainly chest breathers, a too tight bra is like a rope on the chest, which restricts the breathing movement, so as not to further aggravate the nipple invagination.
(2) Pulling method: When you find nipple invagination, you should gently pull the invaginated nipple outward with your fingers every morning and evening. While pulling, gently massage the nipple with your thumb or forefinger for 5-10 minutes each time.
(3) Squeeze method: use a smaller bra or use a 10 cm wide strip of cloth to open a nipple-sized hole in the position of the nipple, wear a bra or strip of cloth and make the nipple squeeze outward, adhere to a period of time, the sunken nipple can be prominent. You can also buckle a walnut shell or porcelain small wine pocket on the nipple, wear a bra, press for a period of time, the nipple can be protruded.
(4) Negative pressure method: The thick end of the syringe or glass eye drops bottle can be snapped onto the nipple, and the thin end is connected to a rubber tube and then to a large syringe, which is pumped hard to generate negative pressure in the bottle, thus putting deep pressure on the tissue around the nipple and making the nipple protrude. The bottle is then removed and combined with traction and massage.
Correction and prevention of nipple depression
An upright breast is the focal point of a woman’s beauty, and the nipple is the “delicate point” of the focal point. If the nipple is found to be sunken (nipple depression), it is best for women to have it corrected in time. The following methods can be used according to different situations.
The first is to pull it by hand. The period of adolescence is an important period for breast development and also for correcting nipple invagination. This can be done several times a day. Over time, the nipples will gradually bulge outward. If you can’t pull it, you can push the skin of the breast near the nipple outward first.
Second, suction therapy. After pregnancy, the nipple is attracted to the breast several times a day using its negative pressure to encourage nipple bulging.
The third is the use of nipple corrector is to treat flat or sunken nipples.
Any female in the immediate family, such as mothers and aunts, who have nipple invagination should be the focus of prevention. After the birth of a female child with a genetic predisposition, the mother can gently lift the small nipple outward 1-2 times a day. Note that the action must be gentle and it is best to ask an experienced person to operate. In this way, you can see that the baby’s nipples are green bean-shaped or small round pieces higher than the skin, the chance of future nipple inversion is greatly reduced.
Second, pay attention to clothing. The intimate underwear should be cotton products, and frequent changes, sunlight. If your nipples are red and cracked, your underwear should be steamed and disinfected, and girls should not use bras too early.
Third, to prevent squeezing. Underwear, bras appropriate, not too tight, for girls with larger breasts, more attention should be paid to the breast loose. For girls who have the habit of lying down, they should be corrected in time to prevent the nipples from being squeezed, so as not to aggravate the degree of nipple depression.
After the birth of a woman with nipple depression, special attention should be paid to nipple care and hygiene. If the nipple is mildly sunken, increase the number of times the baby sucks on it, and pay attention to protecting the nipple and washing it after breastfeeding to prevent infection. Once the nipple is red and swollen, you should go to the hospital in time to prevent the formation of mastitis.
The dangers of nipple depression
First of all, it hinders the beauty and affects breastfeeding.
Secondly, because of the sunken nipples, the nipples often have to be forcibly pulled out when breastfeeding, and at this time the nipples are very delicate and once they collide, they are easily damaged, ruptured and bleeding, which can cause nipple and even whole breast infections and eventually mastitis.
The third is that the nipple is a very important sex sensitive point for women, and many women’s sexual desire is stimulated through the nipple to reach. Once the nipple is sunken, it is difficult to play an effective sexual stimulation, and can even affect the male partner’s sexual desire.