Surgical Treatment of Inverted Nipples

  Nipple invagination is the nipple into the skin below the crater-shaped, mostly congenital, is a more common female breast deformity, it not only affects the normal lactation and breast appearance, but also cause itching. It is one of the causes of infection, which has a great impact on women’s physical and mental health.  Clinically, nipple invagination is divided into 3 types: Type I nipple invagination: the nipple is partially invaginated, the nipple neck exists, and the invaginated nipple can be easily squeezed out by hand, and the size of the nipple is similar to normal; Type II nipple invagination: the nipple is completely invaginated in the areola, but the nipple can be squeezed out by hand, the nipple is smaller than normal, and there is no nipple neck; Type III nipple invagination: the nipple is completely buried under the areola, and the invaginated nipple cannot be squeezed out. The nipples are not as large as normal.  For type I nipple invagination, it can be corrected by negative pressure suction, massage, traction, etc. For the other two types of nipple invagination, surgical treatment is required. There are many surgical methods to correct nipple invagination. Generally speaking, the minimally invasive surgical methods such as the buried wire method are mainly suitable for mild nipple invagination (type Ⅰ and Ⅱ), which basically has no effect on breastfeeding. The areola flap filling support method and the tissue flap method are suitable for moderate and severe (type II and III) nipple invagination, which may have some effect on breastfeeding after surgery.  The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia and the stitches are removed in 7 days.