A surgeon can make a nipple and areola from your own body tissue. You can usually have this done from a few months after your breast reconstruction surgery. The reason for the wait is to make sure everything has settled down. If you have it done too early, the new nipple and areola might not end up in the right place. All the options create the appearance of a nipple and areola. But the new nipple won’t have any feeling and won’t stand up when cold or touched as a real one would.

The implant is a foreign body so you are more likely to have long term problems compared to other types of reconstruction using your own tissue. We touched on this throughout the article, but it bears repeating: While most of this stuff is perfectly normal and not cause for concern, there are exceptions. Here are some signs you should talk to your healthcare provider about your nipples or areolas, according to the Mayo Clinic:Using a skin flap. The surgeon folds skin onto your reconstructed breast into a nipple shape. They make it bigger than normal. This is because the reconstructed nipple will shrink and usually flattens with time. When you break up with someone, you almost obsess about the moment you’re going to meet up with them again. You’re going to look hotter than ever before. Your banter’s going to be off the chart. You’ll make them rue the day they ever dumped you. Naughty Nipples are made from a firm material to give you the most projection under clothing. We love the way these perky nipples look under bras, blouses, and even sweaters! The durable material makes these nipples perfect for a more erect look. You might need two operations: one to stretch the skin (using a tissue expander), and the other to put a silicone implant in. Image: LD flap with implant and nipple reconstruction Image: Left LD flap reconstruction and nipple graft

The nipples are removed alone or along with the surrounding darker skin (areola). They are then reattached (grafted) onto the reconstructed breast. And I have to say, my boobs probably looked the best they ever have while working out. I don’t have big boobs and sports bras seem to squish what I do have to my chest so there’s no shape at all. These nipples at least make you feel like you do actually have breasts, while not getting in the way (as I imagine bigger boobs would). HPFY offers high-quality nipple prostheses in a variety of colors and areola features. They look real and stay on securely, becoming your new body image for showers, swimming, and sex. BenefitsLast but not least, you have boob tape or nipple tape—whatever you want to call it. Boob tape isn't your ordinary tape. For starters, the adhesive on these strips of tape is usually hypoallergenic and sensitive-skin-friendly to avoid irritation and discomfort. Most brands also offer a variety of different hues to match your skin tone as close as possible. These tapes also go on super stretchy so to offer a more seamless look post-application; the stretchiness is similar to that of a medical bandage. Some women with larger breasts may also need to have an implant alongside the tissue reconstruction. I explained that they were fake and that he was welcome to touch – which he did with the utmost trepidation. If you’ve ever found yourself googling something “weird” you’ve noticed about your nipples (like “bumps on nipple” or “third nipple”), you’re not alone. There is so much variation when it comes to nipples—like the look, shape, texture, color, and size—that you’ve likely wondered at least once whether or not yours are “normal.” Having this surgery can increase the risk of hernias in the future (weakening of the abdominal wall). A hernia can be repaired with a fairly simple operation if this happens to you.

After surgery to make the breast smaller or less droopy, you have scars on the breast. The position of the scars varies, depending on the technique your surgeon uses. Apply little water or Vaseline around the edges and then pinch the nipples before placing them in position. The nipples are left attached to the skin of the breasts and the breast tissue that lies under the skin is removed. If you are having risk-reducing surgery, another way involves first having an operation to reposition the nipples and reduce the breast skin. This is called a breast uplift or mastopexy. You then have a second operation to remove the breasts through the lower scar under the breasts and the breast reconstruction. Image: Bilateral nipple sparing risk reducing mastectomies after initial mastopexy Image: Implant reconstruction after double (bilateral) nipple-sparing mastectomy Image: Bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy with implantsOver time the capsule of the implant can shrink and become hard. This can cause your breast to be painful, harden and the shape may change. This is known as capsular contracture and usually needs surgery. You might need to make several visits so the colouring of the nipple and areola match as close as possible. Also in the future you may have to return if the colour fades.