What are the possible risks of inverted nipple correction?

As with any type of surgery there are risks associated with inverted nipple correction, although these are very rare and unlikely to occur. Nonetheless, it is best to be well informed about possible risks in order to weigh up the Pros and Cons of surgery:

Risks of Local Anaesthetic

Inverted nipple correction is performed under local anaesthetic and although there is a risk of you having a reaction to the anaesthetic this is very unlikely and, in fact, is often caused by the adrenaline within the anaesthetic. This can cause a rise in your heart rate and palpitations in very rare circumstances.

The local anaesthetic is the same as that used when you go to the dentist and if you have had dental injections without any problems then you are very unlikely to suffer any untoward effects from the anaesthetic used for your inverted nipple correction surgery.

Risks of Bleeding

Following the operation it is possible that you might experience some bleeding from your nipple via the very small incision at the base of your nipple. In over 200 cases of inverted nipple correction surgery performed at Aurora Clinics each year this bleeding has never been severe and is normally characterised by blood on your dressing. The dressing may need to be changed slightly earlier if this occurs – within two or three days of the procedure – but this is not normally a significant problem following inverted nipple correction.

Risk of Infection

Infection is a possible risk following your inverted nipple correction surgery. This occurs because, as the milk ducts have been divided or stretched, some milky secretions can get caught in the breast tissues. This can cause inflammation within the breast tissue and if this occurs you may require anti-biotic medication to treat it. Although infection is extremely uncommon following inverted nipple correction surgery, there is some risk involved and if you feel you may be developing an infection following your inverted nipple correction we would encourage you to contact our medical staff on 0800 328 5743 as soon as possible.

Risk of Scabbing

After your inverted nipple correction surgery there is a likelihood of scabbing to the tip of your nipple. This is caused by decreased blood supply to the tip of your nipple and also by the fact that, in your surgery, your Aurora surgeon may remove small lumps from the end of your nipples which will leave raw areas that may become slightly scabby. We would advise you to leave the scab to fall off spontaneously as this means that the new skin underneath will be well healed by that point. If you are concerned that your nipple is very scabby following your surgery and you're wondering if you need to do anything then it is always possible to contact us to see if you need a consultation or advice on how to treat the area.

Risk of Inability to Breastfeed

The final major risk following your inverted nipple correction procedure is the fact that it will become unlikely that you will be able to breastfeed afterwards. This is because the milk ducts that carry milk from the glands in your breast tissue to the nipple will have been divided or lengthened. This means that the milk will be unable to travel up them.

If you are considering a family and would like to breastfeed then you need to consider this factor very carefully before undergoing surgery. Although you have inverted nipples we do find that some people are still able to breastfeed successfully, although the chance of this does become less with the higher grade inversions (Grades 2 and 3).

Weigh up the Pros and Cons

Overall, as in any surgical procedure, there are a significant number of risks associated with inverted nipple correction surgery and we encourage you to consider these very carefully before you decide whether or not to go ahead with the surgery.

If you find it helpful our specialist surgeons would be happy to discuss the risks fully with you at your consultation prior to you deciding to proceed with the surgery.