Areola and nipple reconstruction

marcom · Newbie Joined: 04 Mar 2005 Posts: 15

I’m a 25 years old woman with two children. After my second birth, I palpated one knot in a bottom region of my left breast. It turns out to be a benign tumor called fibroadenoma. Doctor said the tumor was too big and that he had to do complete surgical removing of my left breast. I’m so confused-in a same time I’m happy, because it is benign formation, and sad, because I will loose one breast. What will be with my nipple and areola? What about lactation – is it possible without my areola and nipple and will it affect my second breast.

tamara · Silver Member Joined: 21 Oct 2000 Posts: 277

During surgical procedure called mastectomy your complete breast will be removed along with your nipple and areola. In that procedure all your lactiferous ducts will be removed too, but only on that side, and that’s why you will not be able to breast-feed your future children. I’m sorry. But you’re forgetting one thing- the other breast will be fully functional and you will not have any problems with lactation. After primary operation (breast removing) you will have a second - breast reconstruction which is completely optional. Final stage of that operation is nipple and areola reconstruction so you don’t have to worry about any esthetic issues. There are two kind of nipple and areola reconstruction: one uses a graft from a distant location and the other is done with tattooing of local skin. I think that tattooing is much more convenient because it does not require another donor site and it leaves no additional scars.

Areola and nipple reconstruction

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