Certain patients will experience numbness or changes in sensation in their nipples after breast lift surgery. Naturally, many ask, How long does it take for nipples to heal after breast lift? While this is quite normal and typically goes away on its own, it can be alarming to some. Moreover, in rare cases, patients may never regain normal sensation in their nipples again.
Do You Lose Feeling in Your Nipples?
You may. And if you do, the cause is damage to the nerves that exist within the breasts.
There is a principal nerve that enters each breast from the side — moving from your back around toward your front to the nipple. Here, the nerve has several branches and is closer to the skin.
Most plastic surgeons performing breast reduction or breast lifts can avoid injury to the nerve, only incising the breast skin and the breast tissue that covers the nerve. However, they will need to create an incision around the outer edge of the areola. This means getting awfully close to that nerve, which lies just beneath the surface of the breast tissue surrounding the areola.
During the procedure, careful handling of the breast tissue is crucial to preserve both sensation and long-term shape. Since every patient’s anatomy is unique, the surgeon must assess how much breast tissue can be repositioned or removed without compromising sensitivity or aesthetic outcomes. In cases of excess breast skin, surgeons may need to tailor their technique to ensure natural results.
Breast augmentation surgeons typically avoid making periareolar incisions at all (and instead opt for inframammary fold incisions or incisions in the breast creases) so that they can avoid hitting these nerves.
Numbness in the Nipples and Breasts
If the nerve is damaged at all during a breast lift recovery, sensation in your breasts can change after surgery. Many patients experience numbness or at least a partial loss of normal sensation. This usually only lasts for a few months.
However, for some patients, it may take one to two years for the numbness to completely disappear. In other patients, full sensation is never quite regained. During this recovery process, your surgeon might recommend a compression bra or surgical bra to help stabilize the healing area and support a successful recovery.
Hypersensitivity
From time to time, a patient will not experience numbness, but will rather experience hypersensitivity. Again, this usually doesn’t last. But in some cases, it may continue on for several months and then resolve. Taking pain medication as directed can help ease discomfort. Be sure to avoid herbal supplements that may interfere with prescriptions or blood clotting.
How Long Does It Take for Nipples to Heal?
Most patients will fully heal after approximately four weeks. It is typically at this point that patients can resume most of their normal activities and much of the swelling will have diminished. However, some patients will not see their full breast lift results for up to six months due to ongoing swelling. During this recovery period, patients should avoid upper body exercises that could strain the chest area.
FAQs: How long does it take for nipples to heal after breast lift
Can I breastfeed?
This depends. It depends on the extent of your surgery, your natural anatomy, the skill of your surgeon, what breast lift recovery techniques are used, how you recover, and sometimes — chance.
Some patients are certainly able to breastfeed their baby after getting a breast lift. Sometimes, this means they can fully breastfeed (exclusively breastfeed). But other times, it means they can only produce and express a moderate milk supply, which would mean they would get the experience and benefits of breastfeeding but would also need to supplement.
Finally, certain patients are simply unable to breastfeed at all following breast reduction or breast lift surgery. This is typically due to damage to the nerves and/or milk ducts in the breasts during surgery. Because this is a very real possibility, it’s important that patients who are considering breastfeeding in the future understand this prior to committing to the procedure.
Why did I get puffy nipples?
Swelling is perfectly normal. In fact, it’s definitely to be expected. This can lead to puffy nipples for a short time following your procedure. Cold compresses and light pain medication can help reduce swelling in the early days of recovery.
If you have puffy nipples prior to surgery, you may have a condition called tuberous breasts or tubular breasts. This is where the breasts are cone or tube shaped, the chest tends to be wide, the lower pole is shorter than average, and the nipples are large and puffy. Tuberous breasts are often sagging breasts, and they can be corrected with most breast lifts, especially when excess skin is removed as part of the reshaping.
Do you lose feeling in nipples after breast lift or breast augmentation?
Either surgery can cause changes in breast sensation or nipple sensation. In most cases, it is caused by nerve damage, and you should regain feeling in your nipples after a short time. In rare cases, patients never regain normal breast and nipple sensation. As the healing process unfolds, it’s important to attend all follow-ups and monitor for signs of scar tissue that could affect sensation.
Can I get a breast lift after breast cancer?
Yes, most patients who are in remission from breast cancer can undergo a breast lift surgery. Naturally, you must get clearance from your doctors. But most patients can get this surgery in part to reconstruct their breast(s) after undergoing a lumpectomy or mastectomy. This may be especially helpful after significant weight loss or asymmetry caused by treatment.
Do they remove your nipples in a breast lift?
No, not completely. Breast lift surgery requires the nipples and areolae to be repositioned. However, this is typically done while the nipple is still attached by a pedicle (an artery and vein).
This allows the nipples to maintain a blood supply. The nipples can then be repositioned and reattached to the surrounding breast skin on the outer edges of the areolae. During recovery, you will wear a support bra and possibly surgical tape to help hold everything in place until your incisions fully heal in the recovery room.
Set Up a Consultation Appointment Today
If your breasts sag significantly since having children, due to aging, or following weight loss, cosmetic surgery can help. A breast lift is a surgical procedure that literally lifts the breasts to create a perkier chest and a younger-looking silhouette.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Dahlia Rice performs breast lift surgery, among other breast surgeries such as breast reduction, at her Chicago practice.
Whether you are certain you’d like to move forward with breast lift recovery or implants, or you are still debating the best surgery for you, we invite you to contact us today and schedule a personal consultation appointment with Dr. Rice to discuss your options and begin your recovery process.
