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Cosmetic Surgery For Moms
Understanding Areola Reduction?

Mommy Makeover - Breast - Abdomen - Vagina

Breast Areola Reduction is an often overlooked procedure when thinking about having a cosmetic breast procedure.  It is, however, a very common addition when a patient is thinking about having a breast reduction or breast lift  lift surgery.  Or an areola reduction can be performed independent of breast lift or breast reduction

The entire areola and nipple complex will often either widen or stretch after pregnancies, age, and/or breast feeding. 

Widening of the areola can often become distressing to a woman who is used to seeing themselves with a smaller areola.  

An areola reduction is a safe and effective way of reducing the size, and can be performed in the office without anesthesia.

NOTE: We don’t take insurance or work with insurance companies. Patients pay for the surgery upfront and we provide them with a superbill, and other documents they may need to apply for reimbursement.

Breast areola reduction surgery is a safe and simple procedure that can be performed in the office without anesthesia.  

Women will often ask about a nipple reduction because:

  • The appearance of the areola is larger than normal or larger than she is used to
  • She is going to have a breast lift or breast reduction

There are a few techniques that are used depending on the appearance of the nipple.  

Donut surgical technique:

A breast areola reduction is performed by cutting a donut shaped template from around the areola.  The new areola diameter is cut as the inner circle to the size that is desired.  A second outer circle is cut around the existing areola.  All the skin between the two circles is removed.  If the difference between two circles is small, then the two circles are sutured together to form a new circle

Lollipop surgical technique:

If the two circles are more than half to a centimeter apart, then the scar will not heal well without tension.  Too much tension will cause the scar to widen and be too apparent.  The patient might be better suited for a lollipop-style incision that can be visualized as a vertical incision downwards to the under-breast crease.  The vertical incision is used to bring the sides of the breast more to the middle.  This incision is barely visible in most patients.  This manouver makes the outer circle of the donut smaller, and decreases the tension on the scar so that it heals better and is less visible.

 

 

The procedure:

A nipple reduction surgery can be performed in the office under local anesthesia.  The surgery will take less than an hour.  Most patients will return to work right away.

There should be minimal to no downtime with a areola reduction as the majority of the procedure is skin related.  Pain is minimal.  

Most patients will return to work either the next day or over a long weekend.  The only exceptions are patients with very physical jobs such as factory or construction workers.

  • Most patients can start light work-outs in 2 weeks.  
  • This would include long walks and light weights.  
  • Hard work-outs should wait for 3-4 weeks as significant movement can delay your healing.  

Areola reduction surgery should not affect breast feeding.  It is important to understand that up to 20% of “normal” women that did not have surgery are not able to breast feed.

Areola reduction surgery should not affect nipple sensation.  Less than 1% of patients will complain of a loss of sensation after nipple reduction.  The procedure is mostly the removal of a ribbon of skin; and does not involved underlying structures.

An areola reduction surgery is a common procedure added to a breast lift, breast reduction, or mommy makeover procedure.  The addition of the procedure completes the cosmetic appearance of the breast procedure. 

Most plastic surgeons will be able to perform your areola reduction.  When searching for a plastic surgeon near you, you will want to seek out a plastic surgeon who is board certified by the american board of plastic surgery 

Dr. Phillip Chang is a plastic surgeon with offices in Leesburg, Virginia in Loudoun County.  

Search for:

  • plastic surgeon who has been in practice for a minimum of 3 years.

  • look at their before and after gallery for breast augmentation, breast lift, and breast reductions

  • the plastic surgeon is board certified by the american board of plastic surgeons.  The board certification indicates that the surgeon completed a plastic surgery fellowship and not a lesser credential such as dentistry, general surgery, obgyn, or ENT.

  • Look at google reviews

  • Search at referrals from friends

Common Mommy Makeover Procedures for the Breast

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Breast Augmentation
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Breast Lift

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Breast Lift plus Augmentation

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Breast Augment with Fat Transfer

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Nipple Reduction

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Areola Reduction

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