While it’s important to understand that every person’s body is individual, there is an expectation that, for some features of the human body, there is a norm.
For example, nipples are supposed to point outwards and protrude away from the body. If you find that your body does not conform to this, then you may start asking questions and wondering why this is the case.
So are retracted or inverted nipples anything to worry about? Are they rare or quite common? Is there anything that can be done to correct them? Carry on reading to find out.
What is an inverted nipple?
An inverted nipple, also referred to as a retracted nipple, is when a nipple does not point away from the body. Instead, it points inwards or is flat to the areola.
Both men and women can have inverted nipples and there are a lot of reasons why someone may have them.
Fortunately, in most of these cases, there is nothing to worry about and you can carry on living your life as normal unless you wish to make a change to the aesthetics of your body.
There are, though, some situations where you may want to consider surgery or another inverted nipple correction procedure, or at least seek medical advice.
Inverted nipples cause
For the majority of people with inverted nipples, they will have had the issue since birth. That means that their type of nipple inversion is congenital, however, it does not necessarily mean that it is genetic.
Congenital nipple inversion can be a result of nipple faults while in the womb. Common examples of faults include:
· Undeveloped milk ducts
· Small nipple base that did not grow
· Connecting tissue within the nipple is stiff
Other people may acquire nipple inversion as they get older. Either their body acquires them naturally (for example, they develop an issue with their milk ducts such as becoming clogged), or they go through events which increase the likelihood of nipples inverting, such as breastfeeding.
One cause of nipple inversion is breast cancer. Although this is only one sign of breast cancer and is usually accompanied by other issues such as discharge and changes to nipple texture and size.
It is important to remember that just because you have developed an inverted nipple this does not mean you will have breast cancer.
The reason for this is that as women get older, their chance of developing breast cancer increases. At the same time, their chance of developing an inverted nipple also increases as the milk ducts within their breasts contract.
So if your nipple has suddenly become inverted later in life then you might want to seek advice from your doctor, although this is nothing that you should be worried about.
How common are flat or inverted nipples?
It is estimated that up to 10% of women have at least one inverted nipple, and between 10-20% of the general population have inverted nipples.
People with inverted nipples will have them at different severities. These severities are classified into three grades as follows:
· Grade 1 inverted nipples – the nipple can be pulled back out, or may protrude out by itself when stimulated, and it will remain there for some time
· Grade 2 inverted nipples – the nipple can be pulled back out, although it may be more difficult and it will not remain out for very long
· Grade 3 inverted nipples – the nipple cannot be pulled back out, or if it is then it becomes inverted again almost immediately
It is more common for people to have grade 1 or 2 inverted nipples than grade 3.
Inverted nipple after pregnancy
Pregnancy has been known to increase the chance that a woman may develop an inverted nipple.
The reason for this is that as their bodies are preparing to give birth, many changes happen in the breasts. This is to prepare the mother for breastfeeding.
One of these changes is to the tissue surrounding the milk ducts and the nipple. In some cases, the nipple can remain attached to the milk duct too tightly, and become inverted as the rest of the breast grows around it.
If this is the case for you, then breastfeeding may prove difficult, although this is not the case for every mother with inverted nipples.
Can you breastfeed with inverted nipples?
A lot of the time women can breastfeed with an inverted nipple because the nipple corrects its protrusion by itself when stimulated by the breastfeeding motion.
If your nipple does not protrude during breastfeeding, then you should still be able to breastfeed although your baby may have difficulties latching on to you. As they get bigger and their mouths can fit around your areola, this should improve.
Inverted nipple after menopause
As women get older, their milk ducts within their breasts shorten. This is a naturally occurring process and happens to everybody. When this occurs, if your nipple tissue is firmly attached to your milk duct then your nipple can become inverted.
This is why some people may believe that menopause can cause inverted nipples, when in fact both are simply happening with age.
Correction surgery at New Birkdale Clinic
Hopefully, you have been put at ease regarding inverted nipples if you have one (or two).
However, what we didn’t touch on was the aesthetics of inverted nipples. While some individuals may not care, others may be uncomfortable with their appearance if they have inverted nipples.
Fortunately, for those people, there are at-home and in-clinic methods that your inverted nipple can be corrected.
If your situation is more severe than the average, then surgery may be an option for you. We also provide nipple surgery for other reasons (such as areola reductions), and you can see examples of our work by viewing our areola reduction before and after images.
In either case, get in touch with our team here at New Birkdale Clinic and we can book you in for a consultation.
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