Nipple Procedures

Some women have large nipples within the centre of the areolas and wish to have them reduced in size and projection. This can help improve the relative size of the nipples in proportion to the size of the areaos and breasts to create a more harmonious aesthetically pleasing breast.

There are a variety of different surgical techniques to reduce the nipple size, and these can be done under local aneasthetic or in conjunction with other procedures such as a breast augmentation. Dr. Sharma will go over your options during the consultation and determine what will work best for you.

Many women are self-conscious about their inverted nipples. This can be present from the time the breasts begin to develop, or may present later in life with hormonal changes such as pregnancy or breast-feeding, or with significant changes to the breast size. There are a variety of different methods to corrected the inverted nipples, often using suturing techniques and de-tethering procedures that can be done under local anaesthetic, or in conjunction with other procedures such as a breast augmentation. Dr. Sharma will go over your options during the consultation and determine what will work best for you. Inverted nipple correction is not an insured procedure with OHIP.

Patients who have had breast reconstruction will often seek reconstruction of the nipple. This can dramatically improve the appearance of the reconstructed breast and make it feel more complete and like a real breast again. Some women are unaware that this procedure is even possible, or that it is covered by OHIP as an insured procedure in the context of breast reconstruction. Dr. Sharma will discuss the options for nipple reconstruction which can include using a skin graft, or nipple sharing procedure, or most commonly the use of local skin flaps to build a 3-dimensional projecting nipple that can later be tattooed to complete the reconstruction. This short procedure is often done under local anesthetic.

Frequently after re-building a nipple, the entire nipple and areola can be tattooed. Dr. Sharma does this procedure under local anesthetic and uses a variety of nipple tattooing pigments to select the most appropriate shade to provide you with an aesthetically pleasing final touch to a reconstructed breast. This procedure is also covered by OHIP as an insured procedure for the purposes of reconstruction when done by Dr. Sharma. Alternatively, some patients may wish to see a professional tattoo artist for shading of the nipple and areola, or for a 3D-appearing nipples in certain cases. These can often look very realistic, however they are not covered by OHIP when done by a professional tattoo artist.