While Dr. Preminger has expertise in a wide range of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures including body, and face, she specializes in numerous breast procedures as well. Breast enhancements, breast lifts, and breast reductions are all common surgeries requested by patients, but there is one procedure that is often overlooked: nipple reductions. Dr. Preminger sat down with Haute Beauty editors to describe the nipple reduction procedure, and which patients qualify for the surgery.

Who qualifies for a nipple reduction?
Some women have large nipples that they develop simply from puberty (congenital). The nipples are simply too prominent and often bother them under tight clothing. Others develop something called nipple hypertrophy or stretching of the nipple with breastfeeding.  Literally, the baby sucking on the nipple causes it to stretch. Pumping is an even more forceful pull on the nipples and can cause some of the worst stretching.

 Describe the procedure?
The procedure can be done under local anesthesia and involves removing a donut-shaped ring of tissue at the base of the nipple allowing for the nipple to be set back with a scar that is essentially not visible. For women who complain of nipples that are too wide in circumference in addition to being too high or prominent, a wedge-shaped piece of tissue can be removed as well or instead.

Is this surgery typically accompanied by a breast augmentation?
This is easy to perform in conjunction with a breast augmentation particularly when the patient is already asleep anyway. Many women who are undergoing breast augmentation to correct breast volume from lost breastfeeding also suffer from nipple hypertrophy. Once the implants are in place, the nipples can be even more bothersome/prominent so many women choose to combine breast augmentation with a nipple reduction procedure. Also, I think that once a woman is focusing on having more attractive breasts, she often wants the nipples to look better too!

What is the downtime?
No gym for about 2 weeks…sutures are absorbable.

What are the results?
Results are less prominent nipples with an essentially non-visible scar.