Will nipple sensation return after breast surgery?
Breast surgeon Kogarah Miranda Sydney
After any type of surgery on the breast, it’s common for women to experience changes in the sensation in their nipples. Many women find that their nipples are numb, or have reduced sensation compared to before the surgery. Some women also experience tingling or zapping sensations in the nipples.
Why does this happen? And will the sensation in your nipples ever return to normal?
Reasons for changes in nipple sensation
There are a number of different reasons why sensation in the nipples may change after breast surgery. These include:
- Cutting of small nerve fibers. A well-trained and experienced surgeon can avoid damaging the larger branches of nerves. However, there’s no way to avoid cutting some of the smaller branches of nerves during surgery. If the nipple is repositioned (as is common during a breast lift or breast reduction), then many of the small nerves to the nipple will be cut as part of this process.
- Swelling. Any surgical procedure causes swelling in the tissues. This swelling puts pressure on nerves, which can interfere with their function.
- Stretching of tissues. When implants are placed during a breast augmentation, this stretches the tissues of the breasts. Stretching nerves tend to interfere with their function.
Whenever nerves are damaged, they may signal abnormally, producing tingling and zapping sensations. They may also stop signaling, creating an area of numbness or reduced sensation.
Fortunately, all of these factors are temporary. Swelling will go down, reducing the pressure on the nerves. Nerves are also able to grow back over time. (Although the brain and spinal cord cannot regrow damaged tissue, the nerves in the rest of the body are able to repair themselves when damaged.)
When does the nipple sensation return?
In nearly all women, sensation to the nipples will gradually return. For women who have had a breast augmentation through an inframammary or trans axillary incision, most women report that their nipples feel normal by two to three months after surgery. As the swelling goes down and the nerves adapt to the new shape of the breast, nerve function returns to normal fairly quickly.
For those who have had an incision made around the nipple (breast lift or breast reduction patients, or those who have a breast augmentation through a periareolar incision), nerves need to grow back in order for sensation to return. This may take one to two years in some women, with a gradual recovery occurring over this time.
Although sensation usually does return to normal, there are rare cases where this doesn’t happen. Permanent changes in nipple sensation can occur after breast surgery. This is uncommon, but it’s a known risk of this type of surgery, and it’s important that women be informed that this is a possibility.
Breast surgeon Kogarah Miranda Sydney
Proper surgical technique is essential to protect the nerves of the breast and minimize the risk of permanent changes in nipple sensation. This is why it’s important to choose a highly trained and experienced surgeon for your plastic surgery.
As an associate professor of surgery at the University of Sydney, A/Prof Marucci has the extensive knowledge needed to ensure your safety throughout your procedure and to get the best possible results. To book a consultation at his rooms in Kogarah or Miranda, please contact our office.
