Inverted Nipple

Inverted nipples can be congenital or acquired, and in the latter case, they can be due to benign or malignant causes. Benign nipple inversion is usually a gradual process that develops over several years. However, if the retraction occurs rapidly, the underlying cause could be inflammatory, post-surgical, or an underlying neoplasm.

More specifically, among the various causes, the most common are:

• Congenital predisposition: a malformation present from birth that affects approximately 10-20% of women.
• Ductal shortness: milk ducts that are too short pull the nipple toward the mammary gland and prevent it from protruding.

• Acquired retraction: following breast infections or inflammation, such as mastitis, or mastectomies and other surgical procedures. In some cases, inverted nipples can appear after breastfeeding.
• Neoplastic processes: an inverted nipple can also be a warning sign indicating the presence of breast cancer.
• Gynecomastia

If inverted nipples are not due to an underlying medical condition, they remain only an aesthetic concern, which can be easily resolved with minimally invasive methods. There are targeted manual stimulations and corrective devices available, but these represent temporary solutions. Aesthetic surgery, however, guarantees a permanent solution.

At Image Regenerative Clinic, Professor Carlo Tremolada corrects the problem with a very simple and quick approach, moreover without scarring: using a needle, fibrotic ducts are selectively identified while preserving the healthy ones, then the nipple position is stabilized with an absorbable suture.