Nipple sensation after augmentation

Posted on July 19, 2010

Catchy title, eh?

People worry a lot about change in nipple sensation after surgery.  I would love to say, “No no! don’t worry.  You’ll be exactly like you are now.”  But I can’t say that. 

Why? Because I don’t know.

Don’t go freaking out about this.  Most women end up with about the same sensation as they started with.  Trust me, if there were big changes in the majority of women, breast augmentation would not be the number one procedure we do.  Nerves are tricky little things.  The sensation to the nipple comes up from the sides of the breast.  All surgery causes some sensation change immediately after surgery.   What can you expect? Usually the skin starts out numb, then it turns tingly/ itchy/ small jabs or shooting pains/ soreness, and then it settles out.  Most women end up pretty much where they started. 

How can we  help preserve nipple sensation? (Now there is a cause we can all rally behind!)

We know nerves are challenged when they are stretched.  It is the reason when you are pregnant or breastfeed and the milk comes in your breasts are tingly, hypersensitive (sorry guys- don’t touch), or itchy.  But just like it did after a week or two when breastfeeding, it settles out.  And the breasts feel normal.  So we know when we do an augmentation, the bigger you go, the more you stretch your skin, the higher the chance of sensory change.

The incision.  Ah, the incision.  Does that affect sensation?  Seems like if you cut at the areola, it should affect sensation more.  There was a study in our literature looking at that.  See link.  They found no correlation with where you cut, but they did with how big you go.

So it is rolling the dice a bit.  I can’t promise you what you will have after surgery.  I suspect it will be close to where you are now, but we won’t know until we do surgery and see.  For those patients focused on a guarantee, beware of the doctor who promises you no change.  No honest doctor can make that promise.