Q: Areola reduction. Can this be done in the office? Could I do it right away? (Photo)
I am three weeks post op, I had a crescent lift and implants. I am pleased with how fast my scars are healing, but hate the different sizes of my areolas and how big the left one is. When I bend forward they hang off the implants with a little bit of my breast tissue. Would reducing them help with that? Can this be done in the office and could I do it right away? Also my nipples and areolas are not retracting when they get hard now, will that come back? Can the bumps on areola be removed?
A: Nipple areolar reduction provides a smaller aesthetic areola and may reduce the laxity of the breast skin envelope
You have several issues going on here. The reduction of the areola will allow for symmetry and a more aesthetic areola but realize you do not know how you scars will heal for 6-12 months- they may ultimately become barely perceptible, thickened, dark, or very white. I personally think that smaller areola are more aesthetic and with the reduction you should be able to achieve symmetry as well. The issue of the breast tissue sagging down will likely be helped but it appears as though you had a sub muscular implant rather than a summary implant so this problem will not be fully resolved by areolar reduction. A sub muscular implant does not fill the subcutaneous pocket fully, especially if the muscle is not fully detached. The nerves will take up to a year to recover and sensory nerves can recover for a life time, so you do have potential for the normal response of your nipples that you had previously to return to baseline, but it may not. This is the risk of surgery in this area. The bumps are the ducts for the breast milk so if you remove these you will interfere with your ability to breast feed. Everyone has these, they are normal.