nipless
1 Answer
country bumpkin
What are the Causes of Inverted Nipples and can They be Reversed?
Women with inverted nipples often have functional, emotional, or self-esteem issues. They are equally concerned about related health problems, for the condition is commonly associated with breast cancer. Some people have poor understanding about the relationship, if there is even any, between malignancy and nipple's inversion. Obviously, women with this condition want to find ways to correct this anatomical peculiarity. Likewise, they need to understand the various etiologies and types of management done for this kind of nipple deformity.
Breastfeeding and Other Causes
Most women with inverted nipples have had the condition since birth. Others, on the other hand, experience the change in the nipple structure due to various causes. Some occurrences result from trauma, breast sagging, breast infections, and tuberculosis. Cancer of the breast, carcinoma in particular, causes inversion as well, though in very few cases. Most of the non-congenital-related occurrences are caused by vigorous breastfeeding, which can subsequently result in the accumulation of scar tissues, and ultimately nipple inversion.
Ruling out Cancer
Inverted nipples are often benign, but there are several types of inflammatory breast cancers that cause them. Tumors, which could be either benign or malignant, can retract the nipple. Physiologically speaking, the glands that produce milk are connected to small ducts that deliver the fluid to the nipples. If a tumor involves the milk ducts, it can cause retraction. If this persists, the nipple inverts. Therefore, all growths that cause inversion are not malignant.
Reversing Inverted Nipples
One conservative method to protract the inverted nipple is by continuously stimulating it. This can actually be done either manually or mechanically. However, this method does not guarantee that the nipple will not go back to its inverted state. Another technique that's commonly done is piercing. This aims to keep the nipple from reversing with the use of a pin or earring. When permanent effect is the primary concern, one may undergo plastic surgery. However, the potential disadvantage of this is the inability to breastfeed in the future.
Which Method to Use
Various ways in protracting nipples have their own pros and cons. Should you elect to perform stimulation; you have to be prepared to consistently do it to achieve expected outcomes. This method is actually recommended to women who can still make their nipples protrude by stimulation. When considering surgery, however, one ought to be very careful in deciding. It is highly possible that sensation and capability to breastfeed will be lost. Therefore, a surgical intervention is only suggested to women with permanently inverted nipples, which do not respond to any form of stimulation.
Inverted nipples are not always an indication that you have to worry about your breast health. Some of the cases are due to genetic predisposition, while others are brought about by pregnancy and breastfeeding. While it is still true that this condition can also result from malignancy, it just accounts for a tiny percentage of the total number of cases. There are indeed a few ways to revert the condition, and one should know the disadvantages before proceeding.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 6 | |
