Nipple reconstruction and tattoos
 

Has anyone had a nipple reconstruction lately? And tatto of the aereola ? I know this is personal and if you want to talk here- I understand!

the doc said it's 3.5 hours long with a local. that's just using surrounding tissue. You know, we go thru so much with this, why do this too?

I'm thinking of getting one but don't know if its worth time and $ etc

How about just tatto the darn thing, not sticking out but at least there's some color contrast.

thank you

MCS ( maria)

oops I forgot, I did look at a thread (s) on the issue of mastectomy that addressed briefly reconstruction but not directly addressed the nipple


thanks

MCS ( maria)

Hi Maria,

I am just getting ready to have my nipple reconstruction. Mine sounds like it might be a little different. I will be put under general anesthetic and they will take tissue from around the vaginal area (yes, now I'm "oversharing"- sorry). The surgery is supposed to take about 1 hour to complete. Then, if for some reason I don't think that the tissue is dark enough, I will have the option to tatoo over the graft to make the color more "exact". I'm excited about the surgery on one hand, and not on the other. OUCH!!!!

Love, Kelly

You know, I feel that sometimes I need to "over share" here, because it may just be the information that someone else needs at just the right time.

Kelly, I appreciate your candid answer. good luck


MCS ( maria)

Kelly
I was about to have the same surgery...I opted out. Seems everyone was calling that the "old way"....there is a newer procedure where they use the skin already there, tatoo it first and then design the nipple....a skin flap from the groin did not sound apealing to me...DOUBLE OUCH!

this nipple reconstruction would be where the local skin is used. the doc said a lot of time is used in creating the nipple and sewing it is involved and thus the length of time.

I just can't think of more suregery now. maybe i will change my mind later.

MCS (maria)

Why the skin from the vaginal area? My partial basically just took my nipple and I was thinking of reconstruction but that sounds a little rough. I have a 4 inch horizontal scar with two "dog ears" (surgeons words) at either side. Do they correct that in the reconstruction as well? This is way down the road for me but would like all the info I can get. Thanks Kriss

Kriss,

I think that it sounds worse than it actually is. They take a graft from that area for two reasons- the color of the skin and the texture and feel of the skin is very similar to what a nipple feels like. They actually take the skin from the area "underneath" exactly where your underwear elastic is, and then they pull the skin together there in the crease and stitch so that there are no visible scars. I have seen my friend's finished job and it is amazing. She said she was a little sore and she wore boxer style underwear for a week or so so that the elastic from her regular ones didn't pinch. Her nipples really do look like real ones. I hope that mine turns out the same.

Love, Kelly

Hi ladies ~ I just had nipple reconstruction last March...my plastic made a small incision at my bikini line and took some skin; then took a piece of my existing one nipple and grafted it on. So, no tattoo's ever and it looks great!Ruth

Ladies,

I too debated whether or not to do nipple reconstruction. I really didn't care too much one way or the other (and my husband assured my he didn't care at all), but in the end, I was just so curious to see what it would like like if I had the work done. So I did it. I had the nipples done first as an outpatient in a hospital with only the local areas numbed (surrounding skin was used to create the nipples). I think it took about 1 1/2 hours start to finish for both, but I fell asleep on the table and lost all track of time. Not because of any drugs (because there weren't any), but because I was tired and perfectly comfortable. After a month or two I had the tatoos done. Also local numbing only in the doctor's office. I felt no pain. I am pleased with the results. Of course the mastectomy scars are still there and there is no sensation of any type, but I do like looking in the mirror and seeing someone who looks a bit like the former me.

After everything else I had been through, I found this process to be quite easy. Additionally, it was something to do for me just because I wanted to and not because I had to in order to battle cancer.

I wish you the best.

Cynthia

Is there always loss of sensation?
 

Cynthia, I am happy you brought up the word sensation or lack of. I lost sensation in my affected breast 7 years ago when I had surgery to remove an interductal papilloma so last year when I had my cancerous breast tumor removed I had no sensation already in same breast. Does anyone know if you have to lose sensation when you have surgery due to breast cancer? I must say I miss the sensation!

I will be going in for my exchange suregery end of May and will need to decide by then if I am going to have a nipple or not done. My PS will use the skin that is on the breast and do a twist and stitch tecnique. I am concerned tho that I will have forever protruding nipples and dont want that. I too would like to just have a little bit of a darker spot tatoo'd where the nipple should be.

Bobbi