IAmA 20-something year old girl who just underwent surgery to correct inverted nipples. AMA

Pretty before, pretty after. Guys, agreed?

I'm flattered... thank you kindly.

I used to have a girlfriend who had that 'issue'.

I always thought it was kinda sexy.

You sir are a gem.

Do you have any before pictures in a different light? I really don't see what's so strange about them. I mean I see the inversion, but it doesn't look like it's that big of a deal.

I'm working on getting another picture. My boyfriend took a few the other night, but he is currently at work. Will post as soon as I have one.

Edit: Unfortunately I do not have any better quality before pics to show you. I decided to do this AMA after surgery was done, so that pretty much explains that. Please see the first edit in my original post, I added a google image of exactly what mine looked like. Think inny belly button on your boob :)

He's okay with that? Seems like a pretty chill dude, I know I wouldn't want pics of my GF up on the internet even if they were anonymous.

EDIT: It seems people are taking this the wrong way. I, in no way, think it is wrong for people to share their bodies if they are willing. People in a relationship have the freedom to choose whatever they wish and by no means should you stay in a relationship where you are being controlled.

I just told him that... he didn't seem overly thrilled, but he trusts me and is very supportive. I told him I'd gladly remove them if it bothered him, and for this reason I might opt out of posting a clearer image as a before pic, we will see.

Im gonna be honest. Came here for the tits!

That is just fine! My goal in doing this is to educate. Try as I might, I will never forget the weird looks and unkind words. I hope my experience will help others to think twice before saying something insensitive to a girl with the same problem.

I've always been of the opinion that if a lady uncovers some boobies for you, the lest you can do is say something nice, and put one in your mouth.

Inverted nipple, long nipple, dark nipple - if I'm seeing nipples, it's a good day.

[edit] P.S. Your nipples looked fine to me. But if they were causing other problems, I'm glad you were able prevent those issues. The dude who said they weren't fun was being a dick, sorry about that.

One of the best non-question comments thus far. Haha thanks for the smile!

Before and after pics. You know the drill...

In all seriousness, I'm glad you got them worked on, I hope they look great!

Ninja Edit so I can ask a question:

What have (if any) sexual partners have to say about them?

Were they mean or understanding about them?

Also, how much does a procedure like this cost?

Casual flings were usually not very receptive of them. Even someone I was in a 3 year relationship with would make comments about them not being "fun". He never did it to hurt me, but others weren't even that kind. I've had them called gross by a few guys. (I always was conscious of my hygiene, in other comments I have mentioned discharge, but this was something I kept up with and was not noticed by men I was with.) One boyfriend even asked me to leave a bra on during sexy times, so I sort of made that a habit very early on.

Edit: About the cost...I have not received a bill yet. When I initially looked into it, my insurance would not cover it, and my estimated cost to the plastic surgeon was $1200. This isn't including the same day surgery costs, or the cost for anesthesia. Thankfully, I was able to do it because I got back onto my dad's insurance plan and they covered it. I only will have to pay 20% of the final cost.

Wtf kind of loser douche bag guy would tell a woman any part of her body was "gross"? Act like you've been there before. I hope you find a quality guy as I'm sure those left some baggage

My current boyfriend has been AMAZING through all of this. He even took pictures of them a few days before surgery because he wanted to be able to remember what they were like. He has been taking such good care of me. He cringes when he sees incisions, etc on tv, but he has been helping me redress my incisions because it is too painful to do alone. He is wonderful.

Glad to hear. Treat him nice.

I will :) thank you!

My girlfriend has an inverted nipple on her right breast is there any medical problems associated with it.I don't think she even knows that its called an inverted nipple she just calls it the weird one. haha

It can be associated with certain conditions, such as breast cancer, tuberculosis to name a couple, if she is concerned it is worth looking into. However, if she was born that way, odds are it is nothing to worry about (if it doesn't cause her any discomfort).

I would just like to say, nice rack. Anyone who couldn't see past the "tip of the iceberg" to the well shaped woman below didn't deserve the intercourse. Have a wonderful day.

Thank you. As I've grown I have come to realize this, I just wish I would have realized this sooner!

Thank you for answering. That sucks that some guys have been major cunt goblins about it, but I sincerely hope you find someone that doesn't care about minor defects of your body (not that the defects in question should matter any damn way!).

I have found one that I consider a real keeper. It's sad I had to meet so many assholes first, but he has more than made up for their stupid comments. Thank you for your kind words.

One of my ex's had inverted nipples, wasn't an issue at all, she had boobs and I liked boobs so win win.

This is the mindset all men should have :)

That's stupid that guys you've been with are like that. Both of mine are inverted and guys I've been with just joke about them being broken and are more fascinated than anything. One boyfriend would jokingly play with them or try and sneak attack me with ice to see if they'd "go normal" for a minute. It was all in good fun though. Stupid boys are stupid.

"go normal" for a minute. Haha thank you for the smile! :)

no problemo. I hope your recovery goes well, and thanks for the AMA. Good to feel not so alone :)

That was my goal! :) Thank you

Will you still be able to breast feed if you have children?

No, they completely cut all of the milk ducts. Given how inverted they were, though, the doctor said an infant would likely not have been able to latch anyway. Most women with inverted nipples are able to coax them out by having them sucked on, but mine were too severe.

I have inverted nipples, before I breastfed, one was more "flat" and the other was inverted. My daughter wasn't really into latching as it was so it made the whole situation even harder. My nipples would come out sometimes, especially when my breasts filled with milk and become DD's. I ended up pumping exclusively for 7 months. My daughter still gets breastmilk at 9 months because I saved up so much in the freezer. Now that I am dried up my nipples are in my opinion gross. I hate them now, I used to not mind them being different. Now they seem to have gotten bigger, the actually nipple not areola. So they seem to be pulling skin in and I just hate them. I have always had C cups and I loved my breasts but now after they dried up they sag more than I like and I am getting breast implants after I have the last of my children and then getting my nipples corrected.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation! Remember that comfort is the most important thing, but I understand the desire to feel normal and attractive. The surgery is the most pain I've ever been in, but I think it will be worth it. Best of luck to you!

I have learned from this IAMA that I also have inverted nipples. I never thought about it, I never knew. I always thought other nipples looked funny ... hmm. I don't have any issues other than it's sort of hard to keep them clean. Wondering if I should get something done ...

If they don't cause you any problems, own them girl! That may sound hypocritical coming from me, but even though I got negative feedback, I only had surgery because they caused me discomfort. My current boyfriend loved me just the way I was, and I'm sure you will find someone like that too!

Are you sure you're not a fembot?

I wish. Every time a man called them gross, I'd eject out my little gun barrels and shoot 'em where it hurts. See how they like it.

Nice Tits

Thank you!

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Thank you! I'm glad to hear that your wife was indeed able to breast feed and eventually converted hers to "outies". I was told this was possible in a lot of cases, but mine was the worst case my plastic surgeon had seen in a decade. His decision on this wasn't based just on looking, he tried very hard and many methods to get them to come out even a little bit, and was unsuccessful. Thanks again for the encouragement!

Terrible symptoms? Can you elaborate?

I would get a pussy discharge a few times a month. There wasn't much of it, but it was sort of a cheesy consistency and would dry. I had to thoroughly clean them every time I showered, and it was impossible to always get everything. The stuff that wouldn't get washed away would itch severely, especially in the warmer months. Also, being sexually aroused or cold would cause them to get hard, except they were getting hard on the inside. This caused awful pressure and pain, as it involved some pulling on the milk ducts.

discharge of pus

FTFY

Thank you. I'm on pain meds and not thinking too clearly.

How did having inverted nipples affect your dating/sex life in the past?

What kind of procedure did they do to correct them?

I had my first boyfriend when I was 14, he was a couple of years older. Initially he never said anything about them, and at that point I didn't quite realize they were different yet. Then as the relationship turned abusive, he would use them against me. He said they were gross and weird. I have gotten that response from only a few guys, but hurtful comments are the ones that stick with you unfortunately. I mostly just learned to leave my bra no matter what while having sex.

The procedure: Basically, the surgeon made an incision down the center and severed my milk ducts. The reason they were inverted was because my milk ducts were too short, tethering them inward. Cutting the ducts released the hold on the nipples and he was able to pull them out. Stitches were placed around the areolas to keep the nipples out. Also, for the first 10 days, they are stitched to pieces of large syringes (see after pic) to also prevent them from reverting as they heal.

The fuck?? That makes no sense i thought they were so cute. If it weren't for the pain and discharge I'd say there's absolutely nothing wrong with them.

You are so so kind. I didn't fully understand what was so wrong with them (visually) but I figured guys would know better about what is attractive in their eyes. It's always nice to hear not everyone finds them repulsive.

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Thank you very much! :)

You might want to put in a nsfw edit since you posted the pictures.

Were there any dangerous health complications that came with your original condition, or was the surgery for normality's sake?

Thank you, I should have thought of that! I edited appropriately.

None of the complications were dangerous (although the pus they secreted was always at risk of causing an infection). It was mainly for hygiene purposes. They itched very badly, especially in the warmer months. I also wanted to alleviate the chronic pain they caused whenever they would get hard (try to imagine a very targeted headache in your boobs).

Do you have any idea what cause the itching in the summer? That seems like the most interesting side effect that isn't as easily explained.

I believe it had something to do with sweating, to be honest. My nipples were sort of like mini belly buttons. Since moisture could accumulate in them, they would get what I would call heat rashes.

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Oh yes. Never worked. I even tried a breast pump! The surgeon also tried various methods to get them to come out. Nothing worked.

Perhaps I don't understand. But what was wrong in the before pic? It looks to me as if you have normal nipples. That being said. How long did you have to wear those plastic caps in the after picture for? Could you wear a bra with them? Shower? What made you decide to get the procedure done?

The picture is a bit deceiving. the little round part in the center is the very tip of my nipple, and it was inset by about 3mm. In person, they had a very puckered appearance. Pinching the areola caused them to invert even further.

This is the only bra I am allowed to wear. I am currently only one day post op. I cannot shower for 10 days (I can sit in the tub and sponge-bathe, but no getting my breasts wet at all). There is gauze "fluff" in the bra that has to be changed twice daily. My nipples are actually stitched to the plastic caps, they will be removed in ten days. Twice daily, when changing the fluff, I also have to take a Q tip and clean out the old bacitracin ointment from the caps and fill it with new. So far my (very loving) boyfriend has had to do this for me while I sit on the bathroom floor crying. It is very painful.

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This is what I keep reminding myself! Thank you

• I am interested to know what this condition is; Is it a symptom of a larger condition, or one in itself?

• You were also talking in one response about your discharge. Is this a hormonal issue?

• What problems have you had with men? Did you have any accepting, or even aroused responses?

• How long have they been this way, and how/when did you find out it wasn't "normal"?

• If this is a larger condition, what are the normal symptoms, and what is the general treatment?

• What made you choose to get the surgery?

Would it be possible for you to post a clearer pre-op picture? It's kind of difficult to tell that anything is different.

Thank you for putting yourself out here!

1. It is just a congenital defect in my case. Some women's nipple/nipples will invert when they have breast cancer, but thankfully this was no the case for me.

2. I was never told why I had discharge associated with them. I would guess hormonal only because it did not start until I was in puberty, and worsened while on birth control.

3. Some men said nothing. Some men called them gross and weird (eventually leading me to not remove my bra during sex). My current boyfriend is the only one who actually seemed to enjoy them, he even asked if he could take pictures of them a few days before surgery to remember them by. Truthfully though, there was no fun involved with them. Nothing to play with, sucking on them didn't even bring them out.

4. They have been like that since birth. I didn't realize they were abnormal until my first boyfriend (at age 14) pointed out that they were weird.

5. No larger condition in my case, thank goodness.

6. The pain/itching/discharge are what made me finally decide to have it done. The cosmetic aspect is simply a perk.

I will try to find a clearer pre-op picture. As I hope is understandable, I don't really have too many pictures of my breasts. Wasn't planning on doing this. Thank you for your comments and concern!

So your nipples didn't get hard?? I don't understand i thought inverted nipples were a common thing?? And the only people I've ever heard bash inverted nipples were other girls, and out of jealousy because the wearer of the nipples was a babe. The guys who didn't like them were probably wishing they were staring at a dude's hairy nipples.

I thought the inverted nipples were sexy/cute/unique...tell bf to send pics my way... XD

They did get hard, but internally, which was very uncomfortable!! I've read that about 10-20% of women are born this way. Usually, however, it is only on one breast. Mine is both. There is also a grading system 1, 2 and 3, with 3 being the worst. Mine were grade 3. This is taken from wiki: "Inverted nipple Grade 3 describes a severely inverted and retracted nipple which can rarely be pulled out physically and which requires surgery in order to be protracted. Milk ducts are often constricted and breast feeding is impossible. Women with Grade 3 inverted nipples may also struggle with infections, rashes, or problems with nipple hygiene. The fibrosis is remarkable and lactiferous ducts are short and severely retracted. The bulk of soft tissue is markedly insufficient in the nipple. Histologically, there are atrophic terminal duct lobular units and severe fibrosis." and thank you for your kind words!

edit: As for you saying you've only ever heard girls bash inverted nipples... one of the reasons I did this AMA is because since I became a redditor about a year ago, I've seen a few posts (female porn-style pictures) with women with inverted nipples and men making negative comments about them. This made me feel quite sad.

You should add this to the main post. I think it would help answer a lot of repeat questions.

I will, thank you!

I can probably guess, but did insurance help pay for this?

I had to put the surgery off for two years because my old insurance said no way. They did not understand that this was more than just cosmetic for me. After going back onto my dad's insurance plan (blue cross blue shield) I decided to look back into it. Thankfully, they covered it.

Will the surgery affect their sensitivity when it comes to sexual stuff?

If anything they will be more sensitive than before. Time will tell, as I am only one day post-op.

This is new to me. Didn't know it was a thing and could be fixed with surgery. Congrats on the surgery thanks for sharing.

Thank you. I partly did this AMA to raise awareness. I'd like to think a lot of the cruel comments I've received from men has just been surprise on their part. Either not knowing this existed, or not having seen it before. My surgeon said he only sees about one or two cases a year, and even then it is usually only on one breast, so overall it's pretty rare.

I have inverted nipples and thought about doing the surgery but then they told me they would cut my ducts and wouldn't be able to breast feed.

Do you think you will ever regret not being able to breast feed?

My case was severe enough that my doctor said I would not have been able to breast feed anyway. Baby would not have been able to latch, and pumping would be excruciatingly painful. It still affects me psychologically though (which I'll attribute to hormones). As a woman it is just hard knowing I can't do one of my "womanly jobs".

Do you have to keep those little caps on them for a long time? How do you hide that under your clothes?

I have to keep them on for 10 days. They are physically stitched to my nipples, so I can't take them off on my own. During that time, I can only wear the bra the hospital gave me, and have to put lots of gauze in it. If i make the gauze smooth, I'm sure you wouldn't be able to tell under a shirt. This is my "special bra".

Are they permanently perky?

Nope. They will actually most likely be sort of flat. Only time will tell (I am currently only 1 day post-op). They still will become hard with arousal/cold temperature like normal nipples.

You said they severed the milk ducts. Did they elongate and reattach them? If not, are you still able to breast-feed?

And for the record: The pic might be blurry, but they looked kinda cute before. Doesn't make them any less painful, but it's at least something ;)

Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to salvage the milk ducts. I am not able to breast feed. The doctor told me, with how inverted they were, that I'd probably never have been able to breastfeed anyway. That was hard for me to take, it still makes me feel a little bit less of a woman, but I'll get over it.

And thank you! It's nice to hear that :)