I had a skin sparing mx and LD flap reconstruction last summer which has healed well and so now it’s time for the last stage: a nipple reconstruction. I had wanted this all along to make the foob look a bit more realistic, but now I’m beginning to wonder if the results will be worth undergoing the extra surgery, discomfort and recovery. I’ve heard that they often go flat after a year or two and that the NHS tattoos are often very basic and fade quickly too.
So I’m wondering if it may be better to forgo the nipple surgery and instead pay to have a 3d tattoo?
Being nipple-less doesn’t bother me so much now I’ve got more used to it and a decent tattoo may produce the desired effect (of looking more ‘normal’ at a glance). I’d be really keen to hear your experiences of either, to help me decide!
I do not have any helpful advice I’m afraid, but responding as I have the exact same dilemma. I’ve just had new implant and lift on good side, so next step is nipple reconstruction and/or tattoo. Surgeon said to me the nipples can go flat and the tattoos fade. I’m coming round to the idea of a decorative tattoo instead over the scar on foob side, but I would really like to hear people’s experiences too. Good luck whatever you decide.
I had a nipple made, the surgeon cut the skin and twisted it to make it look like a nipple. The only reason I had it done was because they were doing a revised uplift on my other breast and some liposculpting. At first it looked great but it began to flatten pretty quickly. I then had my nipple tattooed by my surgeon (I thought the nurse was doing it do felt so guilty when I walked into the operating theatre with 2 surgeons and nurses looking after me). They use weaker ink on NHS and the colour match wasn’t great with what they had available. That being said it really helped my reconstructed boob look real.
So if I had a chance to rewind the clock I wouldn’t bother with the nipple reconstruction and would look to find a private tattooist that can do 3D tattoos. There is a lady called Clare in Poole that does it for free and trains other people so often wants models.