I had a double mastectomy in june this year. I had the expanders and my next op to add implants is in dec.
Im just wondering what the nipple will be like, it looks ok on the pics but was wondering if anybody has had thsi surgery? Does it actually look like a real nipple or can you tell that its a tatoo wirth a bit of skin in the middle?
Obviously my boobs arnt going to look the same as before, I know the scar will fade but i dont want to look like i have a stick on nipple!
Also when there implants are in does it feel like a normal breast or is it still so hard?
hi emily.I am not so far along as yourself but how did the expanders feel when they were being inflatedetc.Due to a wound infection i have yet to start the processbut back to clinic next thrs.i have a friend who had nipple and tattoo and she said it made her look and feel like a woman again and something she had to do to get closur on the recon.i wasnt expecting to have an expander but surgeon made decision on the table to get better volume in the breast he said later.not quite sure when or if the expander gets swapped as ihave heard that sometimes they just remove the port and leave the expander in.also how long did you wear a sports bra for.Hope you can help and good luck with the next part of the recon
doreen
I had a nipple reconstruction in the summer, made out of the skin which was covering that area of my breast (it was originally tummy skin as I had a DIEP reconstruction which uses tummy fat and skin).
The nipple looked very big at first, but this is normal as they then shrink in size over the first few months. It’s now about the same size as its partner and very similar in shape. I had a very small horizontal scar either side of the new nipple, but this is now covered by the areola which was tattooed about 6 weeks after the nipple was made.
I think it looks fine, particularly from a distance, and it certainly makes my breasts look more symmetrical again.
So, yes, it does look like a real nipple and the nurse who did the tattoo spent quite a bit of time trying to make sure the colour matched the areola on the other breast.