folded nipple after surgery

[Ride09]

I had surgery to correct "puffy nipples" 2 weeks ago.  My chest looks flat but i'm concerned because my left nipple has a crease across the middle of it and looks kind of like it's folded. My surgeon says this will correct itself but is it normal for this to happen after surgery? My right nipple looks fine, just swollen.

[blackchevy]

id say give it time, I'm about 2 weeks post up as well for my puffy nipples, we'll be going through all sorts off different changes in the next couple months. don't stress it. i had a crease for like a couple hours once i took the tape off but it corrected itself.

[BIGINNJ]

I am 2 1/2 weeks post op and have the same exact thing in one of my nipples. This one had the minor puffiness when compared to my other one. I probably didn't have to touch it, but I did fearing that it would look more noticeable if I only did the one. The one that I didn't have to really touch swelled a lot more than the other and had significant amount of more bruising (finally fading today). Anyway, I feel that this is just caused by the scar tissue and swelling pushing up from underneath. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday and will ask him. It appears it has gotten a little better over time. I'm just so impatient.

Now a question for you-do they still appear puffy? My one that had the swelling still looks puffy

[Ride09]

Well i'm 3 weeks post op as of yesterday. The left side that had the folded nipple has not changed yet, but it isn't swollen at all just a little tender.  The right side has reduced a lot in swelling but i can still feel a little swelling underneath which should take a few more weeks to resolve.  I mean because of the fold my left nipple isn't puffy at all, and the right nipple has a little puff to it but is flat for the most part.  I think the puffiness just comes from swelling underneath because it's definitely flat compared to how it looked before surgery.

[crossfit99]

Hey dude, saw your post in the 'ask a doc' section. We are going through similar things. I was curious, did you get excision only or what it both lipo+excision?

[Ride09]

Just excision, he took out a little bit of fat too but i don't think he actually did it via lipo. But yeah my right side is shaping nicely but the left side is making me nervous haha, getting worried that something isn't right with it.

[crossfit99]

Just excision, he took out a little bit of fat too but i don't think he actually did it via lipo. But yeah my right side is shaping nicely but the left side is making me nervous haha, getting worried that something isn't right with it.

See, I think that's our problem. That's why I wanted lipo+excision, it helps with the contour to prevent any crater 'look'. On a couple positive notes: Time should help, also some loss of bodyfat should help & IF it still doesn't look good down the road, probably just some lipo will fix the problem rather than the whole fat/skin graf deal some have to do when they simply take TOO much gland.

I don't think either of us have an actual crater, its just shitty contouring by our surgeons. Right now, the crease on my right seems to be correcting itself slowly. My left is pretty bad, but I definitely feel the scar tissue under there and I think its pulling it down hard. Once the tissue loosens and I get back in the gym I am hoping for the best (for both of us)

[Ride09]

Yeah exactly, I've been trying to grasp the concept of how the scar would create an indent but i just can't seem to understand it. I would think a scar would push it outward and make it look puffy instead of sucking it in.

Are you right handed by the way? (I am) Because I feel like the left side is the problem side for a majority of people after surgery. Maybe because if you're right handed the right side is being used more and swells more? Just a thought...

[crossfit99]

Yeah exactly, I've been trying to grasp the concept of how the scar would create an indent but i just can't seem to understand it. I would think a scar would push it outward and make it look puffy instead of sucking it in.

Are you right handed by the way? (I am) Because I feel like the left side is the problem side for a majority of people after surgery. Maybe because if you're right handed the right side is being used more and swells more? Just a thought...

I am right handed, but my left has been worse. It was worse prior to surgery, the nipple almost pointed down, well it actually did point downward from all the excess tissue behind it. I expect the left to be worse, the areola in itself was larger so even a crease isn't hard to grasp (though I expect it should go away). As of right now, the slight indentation is actually the least of my concerns. Although the indentation and fold probably go hand in hand, the fold is what really scares me as it looks like I have a half circle for a nipple and its super noticeable.

Can you feel that hard scar tissue under your nip?


ck out my surgeons sit:

w w w gynecomastiaexpert dot com... Towards the end there is a kid that has some SERIOUS creases, his nips look deformed as hell, however if you look at his pre-op pics its almost expected. Other than his nipples, nobody else looks jacked up and all but 2 of the 25 got just excision. He's been doing excision only for over 20 years, he started when he was in the military and the 18-19 year old guys would get teased like hell when in the community showers. He said they didn't even have lipo back then so he just learned how to removed the tissue and make the contour good via excision only. -- When he saw me post op he never once batted an eye, made it seem like I would heal nicely, which I may but its nerve racking as hell.

[Ride09]

Yeah my surgeon was the exact same way, seemed completely confident and he told me he's been doing this for about 20 years so hopefully his word is good. I can definitely feel scar tissue behind both nips. During surgery my right side actually bled more so it's not surprising that side swelled up worse than my left side. But on the left side it looks like the spot where the incision is swelled up instead of the whole nipple, which is why i think the bottom is pushed out more and giving it a "folded look".

[crossfit99]

Yeah my surgeon was the exact same way, seemed completely confident and he told me he's been doing this for about 20 years so hopefully his word is good. I can definitely feel scar tissue behind both nips. During surgery my right side actually bled more so it's not surprising that side swelled up worse than my left side. But on the left side it looks like the spot where the incision is swelled up instead of the whole nipple, which is why i think the bottom is pushed out more and giving it a "folded look".

Hmm, yea man to be honest I don't even know if I am swollen, or swelled up at all. I just figured it was excess fat. Time will tell, I am still a little tender in certain areas which they may be swollen? Idk.

You still have those sterile strips on there? I pulled mine off a couple days ago, that's when I really noticed how folded everything was. The doc told me they were playing a role in the 'sucked' down look, which I think he was right about bc that right side seems to be coming along a bit.

[Ride09]

Dude that sounds like music to my ears lol, cause i still have the sterile tapes on. I have an appointment next week which will be 4 weeks post op, and he told me to keep the tape on until then. I've also been in a compression vest since surgery so hopefully after next week I can take the tape off and maybe that will correct the fold.

[crossfit99]

Dude that sounds like music to my ears lol, cause i still have the sterile tapes on. I have an appointment next week which will be 4 weeks post op, and he told me to keep the tape on until then. I've also been in a compression vest since surgery so hopefully after next week I can take the tape off and maybe that will correct the fold.

He told me to keep em on till they came off. One corner was peeling back and I got impatient lol.. The actual scars looked healed for sure, not sure what purpose the tape would serve?

I have pulled my vest off for an hour or two, twice to wash it but otherwise I keep mine on. My chest just looks fresh, you have to think there will be quite a bit of change, so I try to stay optimistic. I pulled my vest back to take a peak a bit ago and i'd def say they are slowly making a come back. Once I get in the gym and the vest comes off for good I have a pretty decent feeling.

[Ride09]

Yeah this whole not being able to work out for another 2 weeks is killing me.  I keep the vest on for the majority of the day, usually take it off for like an hour a day if i need to wash it or whatever. But yeah, hopefully once i start lifting and running again i'll be able to somewhat sculpt my chest on my own.

[crossfit99]

Yeah this whole not being able to work out for another 2 weeks is killing me.  I keep the vest on for the majority of the day, usually take it off for like an hour a day if i need to wash it or whatever. But yeah, hopefully once i start lifting and running again i'll be able to somewhat sculpt my chest on my own.

Yea, i'll check back with ya. Hopefully, neither one of us are back in the OR for our chest again.