nipple tattoo design

nipple tattoo

3D nipple tattoos are real tattoos, applied with needles that insert pigment into the skin. An experienced nipple tattoo artist can create an amazingly realistic image of a nipple that appears to have physical dimension but is really flat to the touch. In recent years, a growing number of people have been opting for 3D nipple tattoos instead of nipple reconstruction surgery. Also, plastic surgeons often recommend 3D nipple tattoos instead of nipple reconstruction surgery. Nipple tattooing can also be done to enhance the results of nipple reconstruction surgery. (Source: www.breastcancer.org)

While some women may consider it a disadvantage that a 3D nipple tattoo has no physical dimension, others say they’re glad that they can skip wearing a bra and that their nipples don’t show through their clothes. (Source: www.breastcancer.org A 3D nipple tattoo is a “picture” of a nipple and areola on the breast that is flat to the touch but looks three-dimensional and quite real. 3D nipple and areola tattoos are real, permanent tattoos, applied by a skilled tattoo artist with needles that insert pigment into the skin. (Source:www.breastcancer.org))

Many women choose to get permanent 3D nipple tattoos instead of nipple reconstruction surgery. A nipple tattoo is less invasive than nipple reconstruction, and some people feel that the cosmetic results are better. A tattoo can have fine details, shading, and coloring that make it look more realistic than what can be done with surgery. For example, a tattoo can create the illusion of Montgomery glands (little bumps that naturally appear on the areola). (Source: www.breastcancer.org)

Paul Bessette, tattoo artist with the Vinnie Myers Team in Finksburg, MD, who specializes in 3D nipple and areola tattooing (Source: www.breastcancer.org) A nipple reconstruction is a surgical procedure that rebuilds a nipple with a breast implant or tattooed or implanted graft. Many women, however,

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Building a new nipple with surrounding skin: This is the most common approach. To create the nipple, the plastic surgeon uses skin from the area on the breast where the new nipple will be located. This involves making small incisions, forming the tissue into a nipple shape, and securing it with stitches. The areola may be created later by tattooing. (Source: www.breastcancer.org)

Building a new nipple with surrounding skin and an areola with a skin graft: To create the nipple, the plastic surgeon uses skin from the area on the breast where the new nipple will be located. To create areola, the surgeon uses skin from another part of the body, such as the edge of a healed mastectomy scar or a C-section scar, or from some loose skin on the lower belly. (Source: www.breastcancer.org)

Nipple sharing: If you have a mastectomy on only one breast and the nipple on the other breast is large enough, the plastic surgeon can take a portion of the remaining nipple and use it to build a new nipple on the reconstructed breast. This approach can allow the surgeon to match the new nipple to the natural nipple in size, color, and position. The areola may be created later by tattooing. (Source: www.breastcancer.org)

Whichever technique is used, the surgeon will usually try to create a reconstructed nipple that is larger than the final desired size. This is to compensate for the fact that the reconstructed nipple will flatten over time. (Source: www.breastcancer.org)

Your surgeon will draw markings on your breast (and on another area of your body if a skin graft is being used) to show where the incisions will be made. You’ll probably be standing up while this happens. (Source: www.breastcancer.org Nipple reconstruction is often done under local anesthetic. This means that your doctor will use a needle to inject numbing medicine into the area where the reconstructed nipple will be. If you have local anesthetic, you will be awake during the procedure. (Source:www.breastcancer.org)) You may be awake during the operation where your reconstructed nipple is placed. (Source: www.breastcancer.org) What will happen