It’s not a secret anymore that 10-20% of the women have flat or inverted breast nipples and the fact that even if they’re retracted into the breast instead of being outward oriented doesn’t represent any health risk. When can this issue become bothering and which are the solutions, are two of the main themes of this article.

What are the breast inverted nipples?

Usually, a so-called inverted or invaginated nipple is a retracted nipple, into the breast. Sometimes, it might become protruded when stimulated, but most of the times, it remains inverted no matter the origin of the stimulus. It’s a condition common for both men and women and there is no health risk because of it.

What’s the problem with having inverted breast nipple?

The trouble appears when the woman who suffers from this condition is having babies and wishes to breastfeed them. There are some simple solutions from solving the problem, due to the fact that the nipples are connected by connective tissues to the breast tissue behind them and when these connectors are released, the nipples go out. However, women can also try the ice trick, by stimulating them with an ice cube and trying to make them come out or by simply rolling them in a gentle way.

Another solution for pregnant women could be the breast shells, which encourage the nipple to stay out. Also known as breast cups or shields, the breast shells apply a gentle and constant pressure on the areola zone, trying to break the connective tissues underneath the nipples. However, the mother should ask for a doctor’s advice before starting wearing it and shouldn’t, under any reasons, wear them at night.

Women can also use the breast pumps, which might draw out the inverted breast nipple before breastfeeding and also collects the milk in case the little baby cannot eat it directly from the source.

If none of the above mentioned solutions works, then the ultimate hope is plastic surgery. There are a lot of procedures used nowadays and most of them focus on correcting the nipples position and keep the sensation and the ability to breastfeed intact, at the same time. The technique has improved a lot and the prices are not so high as one may presume.

There are also some sex toys especially designed to stimulate the nipples and make their connective tissues loosen. Women can use suction cups, clamps or even improvised home made instruments such as a 10cc syringe to protract the breast inverted nipples.

Which method is less recommended?

Doctors started discouraging the breast shells method after a study carried out in 1992 that showed that this technique doesn’t have any effective results and, moreover, it might disrupt the breastfeeding process. Anyway, when a woman doesn’t feel comfortable with her inverted breast nipples, she should go directly to her doctor and take the best decision for her health and future babies.