A ^Retired Plastic Surgeon's Notebook

Seattle Plastic Surgeon reviews nipple anatomy and nomenclature.

The NAC a.k.a the nipple areolar complex.

 I recently saw a patient who wanted a breast lift and also  a “nipple reduction.”  Her actual nipples were quite small and what she really wanted was an “areola reduction” which is often part of a breast lift or breast reduction.  

Areola is a very common word in the plastic surgery lexicon but play it in a Scrabble game and it will likely be challenged. 

So…………….. here is a little tutorial this mammary structure, the nipple areolar complex, which defines us as mammals. 

The nipple is in the center of the areola which is usually pinker or darker than the surrounding breast skin.  The nipple contains the milk ducts, which are little tubes that bring milk from the breast gland to the baby.   The areola has little muscles in it which explain how the nipple and areola can contract and relax.  The little bumps on the areola are called Montgomery’s Tubercles.    They can be really prominent or almost nonexistent.   I do not know if these little bumps have anything to do with British Field Marshal Montgomery but it’s fun to think about. 

Patients, men included, can have issues with any part of their nipple areolar complex  and usually those issues can be addressed with surgery.

Thanks for reading and isn’t it great being a mammal?  I love it!  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder