Nipple Reconstruction Cases
Dr. Koumanis creates nipples when the nipples and areolas must be excised during a mastectomy due to breast cancer. The nipple flap reconstruction is the final surgical step in the breast reconstruction process. It is performed either under local anesthesia, light/deep conscious sedation or general anesthesia depending on the patient’s medical circumstances or preference. The nipple flap is created using the patient’s native skin in the are and the tissues are essentially rearranged and folded over to create the nipples.
The first step in the markings which are performed in the preoperative holding area. Then the flaps are surgically created by lifting tissue in the form of a ¾ star pattern with three limbs. The limbs of the star flap are then interdigitated to form a cylinder type shape which is the sewn together and then sewn back down onto the skin of the breast mound. Once healing has occurred and the scars have had at least 3 months of maturation, our patients are referred to a medical tattoo artist to finalize the appearance. Figures of measurements, rendering of the procedure and actual cases of Dr. Koumanis follow this case description.
