Puffy Areola

Beautiful breasts (Credit: Gerenm)

Surgical Reduction of Puffy Areolas: Puffy areolas are areolas that puff out when in a relaxed state. While this deformity can appear without any other deformities, puffy areolas are also commonly seen with tubular breast deformity and in men who aggressively weight train. Procedures for "flattening out" puffy areolas are similar to those that reduce enlarged nipples.

The Procedure: Puffy areolar reduction is done by removing some of the pigmented areola, either by an incision around the outside of the areola or by an incision around the base of the nipple, depending on the degree of puffiness. Once the incision is made, a small portion of the areola is removed and the areola skin is lifted, reducing the puffiness. Dissolving sutures are placed underneath the skin - these minimize scarring as well as eliminate the need to come back into the office for a "painful suture removal day."

Recovery: Recovery time will depend on the patient, but most patients can return to work and resume their normal activity within a day or two.