Woven in sunlight(credit:
Mark Sebastian)
Aging skin, thinning of the skin, and decreasing breast size can contribute to changing breast sensitivity during your lifetime. Diseases such as breast cancer may affect breast sensitivity as well. Breast surgery can also cause these changes. While you might expect the side effect of sensation loss, the nipple area may in some cases become more sensitive. Sensitivity changes caused by surgery, however, are often temporary.
Influencing Factors in Breast Sensitivity: Breast sensitivity can change as a reaction to the changing breast size in surgery. Doctors will take special care to protect nerves in the breast during surgery; however, sometimes nerve paths are affected. Surgical techniques that do not cut the nerves connecting to the nipple are less likely to affect sensitivity.
In breast reduction surgery, there are techniques that do not undermine the breast tissue, which preserve normal sensitivity. In breast augmentation surgery, when placing a reasonably sized implant, doctors can identify the fourth intercostal nerve branch, which extends to the nipple. Your breast′s normal sensitivity can be preserved when your doctor avoids interference with the fourth intercostal nerve branch. An implant that is too large, however, may stretch the nerve supply and affect sensitivity.
Testing to Determine Sensitivity Before Surgery: In order to measure changes in breast sensitivity, the doctor may perform a sensitivity test prior to surgery. Doctors may ultilize a variety of techniques in order to evaluate breast sensitivity and nipple erection. They may use energy-based stimulation of the nipple or a cotton ball to stimulate the nipple.