Why do nipples become inverted?

Breasts are important organs for women. Women should take good care of their breasts in life. When the breasts suffer from some diseases, they should be treated in time. Although inverted nipples are not a disease, they will have a certain impact on women's breast health and will have a serious impact on breastfeeding after giving birth. When women have inverted nipples, they should try to seek treatment as early as possible.

Causes of inverted nipples

1. Primary nipple inversion

(1) Smooth muscle dysplasia. The nipple has 15 to 20 lactiferous duct openings, and the lactiferous ducts are surrounded by smooth muscle fibers. The nipple is pulled inward by the muscle fiber bundles that surround the lactiferous ducts and insert into the nipple dermis. The texture of these muscle bundles is significantly different from that of the lactiferous ducts.

(2) Lactiferous duct hypoplasia. The immature lactiferous ducts fail to ductalize and appear as cords.

(3) There is a lack of supporting tissue under the nipple.

2. Secondary inverted nipple

(1) Caused by disease. Caused by contraction of invaded ducts, ligaments, and fascia.

(2) Malignant breast tumor. Women with normal breasts who experience inverted nipples without obvious cause should undergo mammograms and other examinations to rule out the presence of breast malignancy.

(3) Breast surgery. When using dermal pedicles in breast plastic surgery, nipple inversion may also occur due to tension and scar contraction.

3. Other common causes

(1) Clothing that is too tight. If women's underwear is too tight during the period of breast development, it is easy to cause nipple retraction.

(2) Improper use of bra. Wearing a bra that is too small, too tight, or too early can cause inverted nipples.

(3) Related to genetics. Clinical observation shows that if the mother and her maternal generation or grandmother have a history of inverted nipples, the next generation is more likely to suffer from inverted nipples than normal people.

The main symptoms of inverted nipples

One or both nipples are retracted beneath the skin of the breast. If there is periductal mastitis, the patient may have erythema or pain around the areola and a lump under the areola; if the nipple is inverted due to breast cancer, the patient's breast may suffer from skin diseases such as orange peel and armor-like skin.

People who are more likely to have inverted nipples

Primary nipple inversion mostly occurs in teenage girls, while secondary nipple inversion is more common in lactating women. Breast tumors may be accompanied by breast lumps and corresponding skin lesions due to milk duct dilatation or periductal mastitis.