Surgeons notice trend towards smaller nipples

Bigger is not always better, not when it comes to nipples anyway, that’s according to new research by The Plastic Surgery Group.

A survey conducted by the group has shown that there is a new trend towards patients choosing smaller nipple sizes when undergoing breast surgery. The group, which was founded by a collective of expert surgeons who are all full members of the British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons and the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, has noticed a recent shift in patient requests around nipple aesthetics and size during breast lift or reduction surgery.

Consultant plastic surgeon Dan Marsh explained, “We have always asked our patients to choose the size of their nipple during surgery rather than using a standard template. Recently, we’ve noticed a trend towards patients choosing a smaller diameter nipple when they are offered a choice of nipple sizes.”

To study this further The Plastic Surgery Group put together a selection of photographs of breasts and nipples to see if they could ascertain what people thought was the ideal nipple size and if there were any trends. 131 people took part and were asked to rate the nipples from one to five in order of attractiveness and to say whether they felt the diameter of the nipple areola complexes shown were “too big”, “too small” or “just right”.

Commenting on the results, consultant plastic surgeon Mo Akhavani said, “We found that patients with smaller sized nipples rated higher in attractiveness than those with larger nipples.” The nipples most consistently rated as the most attractive and as “just right” in size had a nipple that occupied 25-30% of the breast when the breast is viewed from straight on. If a nipple size was more than 50% of the breast in the same view, then 92% of respondents rated the nipple as “too big”. 78% of respondents felt that if the nipple areolar complex was less than 15% of the breast width the nipple was “too small”.

For more information visit http://www.theplasticsurgerygroup.co.uk