After Breast Surgery, Pretty Breasts vs. Lost Sensation: Which Would You Choose?

When undergoing breast surgery,

there is one question

that comes up very often.

It is whether nipple sensation

disappears after surgery.

You may strongly want to look better,

but if you can no longer feel anything,

your worries are bound to grow.

Whether it is breast reduction surgery

or breast augmentation,

reduced nipple sensation is one

of the possible side effects.

But by understanding how to reduce it,

or why it happens,

I thought patients would be able

to make better decisions,

so I prepared this post.

If you had to choose between

pretty breasts and nipple sensation,

the 고민 would naturally be significant.

In particular, losing a part of the body

that has a major impact on female sensation

is not an easy decision.

It would be nice to know in advance

how much sensation will return after surgery,

but since that cannot be known,

I think the concern becomes even greater.

However, if you already feel a major complex

about your breasts,

you may think that surgery is important

even if sensation is reduced.

But does breast surgery always

cause sensation loss?

When talking about this, nipple sensation

comes from the fourth intercostal nerve.

This nerve enters radially from the outer side

of the breast toward the nipple,

and because this path inevitably has to

be touched during surgery,

reduced sensation often occurs.

This reduced sensation can cause

considerable inconvenience,

especially because it is a sexual area,

but more important than reduced sensation

may be improving quality of life.

In particular, breast reduction surgery

is performed because the breasts are heavy

and uncomfortable.

Many people undergo surgery because sweating

and skin irritation become severe.

After surgery, the removed tissue

is weighed on a scale.

When you see how heavy it is,

even making your hands tremble as you lift it,

you can sense how difficult it must have been.

Because we understand these difficulties,

efforts are made to preserve sensation.

However, the more reduction is performed,

the higher the probability of reduced sensation

becomes.

Since we understand the anatomy of the nerves well,

we can preserve them,

but breast reduction surgery includes a process

of lifting the nipple,

so even if the nerve is not cut,

reduced sensation can occur because

the nerve is stretched.

People undergoing breast augmentation

can also experience these symptoms.

Because augmentation involves inserting implants,

it may not seem like it would happen,

but the sensation changes after augmentation

can vary depending on the incision site

and the implant size.

For example, an areolar incision can directly

affect the nerves around the areola,

so the risk of reduced sensation is relatively high.

If the skin is tight and a large implant

is inserted, the dissection has to extend

more widely to the outside,

which can also lead to this.

When I explain to patients that this kind

of reduced sensation can occur,

they do worry and want to avoid it,

but for those who are truly struggling,

it is not usually the number one reason

for deciding against surgery.

Many patients worry at first

about reduced sensation,

but as time passes after surgery,

it often returns significantly.

Statistically, from slight reduction

to significant reduction,

if you include all early cases,

about 50% are reported to have mild reduction,

and after about 1 to 2 years,

around 80% of patients tend to return

to normal sensation.

Still, there are occasionally cases

where it does not return at all.

Therefore, I think the reason for wanting

surgery is quite important.

You may choose prettier breasts,

or you may prioritize preserving sensation,

so it seems only right to respect that.

Therefore, I hope you will take time to think

together through careful and detailed consultation.