how did you protect nipple after nipple reconstruction?

Glad you asked...I would like to know as well...I'm scheduled in a couple of months...any tips, sights, and advice would be great.  thanks

sbmolee, Keep in mind that the 4 months protection was my idea (from what I had read on the internet).  I don't think too many PSs are recommending  that.  I just wanted to do everything I could to keep it from flattening since that seems to be a very common problem.  My PS kind of chuckled at me for being overly protective....LOL.   As for the plastic shields, they have ventilation holes in them.  They weren't the most comfortable thing but were better than the foam doughnuts that my PS sent me home with.  The nursing pads with the hole in the center were the easiest to conceal but I waited until I was pretty well healed before I used them.  I liked the bunion pads for night time so if I rolled onto my nip, I wouldn't wake up screaming.......'OH MY GOD, I've FLATTENED MY NIPPLE".......the Amish across the road would have REALLY shunned me!!!  ROFL!  There are some nipple after care instructions on www.breastreconstruction.org too.  Best wishes

Well -- I did exercise some creativity -- which I can share while ADVISING YOU OF THE PITFALLS I discovered...

I got these round makeup sponges...

I actually got CVS house brand "Essence of Beauty" but I can't even find them on the CVS site!  But they looked pretty much like this:

Then I cut a big-enough hole out of the center of 2 of them, stacked the 2 on top of each other and placed them on foob so fipple was in the hole in middle.  BUT WITH PLENTY OF CLEARANCE, SO THE FIPPLE DOESN'T TOUCH THE SPONGE!!!

You might need to stack 3 to make sure nothing touches the top of your fipple.  I taped these in place with paper tape.  But I didn't put tape across the hole in the middle.  Once I had the sponges in place, I kind of draped a new sterile gauze square over the opening (these are also called "sponges", or "toppers", but they're gauze bandages).  Early on, I taped the gauze square at its edges, but as time and healing progressed I just set it on top.

I wore the hard plastic thing-y for 2 weeks, but then I invented this sponge system, especially for dates.

THE CAVEAT: I would NOT wear this for more than 2 or 3 hours at a stretch.  I would NOT wear any kind of tight or compressive bra or camisole over it.

(I wore it for about 10 hours one day, with a compressive bra on top, and it caused the sponges to really press down too hard -- the nipple looked fine, but the skin surrounding it was kind of purplish and indented.  Looked like an areola tattoo in a weird color -- freaked me out.  It all bounced back in a few hours, but... DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DID!  Don't work a 10-hour day wearing this, at least not with a compression bra!)

I showed my "rig" to my plastic surgeon, who was impressed with the invention.  I kind of got the idea from RubyTuesday, who mentioned bunion or corn pads -- I bought those first, but the ones I found didn't look big enough, so I moved on to the cosmetic sponges.

Anyway, you might want to run this by your PS.  Also, this is definitely for the time AFTER anything open has healed, because the sponges are not sterile.  They're clean, but not sterile, so they're not appropriate when you still have a wound.  And even then, I would not re-use sponges, but use clean ones every day.

Finally, my nipple recon was by the "C-V flap" or "twist" method -- I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use this on a nipple/areola that is grafted using tissue from another part of your body.

EDIT: It took me so long to write this!  There were only 2 posts here when I started!  Kathy was much more concise!  Hi RubyTuesday!

That's expensive!  Some use Dr. Scholl's bunion pads or something like that.  The best thing about the cosmetic sponges is that they are cheap - 12 for under $1.50.  They are actually pretty thick and protect pretty well.

I used Dr Scholl's bunion pads doubled during day at work but post op to protect nipples the surgeon used 3 ml syringes that only the top part by the plunger was cut off for about a half inch.  The sides or wings of the plunger distributed the weight and the cut off length of the shaft of the syringe protected the nipple itself.  I didn't want to go to work with the plastic pieces but did tape them up to protect them when home and sleeping.

Yeah, 3 inches thick is definite overkill!  The fipples look big but not THAT big.

This thread is so creative!  I wish I would have found it 2 years ago.  My PS cut what looked like a large straw into pieces and placed around the new nip.  It helped keep it upright while it healed.  Unfortunately, when the stitches came out, the nip flattened out.  I'm not real happy with it but don't know what to do.  I was going to ask the PS that will do my mast & recon on 8/4 if she would fix it but I'm not sure if she can.  With the recon I'm having, the nipple is formed at the same time as the tissue is implanted into the breast envelope.  We'll see.  I don't often go bra-less so it really doesn't matter I guess.  The sponges are a great idea.  Good going ladies!

My PS said I did not have alot of projection with the breast mound and getting my nipple done would flatten it out more. That is why I am considering 3D tatoos.

D

sbmolee- I can't imagine that happening-- it doesn't make sense.  The nipple should give you the added projection you need to fill out gapping fabric in a bra, and to complete the breast.

As far as caring for nipples-- essential rules...

1. do not remove, play with, or even sneak a peek at the dressing that your surgeon has put on you after surgery.

2. When the bandage comes off, you should have an idea of what to expect-- discoloration, a big nipple that is swollen, scabs, stitches sticking out, etc. Dont panic.

3. The first two to three weeks are the critical ones.  You don't want to compress the nipple. So whether you use the Dr scholl pads, or stack gauze and wear loose tops, its essential not to compress the nipple.

4. If your breast was radiated, you should have a reasonable expectation for the nipple.  Sometimes it is harder to achieve a lot of volume, and projection, depending on the skin on the breast mound.

5. Nipples take a long time to totally heal and look normal, and even at that- the tattoos can further enhance the look of the nipple and areola, and can make a perfect circle for the areola as well.

6. At about 6 weeks the nipple is usually at the desired size.  It will flatten.  This is a fact.  But, many women will tell you, that even if the nipple flattens over time, it still makes the breast look very real. 

There are a lot of options to give projection to a flattened nipple.  The most common are a dermal filler injection-- but now, surgeons that work with AlloDerm and Strattice are using them to give nipples lasting projection.

The care that goes into nipples and tattoos can be frustrating.  It's technically the easy part surgically, but it takes a lot of after care.

Nip Nip Hooray...

Mam some surgeons apply a nipple shield that stays on for 3-7 days.  Others stack gauze-- its not like the flat kind you buy in the store- it's yellow and it bunches so it doesn't compress the nipple.

You didn't have anything covering your nipples after surgery?

I used the sponge that is used to protect the coccyx against decubitus ulcers, a bit thick but worked well, it is adhesive on one side so I put a gauze pad and cut a nipple hole out of it and stuck the adhesive side of the sponge on the breast and then put the bra on. That worked well for me. The nipples were huge in the beginning, I thought they looked like 2 noses lol.

Tina

Some PS's sew in nipple shields for the first three days after surgery.  You can ask your PS if he does this.

My PS cut part of a suringe to make a shield.  It was taped in placed and I only had to wear it for 4 days.  I found some nursing nipples at Targets and cut the nipple down more to the size on my c-v flap new nipple but I never wore it.  I just wore an oversized bra and put a nursing pad inside to shield my new nipple.  The nursing pad is curved and left some spare room over the nipple.  The pads have tape that holds them to the inside of your bra.  At night I just taped the nursing to my breast to protect the healing nipple. Necessity is the Mother of invention!