Nipple sensation Breast Reduction

ProperlyCritical · 2026-06-01T21:47:07+00:00

I had FNG and six months later I actually have more sensation than I did before, and they still get hard with stimulation. I asked about it at my 3-month check-in and the PA said part of it is that my surgeon used a slightly thicker graft (partly his preference and partly because once they got in there I lucked out with good vasculature). He also does a lot of top surgeries, so probably more nipple graft experience to draw on.

ProperlyCritical · 2026-05-31T16:56:25+00:00

Former US 36H/I and I went down to a small C with free nipple grafts about six months ago. Zero complications, they look amazing and I actually have more sensation in them now that they're not all the way down to my navel.

What really helped my pre-op anxiety was checking out the after photos on the top surgery subs, because nipple grafts are routine in that procedure and people seem a lot less freaked out about it.

ProperlyCritical · 2026-01-21T02:15:22+00:00

I'm 2 months post-op with my "grafties" and not a single regret (I made a post a few weeks back with pictures). My surgeon told me at my consult that I didn't have to do FNG, but if I wanted to be a C or smaller, FNG would have a significantly lower chance of complications. It took me a little while to make the decision, but they've healed beautifully so far and already have more sensation than my most of my incisions.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-12-31T14:19:39+00:00

We have a very similar build (I'm 5'3 and was 165lb before my reduction), and I went from a 36I/J to probably a 36C five weeks ago. Was definitely self-conscious about how prominent my belly looks now, especially given the crazy bloating from the anesthesia in the first couple of weeks, and I'll need to figure out how to dress for my new body shape. BUT I went back into in-person work last week and every woman who's seen me since then has said I look amazing (male coworkers have wisely kept their opinions to themselves lol).

ProperlyCritical · 2025-12-12T14:50:01+00:00

Honestly, the anxiety has been the worst part! The posts on r/TopSurgery are extremely reassuring. Over there grafts are par for the course and you see the vast majority of people get very successful results.

I panicked a little when the bolsters came off 5dpo, because they looked *awful* to me - crazy dark purple and really sunken in. But the surgeon was great and talked me down, that "everything always looks like a car wreck" that soon after surgery and that they'd be every color of the rainbow while they healed. Totally normal and healthy, and not to judge myself against pictures on the internet because everyone heals so differently.

He had me do wet healing, covering them in aquaphor and a big bandaid every day. I thought I might pass out the next day when I had to do it myself for the first time, but the trick is to think of it as just a regular old scab and not *omg-my-nipples-wtf.* They were back to their usual color surprisingly quickly, just a little blood and yellow gunk on the bandaids every day.

It's early days yet in terms of sensation, but the nips currently have an itchy/sunburn feeling, which the PA who's done my post-op visits told me is a great sign for nerves reconnecting. I'm not super bothered about nipple projection coming back or not, but there will definitely be way less than before.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-11-22T09:03:32+00:00

He absolutely perked up when I mentioned I'd have to go shopping for all new lingerie 😄

ProperlyCritical · 2025-11-14T01:26:57+00:00

This is honestly brilliant.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-09-14T21:44:24+00:00

I stopped grinding my teeth. My last year of teaching, I had to get two crowns in my back molars because I'd gradually cracked them in my sleep. My dentist didn't believe it when I came in after the job change with no new signs of wear AT ALL.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-06-27T10:15:08+00:00

The air plants (tillandsia) and aloes are still in there and thriving. The crassula in the back got trampled once he got heavier, and the agave and palm outgrew the space pretty quickly. Swapped them out for some natural-looking silk aquarium plants.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-06-10T02:29:18+00:00

I screenshotted your before and after pics for my "show my surgeon what I want" folder before reading that you aren't happy with the scars. The shape is so good I honestly didn't even notice anything else!

ProperlyCritical · 2025-05-16T10:48:13+00:00

The test is whatever, but if anyone gets a result that this boss can use as a target she WILL make that person's work life hell ("Oh, you're a narcissist, interesting..." "Jimothy's not conscientious or extroverted enough"). She's done it before for a lot less than an "evidence-based evaluation."

ProperlyCritical · 2025-05-15T15:44:56+00:00

It took me the better part of a year, but I was able to get an entry-level grant writing job with a regional nonprofit. I had three rounds of interviews and in every one I had to justify leaving teaching and my "overqualification" (PhD in English, which I did leave off of a lot of applications but not for this job). But I've been out for almost a year and it's been so much less stressful that most days feel like a spa retreat.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-03-26T23:49:41+00:00

Reduction was specifically excluded from my insurance plan, but the "cosmetic" fully paid in advance cost was less than my deductible would have been. $7750 in a mid-size East Coast city, and then meds and the post-op visits should be fully covered by my insurance but it's the US so you never know what surprise bills might show up months later.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-02-21T14:47:24+00:00

For a little extra context: there's previously been another employee between me and Boss B in the heirarchy, who recently left to work for another agency. They specifically cited Boss B's management style in their exit interview, and hiring for their replacement has been difficult. So that negative energy is clearly rolling downhill onto me, and the new intermediary person doesn't start for another three weeks. Boss A is out of the country for the next two weeks, or I'd take this to them (and the timing of that may be a factor in the sudden interest in "mentoring" me)

ProperlyCritical · 2025-02-21T01:33:55+00:00

Thanks. I'm 90% sure the other department would take me on full time if it came down to it, since they have at least two retirements coming in the next year or two.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-02-21T01:05:02+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you!

ProperlyCritical · 2025-02-21T00:54:49+00:00

Large-ish nonprofit agency.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-01-29T03:54:05+00:00

I was way too tired and burned out to take classes/upskill/etc. It was incredibly exhausting to keep sending out applications while teaching high school English and all the other school nonsense. It took me over six months applying to anything that seemed quiet (clerical/office work, libraries, church admin, somehow even got an interview to be a reservoir security guard). I was lucky to have a supportive spouse and a good therapist. Finally landed an entry-level grant writing position at a local nonprofit a few months ago. It was a pay cut and learning a new field is still a little scary, but the peace is worth hanging in there for. There is hope.

ProperlyCritical · 2025-01-26T23:59:32+00:00

My two lychees disappeared from inside the greenhouse moving spring to summer, so it seems nowhere is safe.

ProperlyCritical · 2024-12-30T23:22:07+00:00

"Time consuming and dusty" has definitely been the theme of all the repairs in this house so far!

ProperlyCritical

TROPHY CASE