The nipple consists of two parts: the areola and the nipple. The nipple is the projection in the centre in of the areola, and the areola is the darker area surrounding the nipple.
The surgery
On average an areola is about 4.5 cm in diameter. A large areola can easily be made smaller under local anaesthetic.
Sometimes a large areola goes together with sagging breasts. If you are thinking about a breast reduction or a breast lift, you might want to look into having an areola reduction at the same time. Areolar reduction is done by removing some of the pigmented areola, either by an incision around the outside of the areola or by an incision around the base of the nipple. This procedure may leave a small scar around the areola.
An areola reduction does not cause any problems with breastfeeding in the future.
