Breast Cancer

Nipple and Areola Reconstruction

About 80 percent of the women who have breast reconstruction at Mayo Clinic have the surgeon recreate a nipple and areola (the darker-colored skin around the nipple). This process begins about six to eight weeks after the implant is placed or the autologous tissue reconstruction, when the surgeon can create a mound of tissue from skin. A tattoo may be applied to color the nipple and to create an areola. Both of these procedures are done on an outpatient basis.