Permanent Areola Pigmentation Tattooing & Nipple Restoration Dubai | Areola Reconstruction Surgery

Areola Reconstruction is a procedure ostensibly for patients who have had breast reconstruction after a mastectomy or lumpectomy. It is an area of medical tattooing requiring advanced education, training, and experience. These procedures help improve the appearance and self esteem of both women and men who have undergone breast surgery.

Areola pigmentation tattoo techniques can ‘create’ the illusion of an areola and nipple after breast reconstruction. The complete procedures minimise the appearance of scars, and restore an areola to a more natural looking color and shape. An Areola pigmentation tattoo may also be called Clinical Tattooist, Areola Tattooing, Areola Micropigmentation, Areola Pigmentation, Areola Recoloring, Areola Restoration,  Permanent Areola Pigmentation or Areola Nipple Complex Simulation.

These treatments are always included after Areola reconstruction Surgery, normally 6-9 months post surgery. after the first procedure after the annual maintenance program the procedure is always referred as Areola re pigmentation.

How it helps after breast surgery

Areola reconstruction Surgery plays a key role in the aesthetic look of a breast. Women and men who have unfortunately gone through the long journey of surviving breast cancer normally do not feel ‘complete’ without an areola and nipple. A woman’s self esteem can depend on the appearance of her breasts, missing areola’s can be psychologically devastating. A woman can become emotionally distressed from a scarred areola as well.

Men can also suffer from breast cancer and undergo mastectomy recovery whereby their self esteem can also be damaged by the appearance of his chest and breasts. For both men and women an areola pigmentation tattoo provides the final touch after areola reconstruction surgery, mastectomy and breast surgery signifying the end of a traumatic experience. Patients feel the tattooing process helps them psychologically during the last part of their recovery to feel whole and normal again.

The procedure itself

Cosmetic tattooing techniques involve the permanent marking of the intradermal skin with coloured organic pigments giving the effect of a 3D nipple. The process is similar to a tattoo but using the finest and sophisticated state of the art equipment and pigments. Depending on the type of breast reconstruction a person has, the pigment is applied either to the skin of the breast mound creating the appearance of a nipple/areola or to the already reconstructed areola closely matching the other breast or natural colouring. For a unilateral mastectomy this helps the reconstructed breast to match the natural breast. For patients with bilateral breast reconstruction, both areolas are recreated. Areola Complex Simulation can be created with or without a nipple button created by the surgeon.

Alternative benefits

Repigmentation can also be applied to improve the appearance in size and colour for those whose areola have faded during the ageing process or as a result of breast feeding or for patients who have had areola graft surgery.

The Process

Our experienced specialist will carry out the procedure with great care and precision and will collect a brief medical history, confirm allergies and ask you to sign a consent form. During the consultation the patient will be asked to stand in front of a mirror in order to select and mark the area of the breast or breasts to be tattooed. A strong topical anaesthetic cream will be applied thus numbing the area to make it more comfortable. Colour pigments selection will be discussed at this time, if not previously decided. The colour choice is always chosen by taking into account the skin tone of the patient and with a double mastectomy it is always advisable to create the colour the patient had previous to surgery.

During the consultation with us, concerns will be discussed and a treatment plan will be recommended to provide optimum results. Great care is taken to choose the size, shape, colour and placement area. For a single nipple and areola the colour is decided by taking into account the skin tone and body chemistry of the individual as this affects the healed results, so a spot test is recommended approximately 4 weeks before the actual procedure giving the colour time to heal and be evaluated. It is the safest way to ensure a colour match is exacted to an existing nipple. Only when the patient is entirely happy will the procedure begin.

Once the procedure is completed an antibiotic ointment and occlusive sterile dressing will be applied over the tattooed areas. The aftercare instructions will be given both by email, verbally and with a hand out. Initially the treated area will appear darker than desired but expect the colour to fade by approximately 40%. The healing process will take between 10 -14 days and after 6 – 8 weeks a follow up treatment is necessary to achieve longevity and the desired result.

The procedure time will take approximately 60 minutes per breast site with an additional hour to chat about your desired results, anaesthics to take effect and for the usual paperwork. So you need to put about 3 hours aside for the time spent with us from the beginning to the end.

It is highly advisable to revisit annually for Areola Re Pigmentation maintenance to keep it looking fresh and in top notch condition, this will give a permanent areola pigmentation appearance. This will take a fraction of the time to complete and it will cost you half the amount of the initial areola pigmentation tattoo.

Although it is not entirely necessary to take time off work, it is advised that there will be a short recovery period and important aftercare instructions to follow. Please bear this in mind when scheduling your procedure appointments around work, social and travel plans.

Nearly always the permanent areola pigmentation signifies the end of a long and worrisome journey.