Your areolas are the pigmented areas surrounding your nipples. Like breasts, areolas vary widely in size, color, and shape. It’s perfectly normal to have large or differently sized areolas. If you’re uncomfortable with the size of your areolas, reduction is possible.
Areola reduction surgery is a relatively simple procedure that can reduce the diameter of one or both of your areolas. It can be performed on its own, or together with a breast lift, a breast reduction, or breast augmentation.
Areola reduction is an option for any man or woman who’s not happy with the size of their areolas.
This procedure works well if you’ve lost a significant amount of weight and, as a result, have stretched areolas. It also works well if your areolas changed after pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Other ideal candidates include people with puffy or protruding areolas. Some people with asymmetrical areolas choose to get one reduced to match the other.
For women, areola reduction surgery shouldn’t be performed until breasts are completely done growing, usually by late teens or early 20s. Adolescent males may be able to have this procedure done at an earlier age.