Areola size and jugulum nipple distance after bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

Objective: The combination of a single pedicle local flap with tattooing for complete nipple areola complex (NAC) reconstruction is currently the most supported method. Although many technical descriptions of NAC reconstruction exist in the medical literature, there are no data that define the ideal areola size (diameter of the areola) after bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction considering the previous areola size.

Methods: This was a 3-year (2009-2012) observational, analytical, and longitudinal prospective study with 103 patients who had undergone NAC tattooing as the last process of bilateral breast reconstruction after surgery for breast cancer.