For many of us going through breast cancer, by the time we get through diagnosis, surgery, treatment and breast reconstruction, we have an eager anticipation of the final step of getting nipples to help us feel whole and complete. It seems like it should be simple, but often it drags on and on without a satisfactory solution. Surgical nipples flatten, tattoos fade, prosthetics fall off.
I was really fortunate. After my unilateral mastectomy in 2007, while I was still in the breast reconstruction process, my innovative husband was inspired by my plastic surgeon to develop a silicone nipple-areola for me. What a gift! It makes me feel so joyful to look in the mirror after showering or while dressing and see the symmetry of two nipples. It eases some of the sting of what breast cancer has taken from me as a woman.
My Husband & I had no Idea what a Need There was for a Good Nipple Solution!
Our plastic surgeon was impressed with the prototype and encouraged us to show it to breast surgeons attending his training conferences. Since my husband is an entrepreneur at heart, it was a natural step to found Naturally Impressive, LLC custom nipple prosthetics.
We were genuinely surprised at how excited these world-renowned breast surgeons were about our product. They loved how realistic Naturally Impressive nipples looked and felt. A couple surgeons informed us the real test was “Do they stay on?”
There are other nipple prosthetics available, but many look fake and fall off unpredictably making them a very unsatisfactory experience. Some might look realistic, but still do not stay on reliably. To provide a nipple prosthetic that looked real and stayed on securely (for weeks) became our focus.
Perfecting the Design of the Prosthetic Nipple
Since 2008, we’ve been through an evolution of perfecting design, adhesives and true-to-life skin tone colors.
After many years of making impressions for custom nipples, we found patterns emerged regarding areola and nipple features. We also realized what a moving target it is to “match” a natural nipple since it changes size and color with temperature and other factors. It’s always going to be an approximate match anyway.
Therefore, we simplified to make the process faster and less expensive (about $100) while maintaining custom quality. Our wide selection of nipple & areola features along with five basic “tried and true” colors and one free exchange makes it possible for most women to find something that feels “right” for them.
It’s hard to put into words how touching it is to hear women’s gratitude. I invite you to view some of their “Nipple Journeys” captured in video on our website naturallyimpressive.com
I never would have dreamed something so meaningful would have come out of my breast cancer diagnosis.
Free Naturally Impressive nipple demo and brochures to MDs / Nurse Navigators upon request.
Randi Johnson RN, BSN naturallyimpressive.com
Sponsored content provided by: Naturally Impressive