Hairy, Puffy And Protruding: Apparently There Are 8 Different Types Of Nipples In The World

If you regularly read Stellar.ie, you’ll already know that they’re are seven different types of boobs in the world (we wrote a story on it back in March, which you can find here.)

But it’s not just boobs that come in all different shapes and sizes, it’s nipples too, which is seriously great news for anyone who’s ever looked in the mirror and wondered if theirs were ‘normal’.

According to Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse M.D, a board-certified pediatrician and dermatologist in Beverly Hills who spoke to Seventeen recently, all of the different shapes are completely normal and many women have a combination of two or more types.

So without further ado, which one(s) are you?

Protruding

Nipples like this are raised a few millimeters above the surface of the areola and tend to point outwards. They’re also likely to become more pronounced in the cold weather. Brr.

Flat

As the name suggests this type of nipple is completely flat and sits level with the areola.

Puffy

The entire nipple area looks like a small, raised mound on top of the breast. This type of nipple can harden and become more pronounced with cold or stimulation.

Inverted

Inverted nipples point inwards. According to Dr. Shainhouse you can sometimes use your fingers to bring the nipple out, but often the muscles are too tight.

Unilateral inverted

Just like you can have one boob bigger than the other, you can also have one inverted nipple and one protruding. If your nipples have always been this way then it’s absolutely nothing to worry about. If it’s a new development though, it’s best to check in with your doc as it can be a sign of breast cancer.

Bumpy

Seeing little raised bumps in and around the nipple area? It’s totally normal. In fact, they’re called Montgomery glands and they’re super common.

Supernumerary

Don’t let the big word put you off. Supernumerary refers to a ‘third nipple’, or a raised bump, in and around the nipple area.

Hairy

Your nipples are the probably the last place you want to tweeze stray hairs from but those coarse, dark hairs aren’t anything to worry about. Dr. Shainhouse says it’s perfectly fine to just nix them with a pair of tweezers.

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• body