<<What causes these indentations in the nipple surface? The nipple surface itself is concave, and difficult to heal probably due to folding on itself? Is there a way to fix that?>> Without having seen this first-hand, I would guess this is a variation of development I call "invagination of the nipple...I cannot remember where i picked up the term. It is a "slit" or "dimple" in the center of the nipple, and if there is tissue damage inside, it can be very difficult to heal unless you find a way to keep the inside of the dimple exposed to air. Sometimes a breast shell with a small opening will do the trick. ALso, have mom apply ointment to the raw area inside of the dimple after feedings to try and keep the raw "walls" from trying to "heal" together, then get ripped apart at the next feeding. On the other hand, if it is more of a "crater" than a slit, it could be the tissue damage from her previous babies altered her anatomy. If it is a wider "crater", she should be able to position it against the breastpad in the "open" position until healed. Hope this is helpful- Kathy Leeper, MD, IBCLC *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html