Supernumerary nipple

Did You Know?

• Polythelia refers to an additional nipple alone, while polymastia denotes the much rarer presence of additional mammary glands.
• Although usually presenting on the milk line, pseudomamma can appear as far away as the foot.

Clinical significance

The supernumerary nipple may remain undetected, but hormonal changes during adolescence, menstruation, or pregnancy can cause increased pigmentation, fluctuating swelling, tenderness, or even lactation. It has been associated with McKusick–Kaufman syndrome, Char syndrome, Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome, and a possible connection with mitral valve prolapse has been proposed. Most often no treatment is required, though a protruding embarrassing supernumerary nipple can be removed surgically or with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy.

Society and culture

In the 2008 Channel 4 documentary The Triple Nipple Club, filmmaker Dan Louw investigates his own extra nipples, a trait he shares with celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Lily Allen, and Tilda Swinton, as well as fictional characters such as James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga and Chandler Bing. Louw, who also directed and produced the film for the First Cut series, begins by asking strangers and a teratologist about the condition. After exploring whether extra nipples indicate higher fertility, he learns they are actually an atavism—a leftover from human evolution. Harry Styles publicly stated in 2017 that he has four nipples due to this same condition.