‘Designer nipples’ set to be the troubling cosmetic trend of 2017

Too big, too small, uneven and saggy. For years women’s breasts have been met with far-reaching criticism, leading to body issues and unnecessary worry.

But, as if we don’t have enough to contend with, we’re now being asked to reconsider what’s normal when it comes to our nips.

These days it seems no ordinary boob job will do, after one surgeon revealed that he has seen a huge surge in the number of women asking for nipple operations.

In as little as six months, Dr Norman Rowe, a plastic surgeon based in New York City, says that the weekly number of nipple patients has more than quadrupled, from four a week to around 18.

“Nothing is above cosmetic surgery now, people are looking at every detail. It's not enough now to get a breast augmentation or rhinoplasty - women want to fine-tune every element. And these days, that's possible.”

Worryingly, this is a trend that Rowe says is driven by the fashion of celebrities like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Rihanna wearing sheer tops or dresses that leave their nipples exposed.

As such, he reports women being triggered to ask him for lighter nipples, smaller areolas and more symmetry.

“You see a lot of celebrities now wearing see-through dresses,” he said.

“My patients come in with pictures from magazines of nipples that they want; they want to wear see-through dresses too, and that makes them take a closer look at their nipples.”

In some instances, patients are even asking for more protruding nipples that will show when they go braless.

“For want of a better word, they want headlights,' Dr Rowe explains.

“I've had a number of women tell me that, when they're wearing a bathing suit, they want their nipples to be more prominent.”

While the free the nipple movement remains important to gender equality, it seems that the increased attention to the area has created a whole new area of insecurity for women.