nipples, extra

Extra (or supernumerary) nipples are quite common and exceedingly normal. Parents are most often not even aware that their child has an extra nipple, because the structures are often tiny and not fully developed. However, if you know what to look for, they are often spotted.

Extra nipples always lie on the "milk line", a line drawn from the nipple to about the inner end of the inguinal (groin) crease on the same side of the body (ipsilateral, if you must). They can appear to be anything from a rough little freckle to a full blown nipple, although they are in my experience always smaller, and at best appear to be a miniature replica of the real nipple and an imperfect one at best. There is usually only one; I have occasionally seen two extra nipples (one per side); I have never seen more than two extras, although I am sure that has happened very rarely. The incidence of extra nipples is about 5% of normal children in one recent study.

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