A new breast marker

Abstract

Sir, The cookie cutter has for long been the standard instrument for marking the areola in breast surgery procedures. However, it is limited in its usage for marking the areola, and different cookie cutters are needed to vary the areola size. Further, planning the periareolar skin depithelisation or excision also needs an accurate marking using other means, if the final result must be aesthetically pleasing. I have designed a new ‘breast marker’ that incorporates different sizes in one instrument and obviates the need for different sizes of cookie cutters. In addition, this new breast marker helps to design the periareolar depithelisations and excisions accurately. The instrument is a flat circular plate 12 cm in diameter with circular slots cut out into the plate starting from 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7 cm and so on (Fig. 1a). The outer diameter is 12 cm. The innermost diameter of 2.5 cm helps to mark out small areola size as in a male, while 3, 3.5 or 4 cm should help to mark the areola in a female patient. The proposed breast marker should be placed on the breast with the nipple or nipple position centralized and the areola marked at 2.5, 3, 3.5 or 4 cm as needed (Fig. 1b). If a periareolar skin excision is planned during breast surgery, then the size of the excision is first determined on the breast manually, and then the actual marking is done by drawing in the slot on the breast marker at the correct measure (Fig. 1c). The breast