Many breast forms are supplied without nipples, while some that have nipples offer a choice. What solutions are available?
First, some anatomy
Most of us use the word nipple to describe the nipple/areola complex (NAC), the areola being the pigmented circular area of softly corrugated skin surrounding the nipple itself. The abbreviation is so clunky, I'm going to use the word nipple some of the time to refer to the NAC and will only be more specific when it's needed.
The colour of the areola varies with skin tone, and from one individual to the next, often becoming darker after childbirth. The shape of the areola is usually circular, but over about a D cup areolas often becomes more oval, with the axis of the oval slanted so that the base is nearer the midline than the apex.
The size of the areola varies with breast volume, but two women who both wear a 36C bra usually won't have areolas with matching diameters. While some areolas are larger than others, an attractive areola to form proportion can be worked out by dividing the width of a form by 3. Using an example I know well, the maximum width of an Amoena 1S size 7 form is 180mm (7 in), so a 60mm (2.3 in) attachable nipple will work with it, but a 45mm (1.75 in) or less will look equally good depending on what you like.
Position on the form
Something which is often missed about nipples is their placing. People assigned male at birth have more widely spaced nipples than people assigned female at birth, so if you belong to the former category, forms should be placed on your chest to fit your bra, rather than trying to get an exact 'nipple over nipple' match! There's more, because nipples on natural breasts face slightly outward and do not point straight forward – except in bras designed to create cleavage. Even then, many do not.
Vertical placement of nipples is something else entirely. Much has been written about this, but on a young breast the nipple often falls on at the level of maximum projection of the breast or slightly above. Some maintain the most attractive position of a nipple is on the part of the breast where the upper curve begins to tilt slightly back, but in practice, the shape of natural breasts is so variable that few achieve that.
Many bras alter the shape of breasts so completely the rule doesn't apply any more, so if you use attachable nipples, place them wherever works for you. It is more important to have them symmetrical and level than anything else.
Profile pros and cons
A point worth keeping in mind is that attachable nipples create their own 3D profile which may be good or bad depending on the look you enjoy. On a real breast, the outer edge of the areola blends seamlessly into the skin, sometimes so seamlessly it can be difficult to work out where the skin of the areola ends and the skin of the breast begins.
With attachable nipples, it doesn't always work out like that, and with some, if you are wearing a sheer bra or a tight top, the edge of the areola is thick enough to stand out. I personally try to avoid this, so if you have attachable nipples, be aware of this and dress accordingly. With the best attachables, this does not happen because they blend in like real ones.
The profile of the nipple itself can be an issue. Some attachables have nipples so soft they crush into invisibility under the lightest bra, while others are more prominent with the nipple itself projecting half an inch (13mm) or more and a few providing quite thrilling lengths.
Whether you want nipples to show is up to you, but since most women don't flaunt them outside the bedroom, you will attract attention if you do. Wearing street clothes, many women's nipples don't create a visible projection, although wearing a smooth bra under a tight top can make a dimple appear. Why? Nipples only really stand up when they are cold or excited.
What sorts of attachable nipples are available?
Amoena sell pairs of self adhering nipples in four different colours, including tawny and ebony. Each shade is available in three different sizes: 1.4 in (3.5 cm), 1.6 in (4 cm) and just under 2 in (4.8 cm). The nipples are in proportion to the areolas and while projection of the nipple itself on these is 3mm apart from the largest size, for which it is 5mm, the nipples are firm enough to leave a realistic impression visible through some clothes. Aesthetically, the range could be better given what they cost, but they're good enough to use and long lasting.
One maker – I am sure it was Amolux – used to sell an apparently identical range that went two sizes larger, but it is so hard to find it may no longer be available.
Divine sell my favourite range of self adhering nipples and have been improving them constantly since their debut. These are named and available in seven areola sizes ranging all the way from the Candi at 1.4 in (35mm) to the eye-catching Roxi, which is 3.125 in (80 mm). The diameter of the nipples themselves are proportionally greater than they are in the Amoena range, but look good to my eye up to the 2.375 in (60mm) areola diameter Lexi, which has a 0.625 in (16mm) diameter nipple.
Curiously, the two largest areola diameters in the Divine range have smaller diameter nipples in proportion to the areola, leaving them with nipples that are physically smaller than the one on the Lexi. This does not stand out as much as it does on the sales photos as it does on the product, where to my eyes it doesn't look quite right, so be aware of it.
The amount the Divine range nipples project is 0.25in (63.5mm) with the exception of the Lexi, where it is 0.375in (95mm) and the Roxi, where it is 0.5in (127mm).
One strength of the Divine attachables is that they have realistic areolas (if corrugated areolas appeal) and that every one is different, even across pairs. One of the most attractive things about them is that they have an edge which chamfers down to such a minimal thickness it does not show. No, they are not cheap, but with care a pair will last many years.
It is probably worth saying that the early Divine sets had soft nipples which crushed under the lightest pressure, but more recent sets in sizes up to including the Lexi have had firmer nipples, which I like better. This might be worth checking if you buy, because last time I purchased any, the store had a mix of stock.
Like the Amoena nipples, the Divines can be placed and forgotten – just remember to check the lower edge doesn't roll up as you pull a bra over them. It is easy to do, but once the bra is on, a correctly placed nipple will stay put all day long.
RedRose sell a line of self-attaching nipples in four sizes, starting at a diameter of 2 in (5cm) and finishing with one of 3.5 in (9 cm). This range comes in a single colour and is chiefly remarkable for the projection of the nipples themselves, which stick out more and more as the diameter goes up, starting at 0.4 in (1cm) and ending with a 'look at me' 0.8in (2cm).
While 0.8 in of projection doesn't sound much more than the 0.625 in of Divine's Lexi, because the nipples themselves in the RedRose range have a smaller diameter, the nipples on these attachables appear longer than the ones on the Divine set.
I have a little experience of the RedRose nipples and find they crush sideways under almost all bras and look strange – so their appeal will be most obvious without clothes. I'm not so keen on the aesthetics of this set, but that is just me and while the nipple lengths are exaggerated, I can see they will appeal a lot to some.
There are other ranges available but while I have no experience of them that does not mean they aren't any good, so if anyone does, please reply to this post.
