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Nipple: anatomy, location and function

The nipple is the conical projection at the centre of the areola where the lactiferous ducts open. It delivers milk to the infant. Smooth muscle in it makes it erect when stimulated.

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Muscles100%

Structures

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Highlighted in the model: Nipple. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. Use Male / Female to switch bodies. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science; knee ligaments, menisci, tonsils, palate and parotid glands from the Human Reference Atlas Visible Human Male model and female parts from its Visible Human Female model (HuBMAP / NIH); lung lobes built from the BodyParts3D chest; all CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The female body shares the male skeleton, muscles and organs except its pelvis, reproductive organs, breasts, bladder, urethra and skin.

Nipple at a glance

What it is
The nipple is the conical projection at the centre of the areola where the lactiferous ducts open.
Location
It lies near the 4th intercostal space in men and young women, but its position varies with breast size, age and pregnancy.
Function
It delivers milk to the infant. Smooth muscle in it makes it erect when stimulated.
Body system
Reproductive · paired (left and right) · female body
FMA ID
FMA223695 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Its skin has no hair or fat.
  • It is supplied by the 4th intercostal nerve (T4 dermatome).

Clinical relevance

New inversion of a nipple or a persistent rash on it (Paget disease of the nipple) can be a sign of breast cancer.

Structures next to the nipple

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Nipple (FMA223695). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §27.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Ovarian Reproductive System (The Breasts). Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
  4. Browne K., Schlehlein H. 3D Reference Organ Set for United, Female (Visible Human Female). Human Reference Atlas 3D Reference Object Library, HuBMAP / NIH. Data from the NLM Visible Human Project. CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.