The propeller flap: a one-stage procedure for nipple-areola reconstruction.

The advantages of the propeller flap combined with tattooing for nipple-areola reconstruction include the fact that it is a simple one-stage procedure, a secondary procedure after creation of the nipple-areola complex is eliminated, and a skin graft and the possibility of a skin graft and second wound are eliminated. The propeller flap technique offers the ability to produce a nipple of adequate size, good color match, and satisfactory projection over an 18-month follow-up. The preliminary results of this flap operation are promising. A long-term evaluation of this operation has begun.