Tripple Nipples

Two's company, three's a .  .  . well, a weird sign when it comes to nipples. Tripple nipples, medically called SUPERNUMERARY  NIPPLES or POLYTHELIA, are often a very subtle birth anomaly. These non-fucntioning (vestigial), superfluous nipples are sometimes described as slightly deformed miniatures of the real thing. The extra nipple is usually found on the chest or the lower abdomen along what is known as the "milk line", that is, where nipples are usually located in other mammals. They can also pop up on the neck, armpit, or just about anywhere else on the body. Some even occur on the forehead, where they may look like little freckles or pimples. Occasionally the extra nipples, and tissue beneath them, develop into full-blown breasts when awash in sex hormones during puberty or pregnancy. There have been reports of extra nipples, as well as extra breasts, producing milk.

Triple, quadruple, or even more nipples are not that unusual. Indeed, an estimated 5% of children are born with them. They seem to be more common, however, among native American women.

While usually benign, multiple nipples may be a sign of a myriad of medical conditions, from skeletal deformities to ulcers, from migraines to gallbladder problems. And like extra breasts, extra nipples can be a sign of rare genetic kidney and urinary tract defects. These defects are more likely to be seen in men with supernumerary nipples than in women with them.

If you want to know if your odd bump is a freckle or a  triple nipple, place an ice cube on it. If it pops out, it is a nipple.