 | This article needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (September 2017) |  |
| Areola | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Breast schematic diagram (adult female human cross section) Legend: 1. Thoracic wall 2. Pectoralis muscles 3. Lobules 4. Nipple 5. Areola 6. Duct 7. Fatty tissue 8. Skin | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | areola mammae |
| MeSH | D009558 |
| TA98 | A16.0.02.012 |
| TA2 | 7106 |
| FMA | 67796 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The human areola (areola mammae, /əˈriːələ/[1][2] or /ˌæriˈoʊlə/[2][3]) is the pigmented area on the breast around the nipple. More generally, an areola is a small circular area on the body with a different histology from the surrounding tissue, or other small circular areas such as an inflamed region of skin.
The mature human female nipple has several small openings arranged radially around the tip of the lactiferous ducts, from which milk is released during lactation. The other small openings in the areola are sebaceous glands, also known as areolar glands.[4]
- ^ OED 2nd edition, 1989.
- ^ a b "areola". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
- ^ The plural of areola is areolas or areolae (/əˈriːəˌli/ or /ˌæriˈoʊˌli, ˌɛr-/). Areola is the diminutive of Latin area, meaning "open place".
- ^ Doucet S, Soussignan R, Sagot P, Schaal B (2009). "The Secretion of Areolar (Montgomery's) Glands from Lactating Women Elicits Selective, Unconditional Responses in Neonates". PLOS One. 4 (10): e7579. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.7579D. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007579. PMC 2761488. PMID 19851461.