Nipples in nursing women
Soreness and burning in the nipples during breastfeeding most often indicate that you are not feeding your baby correctly. The baby does not latch onto the breast well, causing cracks and blisters to appear on the nipples. They can occur even after the first unsuccessful feeding. But nipples tend to heal quickly. So if your nipples are burning due to cracks, blisters, or other skin irritation, here's what you need to do:
- Ask knowledgeable people to teach you how to best teach your baby to suck properly.
- If one breast hurts less, then offer it to the baby first; it is known that children suck more intensely at the beginning of feeding.
- After feeding, apply a non-toxic cream to your breasts, it can be lanolin, etc. Even a drop of your own milk, which is used to lubricate the sore areas, can be an excellent healing agent.
- If the soreness and burning sensation in your nipples does not go away, then do not hesitate to seek help from a professional.
- Remember about devices in this area that can help women in difficult times. These are breast pumps, feeding pads, etc.
How to treat?
If the cause of burning in the nipples is cracks, then they can be treated with herbs and special ointments that are sold in pharmacies. As a rule, these are antiseptics that have a healing effect. But women need to know that when breastfeeding, cracks occur due to the fact that the baby does not grasp the nipple correctly. Therefore, in parallel with treatment with ointments and herbs, it is necessary to establish proper feeding. You should make sure that the baby grasps the entire lower part of the nipple up to the areola.
In this case, he will suckle correctly and take the amount of milk he needs. Then the cracks in the nipples will quickly disappear. And, of course, they will not appear again. The fact is that when a child does not latch on to the breast correctly, he chokes on the nipple, does not eat enough, and the mother develops cracks. If you adjust the feeding process, the child will learn to take the nipple correctly. Then breastfeeding will be enjoyable for both baby and mother.
If you develop cracks in your nipples, a woman will develop mastitis. Then the patient will be prescribed a course of antibiotics. Mastitis usually occurs during breastfeeding. Therefore, the mother is prescribed antibiotics that will not harm the newborn. The woman will also need to have an ultrasound of the mammary glands. The examination will determine how the healing process is going in the body.
When a woman has breast cancer, surgery is prescribed, namely removal of the mammary gland. Next, radiation therapy may be prescribed. If the breast is affected by cancer cells, a full examination of the body is performed. It is possible that the spread of malignant cells is present in other organs. In this case, the patient will be prescribed a course of chemotherapy.
If a woman feels any discomfort in the chest, then she should not self-medicate, as complications are possible that can become life-threatening.
Sore and burning nipples during pregnancy: reasons
Very often, pain and burning in the nipple area is the first sign of pregnancy. What reasons could there be for this? So why do nipples hurt during pregnancy:
- Hormone formation. The hormone prolactin is produced, it promotes a rush of blood to the mammary gland, causing it to increase in size. Nervous tissues are not able to keep up with the process and therefore they are in constant tension. Hence the pain, itching and burning. During pregnancy, nipples begin to change their shape in order to prepare for the lactation period.
- Secretion of mucus, formation of cracks. Mucus that appears from the nipples can also irritate their surface. In addition, drying of the mucus can lead to the formation of small cracks.
- Colostrum production. From week 20, the mammary glands produce colostrum, which also leads to nipple irritation.
- If the breasts are constantly burning even after childbirth, and additional symptoms have appeared, the woman may have some kind of disease: candidiasis, poor blood supply to the vessels, hormonal disorders, psoriasis, herpes virus infection, mastopathy, oncology, etc.
Other factors leading to discomfort in the nipple area:
- The body's response to changes in climate and weather conditions.
- Colds or stressful situations.
- Mechanical damage to the nipples when using a hard towel, washcloth, etc.
Mastopathy
It is not uncommon for nipples to hurt and burn before menstruation when fibrocystic mastopathy occurs. The disease is accompanied by pathological proliferation of connective tissue in the mammary gland.
In addition to pain and burning, other symptoms are present:
1. The presence of one or more lumps is noted in the breast.
2. There is discharge from the nipples (often transparent).
A characteristic feature of mastopathy is that the symptoms appear immediately before the critical days, and with their onset they decrease or disappear altogether. However, after some time, the disease progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced and prolonged: the pain intensifies and worries not only before menstruation, but also after it.
In order to identify fibrocystic mastopathy, you can perform independent breast palpation. But it’s better to trust a specialist and do an ultrasound and mammogram. The disease is treated with hormonal and non-hormonal drugs. In severe cases, surgical methods are used.
Mastopathy can be either acquired or hereditary. Early diagnosis of the disease allows it to be successfully and irreversibly cured.
Measures to relieve pain and burning nipples caused by natural processes
- Choose comfortable underwear; the bra should be looser in this case. If you are feeding a baby, then place a special soft fabric in your bra.
- Use stretch mark cream during pregnancy.
- Both during pregnancy and during the premenstrual period, control your emotions, avoid stress, as this affects hormonal levels, which in turn leads to irritation in the nipple area as well.
- Try to touch your nipples as little as possible during pregnancy, especially since you shouldn’t put pressure on them at all.
- Consult your doctor.
Cracks
Why does burning in the nipples occur? Usually, unpleasant sensations appear during pregnancy and lactation. A fairly common case is the occurrence of cracks during breastfeeding. As a rule, this is due to the fact that the baby does not latch onto the nipple correctly. The appearance of cracks is very painful for a woman.
The nipples do not have time to heal, as you have to constantly feed the baby. Also, cracks can cause congestion in the chest.
Causes of burning in the chest not related to pregnancy and lactation
These reasons include:
- Mammary cancer. The feeling that the nipples hurt and burn can occur precisely with this disease. It also occurs in other types of oncology, when metastases penetrate the mammary glands.
- When the body is dehydrated. The skin becomes dry and irritable, causing itching and burning in the nipple area.
- An allergy to some components of hygiene products manifests itself in the form of itching, burning and small rashes on the skin.
- Kidney failure. Harmful products that are released into the blood by the kidneys can irritate the nipples. In addition, bilirubin in the blood increases, which also causes skin irritation, including in the chest area.
- Incorrectly selected underwear. Most often it is synthetic, which irritates the delicate skin of the nipples.
- Taking certain medications, such as antidepressants, contraceptives, etc.
- With a long absence of sexual activity. If a woman has not had sexual contact for a long time and finally it happens, then the hormonal levels begin to change, which also causes pain and burning in the chest.
- Using soap when bathing. When your nipples are constantly lathered, their skin dries out and irritation appears, after which they hurt, itch and burn.
- Premenstrual syndrome. It is before menstruation that every third girl and woman experiences special sensations in the chest; this condition is called PMS.
Even if you know approximately the cause of burning and pain in the nipples, if this condition persists for a long time, it is better to seek help from a doctor.
The following specialized specialists deal with similar problems: mammologist, oncologist, dermatologist and gynecologist.
Source: SilaLedi.ru
What diseases can arise if you do not pay attention to minor symptoms in time?
Serious diseases that can occur due to the fact that a woman has burning and tingling nipples include breast cancer, nipple cancer and mastitis. Let's look at their main symptoms:
- Mastitis is manifested by increased body temperature, general malaise, and weakness. Also with this disease, the nipple swells and discharge appears. If a woman is not provided with timely medical care, there is a risk of an abscess. Then purulent formations appear in the chest. You should know that an abscess can be treated with surgery. Therefore, you should not bring your body to such a state; at the first signs of mastitis, you need to contact a medical institution to provide proper assistance.
- Breast and nipple cancer is a serious disease. It can become a threat to a woman's life. Therefore, at the first signs of this pathology, for example, detection of a lump, you should contact a medical institution for examination and an accurate diagnosis.
Causes of discomfort
It is impossible to say unequivocally why chest discomfort occurs. There are several factors that cause it. The main reasons are:
- pregnancy;
- breastfeeding;
- production of milk by the mammary gland (lactation);
- premenstrual syndrome (PMS);
- fungal infection.
The origins of the problem lie in the woman’s recent use of antidepressants, as well as taking hormonal medications. Often, pain is associated with the manifestation of mastopathy, cysts in the mammary gland or other pathologies.
The cause of illness can be oncology and the inflammatory process developing in the tissues of the organ.
Often, discomfort and pain in the chest are observed with:
- disruption of the thyroid gland, pituitary gland, adrenal glands;
- liver pathologies;
- problems with the nervous system (intercostal neuralgia and others);
- irregular sex, dissatisfaction;
- female diseases in the form of fibroids, erosions, inflammations and others;
- abortion;
- lactation lasting less than six months;
- chest injury.
The risk group includes ladies whose relatives have had problems of a similar nature. Mastopathy can be inherited. Women who smoke have a high risk of developing breast diseases.
Breast or nipple pain may be worsened by stress. It is provoked by conflicts in the family and at work, and negative emotions to which a woman is regularly exposed.
How are breast pathologies diagnosed?
If a girl feels any discomfort in her chest, then she needs to consult a specialist to make an accurate diagnosis and determine a treatment regimen. A woman should also remember that after the age of 35 she should definitely see a mammologist, as the risk of breast cancer increases. If the doctor has any suspicions when examining the patient, she will be asked to undergo the following examination:
- Ultrasound of the mammary glands.
- Mammography. With its help, it is possible to determine the presence of a malignant tumor in the breast and its size.
- MRI.
- Biopsy.
- Laboratory examination of a smear.
- A blood test is also taken from the woman. It can be used to determine whether cancer cells are present in the body.
Forms and manifestations of mastodynia
Mastodynia or mastalgia is a condition that is accompanied not only by a burning sensation. General soreness of the chest of varying nature and intensity appears, spreading to the shoulder or back area, and it may be accompanied by itching. The organ in women becomes slightly swollen, the nipples are painful.
Cyclic mastodynia
Cyclic mastodynia is manifested by pain and burning in the nipple and breast area a few days before menstruation. The essence of this phenomenon is that the hormone progesterone is actively being produced, its concentration in the blood is constantly growing. When it binds to biologically active compounds, fluid retention occurs in the tissues of the body. Breasts that swell and are accompanied by itching are no exception. The nipples also swell, and severe pain often occurs, especially if you touch them.
This condition lasts about a week. After the start of menstruation, discomfort in the breast area quickly passes, because the level of hormones in the blood quickly declines. This kind of pain in women should not be considered an anomaly or deviation from the norm; as a rule, it is a pattern. An unpleasant symptom may also indicate a delay in menstruation.
If chest discomfort occurs in any phase of the cycle, it is worth thinking about the reason for its occurrence. This kind of manifestation is not the norm. Usually such pain is caused by the development of mastopathy. More rare diseases that can cause a burning sensation are a tumor in the nipples (usually in one nipple). It is for this reason that if you experience any discomfort in the mammary glands, you should immediately visit a doctor.
Noncyclic mastalgia
Non-cyclic mastalgia is characterized in women by the absence of a connection between unpleasant sensations in the chest area and the menstrual cycle. This type of ailment is more common among mature ladies. The pathological condition is characterized by severe pain in the mammary gland with unilateral localization or in both breasts at once. The greatest intensity of unpleasant sensations is in the center of the organ, in the area of the nipple and areola.
With a fungal infection, in addition to a burning sensation on the nipples, constant itching occurs. The skin begins to peel off and changes its normal color and shade. Moreover, the itching constantly increases and is constantly present for no apparent reason. It becomes especially painful after visiting public places, as well as due to violation of personal hygiene rules and wearing someone else’s underwear.
If the itching does not go away for some time, the woman should consult a dermatologist.
Pain and itching can develop as a result of taking hormonal contraceptives - in this case, the symptoms are pronounced. If non-cyclic mastalgia occurs, prompt consultation with a specialist and selection of a suitable drug is required. Additionally, you need to undergo an examination - do a breast ultrasound, mammography and check the level of hormones in the blood.
Pregnancy
Pain and discomfort in the mammary gland sometimes indicate pregnancy. This happens due to an increase in the amount of the hormone prolactin. The increase in the concentration of the biologically active substance occurs so quickly that the nerve endings do not have time to adapt, resulting in unpleasant symptoms.
Often the cause of discomfort is breast growth. In expectant mothers, the burning sensation intensifies when the nipple comes into contact with the tissue, due to friction against it. Such symptoms occur in the early stages, and then disappear without a trace.
Lactation
The causes of burning during lactation lie in changes in the nipples themselves. Their skin becomes rough, preparing for feeding. Sometimes the cause of pain can be that the baby sucks the breast incorrectly or bites it. This causes cracks to appear. Filling the breast with milk can cause discomfort and nagging pain.
Unpleasant sensations in the mammary glands during pregnancy or lactation are normal. There is no need to worry about the appearance of burning sensation in the nipples during this period of life.
Mastopathy
This is the name for abnormal tissue growth, the appearance of lumps both in the left or right breast separately, and in both at once. These neoplasms can be detected by palpation. A burning sensation in the mammary gland rarely bothers you immediately after their formation. Typically, lumps appear before menstruation. Soreness can appear not only in the breast itself, it also affects the armpit area.
With severe growth, the unpleasant sensations become very intense, and even with a light touch pain appears. There may be a discharge of clear or yellowish liquid from the nipples. Such sensations last during menstruation and for several days after. This is followed by a decrease in pain, which will appear before the next menstruation.
If you delay in contacting a doctor, the nodules grow, there are more of them, and they turn into dense nodes. It is possible to change the shape of the breast. Ignoring unpleasant symptoms for a long time can become a fatal mistake, because advanced mastopathy can develop into oncology.
httpss://youtu.be/DVfHmXOByUg
Other causes of breast tenderness
The causes of burning in the nipples may lie in many factors not related to pregnancy or lactation. For example, such a symptom may appear due to the development of a breast cyst. Also, old injuries and operations on the chest can remind of themselves with the help of such a symptom. It is also possible that the pain and discomfort is not associated with the breast itself. Pain can appear in the chest, muscles, heart and radiate to the mammary glands.
An imbalance of fatty acids can provoke an increase in the sensitivity of breast tissue to hormones circulating in the body. Fatty acid supplements are prescribed to relieve the discomfort caused by these problems.
A burning sensation in the nipples can be caused by taking medications.
These include hormonal drugs used in the treatment of infertility and oral contraceptives. The use of progesterone and estrogen during hormone therapy is no exception. There is evidence that antidepressants may cause discomfort and pain.
Women with large breasts may experience soreness. Often this symptom is accompanied by pain in the shoulders, neck and back. You can relieve unpleasant symptoms through breast reduction.
Why do nipples burn and what to do about it?
Female breasts may indicate changes in the body.
Nipples are a very sensitive area that reacts sharply to any hormonal changes. It is not always clear when to worry and in what situations the phenomenon can be considered normal. Burning nipples are one of the common problems among the fair sex.
In this article we will look in detail at why nipples burn.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding
The first signs of pregnancy are often discomfort in the chest. The mammary gland may feel pulled, or even the nipples may burn. This is not a mandatory phenomenon, it depends individually on the woman.
This happens due to the fact that the hormonal background completely changes. Prolactin is replaced in large quantities, and in the future it will affect milk production.
The breast increases in volume due to the proliferation of glandular tissue.
Due to rapid and rapid growth, nerve endings do not have time to adapt to new conditions. Burning nipples during pregnancy occur directly when touched or rubbed against clothing.
During lactation, the sensation of burning nipples may appear due to various factors. Incorrect position when feeding, the baby does not grasp the nipple correctly, the mother often tears the nipple out of the baby’s mouth, which leads to injury and the appearance of cracks.
PMS
About a few days before the onset of menstruation, a woman may feel discomfort in her chest. This is due to temporary hormonal changes.
Progesterone is produced in large quantities, causing fluid to accumulate in the mammary glands. The nipples become swollen and itchy, as do the breasts in general.
Fungus
With thrush, other symptoms are also observed, for example, peeling and redness.
This happens during breastfeeding, when hygiene is not fully observed or is completely absent, when wearing someone else's underwear, after going to public baths.
Drugs containing hormones
When a woman takes oral contraceptives, her hormonal levels always change, and taking these drugs often provokes an imbalance.
If you suspect that burning in the nipples is due to this particular reason, you should consult your doctor, who will prescribe diagnostic tests.
Stress
Unpleasant and unforeseen situations always arise in the family or at work. No one is immune from this. Often girls do not always react adequately to this and worry.
Stress has a detrimental effect on the body as a whole. Breasts are no exception.
Cancer
When a malignant tumor appears, a woman may notice a feeling as if the nipple is burning, while it changes shape and sometimes color, and peels off.
An urgent consultation with an oncologist and a long-term examination are needed.
Dehydration
With insufficient water consumption, the skin becomes dry and breaks out. All wounds take longer to heal, and the nipples burn very unpleasantly.
When the water balance improves, the problem will go away on its own.
Allergy
An allergic reaction can occur not only to food, but also to body care products and shower gels.
You should avoid them completely and also take antihistamines.
Kidney problems
If kidney function is impaired, then the harmful substances released by them enter the nipples along with the blood. They begin to overreact, which manifests itself as unpleasant sensations.
Examine your kidneys to begin therapy immediately.
Uncomfortable bra
It is preferable to choose underwear from natural fabrics, such as cotton. Synthetics irritate the delicate skin on the papillae.
Lack of regular sex life
After a long break in sexual activity, the hormonal balance is rearranged, which is reflected in the chest. There is nothing terrible about this phenomenon; it will pass very soon.
What to do?
How can you get rid of burning sensation in your nipples, since it gives little pleasure? Please note the following rules:
- Touch the nipple less during critical periods (during menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc.).
- Give preference to seamless underwear made from natural fabrics that will not rub or irritate the skin on your chest.
- Jewelry should not cause discomfort to the mammary glands; control its length or remove it altogether.
- During lactation, the breasts need to be cared for especially gently and with all the attention. The gland should be washed with warm water without using soap, which once again dries out already damaged skin.
- Learn how to properly attach your baby to the nipple from the first days.
- If there is a long-term burning sensation in the juices, as well as accompanying symptoms, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible.
Possible complications
The most dangerous complications when the nipple burns are cancer and mastitis.
The main sign of cancer is a clear lump in the breast, discharge with an unpleasant odor and pus and blood, the papilla sharply retracts and changes shape.
With mastitis, high body temperature rises, acute malaise, drowsiness, and weakness are felt. The breasts turn red, swell, and the nipples burn. In this case, the only cure can be surgery. In all the situations described, you should not delay your visit to the mammologist.
Treatment
Treatment always depends on the diagnosis, which can only be clarified by a doctor using special research methods, for example, ultrasound or blood tests. Treatment can be conservative, surgical and folk.
Surgery is prescribed only in advanced cases, for example, mastitis and oncology.
Let's talk about the rest in more detail.
Conservative treatment
Women prefer healing creams when faced with the problem of cracked nipples. You can also buy sea buckthorn oil at the pharmacy, which relieves irritation. In the early stages of mastitis, antibiotics are prescribed.
Traditional methods
There are several folk recipes that will help cope with the problem:
- It is very effective to apply grated carrots, fresh cabbage and burdock leaves to the affected areas on the chest.
- Rice “porridge” is applied in a thick layer to a bandage, which is applied to the diseased mammary gland. The discomfort goes away within a few hours.
- It is easy to make healthy oil from dry St. John's wort; it is useful not only for relieving discomfort in the chest, but also on any part of the body. It is also sold ready-made at any pharmacy.
- A teaspoon of sage is poured into a glass of boiling water, and this infusion is drunk during the day. Quickly relieves nipple soreness.
Burning in the nipples may indicate natural hormonal changes, as well as serious diseases with bad consequences. If the discomfort continues for a long period of time, then you need to consult a specialist.
Why do my nipples burn and hurt? When can this be considered normal? You will find the answers in our video.
Source: https://kvd9spb.ru/molochnaya-zheleza/simptomy/pochemu-goryat-soski-i-chto-s-etim-delat
What to do
Failure to comply with hygiene rules can cause pain and burning in the nipples. To avoid these symptoms, you should follow some rules:
- the material of the linen must meet hygienic requirements;
- underwear should not be treated with aggressive chemical dyes;
- Do not use skin products that cause allergic reactions;
- Breast diseases cannot be treated with creams.
Particular attention should be paid to the length of the jewelry. They should not touch the painful area and cause unpleasant and painful sensations.
During pregnancy, menstruation or PMS, it is necessary to touch the nipples as little as possible and avoid situations that promote friction and pressure. It is worth giving preference to comfortable and spacious linen without seams.
httpss://youtu.be/TZjQuow2yiU
After feeding the baby, you need to wash the breast and nipple area with warm water without using soap. Afterwards, treat the nipple with sea buckthorn oil. The sensitive part of the body is protected from any kind of mechanical damage and is additionally covered with a gasket.
The child must eat correctly; for this, from the first days he must be taught to grasp not only the nipple, but also the entire areola. And after feeding, you should not pull out the breast immediately - the baby can squeeze it reflexively, which will cause injury. If there are cracks and burning on one breast, you should give the baby a second one, and when he has eaten, express all the remaining milk.
When the pain is prolonged, increases and is excruciating, you should immediately visit a doctor.
It is also worth sounding the alarm if discharge is noticeable outside the lactation period, skin color, size, shape of the breast and nipple changes, any erosion or swelling appears. All this speaks in favor of oncology. Additional examination will be required to help establish the truth.
A burning sensation can be not only a manifestation of serious diseases. Often it indicates an upcoming addition to the family or a change in hormone levels.
Breasts are the dignity of every woman, the beauty of which depends on the state of health. That is why, if the slightest discomfort occurs, you should consult a doctor.
Source: tutzud.ru
Burning sensation during lactation
During breastfeeding, the nipples undergo changes and their skin becomes rougher. If the baby is not fed correctly, he will have trouble latching on the breast and biting it. This can cause cracks to appear, which are accompanied by pain and burning. To solve the problem, you need to accustom your baby to proper sucking, and after feeding, lubricate painful areas with healing agents. For treatment purposes, you can use lanolin, Bepanten ointment, Solcoseryl or sea buckthorn oil.
If not only the nipples burn after feeding, but also chest pain, redness of the skin and increased body temperature, this may indicate an inflammatory process in the mammary gland - mastitis. Often this disease occurs due to lactostasis and infection.
To treat the initial stage of mastitis, drug therapy is used. In the case of acute purulent mastitis, it is often necessary to perform surgery followed by removal of an abscess with thick pus.
In addition, when breastfeeding, the nipples often suffer from thrush. Moreover, this problem can affect not only the mother, but also the child. The fight against thrush involves regularly washing your hands before and after feeding, keeping your nipples dry and clean, and eliminating foods containing sugar and yeast from your diet. If necessary, doctors prescribe antifungal drugs to treat the disease.
Symptoms of burning nipples
The causes of burning sensation in the nipples can be divided into two groups: those associated with natural processes in a woman’s body or those caused by a specific disease. First group:
- When pregnancy occurs, the mammary gland increases in size. Sometimes this is accompanied by a symptom such as burning. Therefore, burning nipples during pregnancy should be treated calmly. In the second trimester, the unpleasant sensation usually disappears. Incorrect latching of the baby to the breast leads to the appearance of cracked nipples, which do not heal for a long time due to constant feeding. At the same time, burning also occurs.
- Unpleasant sensations on certain days of the menstrual cycle. If there is no burning sensation after menstruation, then most likely there is no reason to worry.
- During puberty of a teenage girl or during menopause.
- With prolonged abstinence from intimate relationships with a man.
- The chest may react with a burning sensation to nerve stress associated with stress.
- When using the wrong bra.
- As a result of dehydration. If you restore the water balance, the unpleasant symptom will disappear.
- Use of hormonal contraceptives.
These causes are generally not dangerous to the health and life of a woman and are eliminated after a certain period.
Possible diseases
But there are cases when the cause of burning in the chest is illness. In such cases, additional symptoms can roughly determine the disease. These include:
- Fibrocystic mastopathy. An additional symptom will be various lumps in the chest and discharge.
- Mastitis. In addition to the burning sensation in the chest, there is an increase in body temperature, swelling and redness of the papilla, and general malaise. The reasons are often cracks caused by feeding a child and poor sanitation. In this case, the infection enters the mammary gland through cracks, and then inflammation occurs and the disease develops. This requires concomitant drug treatment, so delaying a visit to the doctor is dangerous to your health.
- Mammary cancer. With this diagnosis, there are lumps in the breasts, yellow, green or bloody fluid is released from the nipples, the shape of the areolas and nipples changes, itching and tingling appear. Regular self-examination is mandatory for every woman over 35 years of age.
- Inflammation in the thoracic spine or nearby muscles. Exacerbation of osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia, various myositis.
- Women's diseases: erosions, fibroids, etc.
- Consequences of abortion.
- Diseases of the liver, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, thyroid gland or other internal secretion organs.
- Breast injuries or consequences of unsuccessful operations.
- Fungal diseases. For example, thrush.
- Psoriasis. This diagnosis is complemented by chest pain and the appearance of red spots of irregular shape.
If you have had similar diseases in your family, you need to be careful about self-examination.
Breast cancer
Why does burning nipple occur? Women worry about this question quite often. In addition to the above options, more serious diseases can manifest themselves this way. Namely, breast cancer. Therefore, every lady is recommended to carefully examine her breasts and, if the following symptoms appear, consult a doctor:
- First of all, lumps in the breast indicate cancer. Therefore, a woman should periodically feel her breasts.
- A burning sensation in the nipples and discharge appears. The discharge may be yellow, green, or bloody.
- The shape of the nipple may change. This can happen suddenly. For example, retraction is possible. Changing the shape of the nipple is one of the symptoms of cancer.
Other possible causes of a burning sensation in the nipple
If your breasts begin to hurt or a burning sensation appears, then such symptoms may indicate pregnancy. In the first weeks after conception, a woman’s breasts begin to swell, increase in size, and pain appears when pressed. The reason for this phenomenon is that the breast tissue begins to grow, and the nerve endings do not always have time to adapt to the increase in size.
But even without pregnancy, before the onset of menstruation, burning and pain in the nipples may occur. This situation is not a pathology and does not require additional drug treatment.
There are cases when a woman’s breasts reacted to stress with sudden pain or burning of the nipple. If such situations are of a one-time situational nature, then there is no reason to worry. The cause of discomfort in the chest may be a hormonal imbalance.
But if a woman is not a nursing mother, is not pregnant, her period has not yet arrived, there has been no particular stress, but her breasts hurt, her nipples begin to burn, or other alarming symptoms occur, then a visit to the doctor is a matter of first necessity.
Especially if a woman begins to feel them only in the right or left papilla. Perhaps the process of inflammation of one of the mammary glands has begun. All of these may be signs of the onset of a serious illness.
Treatment for burning nipples
If the patient is found to have symptoms of the corresponding disease, then she is sent for additional studies to confirm. These include:
- Ultrasound of the mammary glands
- Mammography
- Biopsy
- Magnetic resonance imaging (if necessary)
- Blood test for tumor markers or other examination, according to symptoms
Based on the nature of the disease, treatment is prescribed. There are conservative medical and surgical treatment. Sometimes folk remedies are used to help the patient.
The essence of treatment is to eliminate the cause of pain. If the problem is cracked nipples associated with improper attachment of the child to the breast, then ointments or herbal remedies are prescribed for rapid healing of wounds. At the same time, they are taught proper feeding to prevent relapses.
If the primary symptoms were ignored and mastitis began to develop, then in such cases a course of antibiotics is prescribed.
In case of oncology, operations to remove the mammary gland and radiation therapy are often performed. In advanced cases, an additional round of chemotherapy is given.
In addition to traditional medicine, folk remedies are used to support the body. One of the most common and popular is applying cabbage. To do this, the leaf is first boiled in boiling water for several minutes, cooled and applied warm to the painful part of the chest. This method is very helpful for swelling. For the same purpose, grated carrots are used, burdock is applied to the affected area.
For cracks in the nipple-areolar apparatus, St. John's wort oil is used. To eliminate compaction and swelling during mastitis, use a mixture of rice starch with water or potato starch with sunflower oil.
Prevention
In order to exclude the development of various diseases, and also not to create preconditions for their occurrence, it is necessary to carry out prevention. This includes regular monthly breast self-examination:
- Stand in front of the mirror.
- Note if there is a change in appearance compared to the previous inspection.
- Using light pressure, palpate the chest to identify areas of increased sensitivity or hardening.
Preventive measures include an annual visit to the mammologist. This will help identify the disease at an early stage, when symptoms are not yet bothersome. And it is also recommended to take tests for female hormones once a year.
In addition, it is not recommended to wear tight underwear made of synthetic materials. Comfort and natural material are much healthier than narrow and tight bras, which may arouse male interest, but cause much more harm. At home, it is recommended to remove your underwear and give your breasts a chance to rest.
As additional preventive actions, you can gently massage the skin near the nipples, and use lanolin-based ointments during lactation. They are completely safe for the baby and do not require rinsing before feeding.
It is very important to maintain breast hygiene: wash regularly, but not too often. If you frequently wash the papilla, the protective layer of the epidermis becomes weak and susceptible to damage.
