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Sore nipples Nipple pain
Causes of painful nipples and breasts
Painful nipples and breasts can have many causes. Both scouring clothing and inflammation or benign nodules are considered triggers. In most cases, the symptoms can be attributed to hormonal factors, especially affecting women during pregnancy and lactation. In particular, in case of visible changes in the nipples and escaping liquid outside of breast-feeding, a medical examination should be carried out in good time to rule out malignant tumors (breast cancer).
contents
- Causes of painful nipples and breasts
- Textiles can cause nipple pain
- Painful nipples due to inflammation
- Mastitis
- Breast pain due to hormonal changes
- Knots and sore nipples
- Malignant diseases
- When is there a suspicion of breast cancer??
- treatment options
- Home remedies and naturopathy for nipple pain
Textiles can cause nipple pain
Nipple (Mamilla) and areola are very sensitive to touch, as the tissue is crossed by numerous nerve endings. For this reason, physical influences, such as rough or scratchy textiles, can already lead to pain in the area of the nipples. The same applies to garments that have been worn for a long time without any problems. Because these can change their structure through wear and frequent washing and thereby suddenly irritate the sensitive nipple skin.
Clothing with skin-irritating substances or a rough texture can quickly lead to nipple pain on direct skin contact. (Image: vaivirga / fotolia.com) Painful nipples due to inflammation
Is behind the nipple or chest pain, an inflammation, it is often a mastitis. Almost always women are affected, especially in the early lactation. Inflammation associated with the described symptoms while remaining restricted to the nipples is termed "thelitis".
Mastitis
Mastitis affects approximately 70% of women in the postpartum period, while the remaining 30% of cases occur outside of this period. In most cases, the inflammation of the mammary gland body developed unilaterally, after the breastfeeding of the newborn small tears in the sensitive nipple skin have arisen. Germs from the baby's or mouth and throat are allowed access to mammary glands and lymph nodes. By additional milk accumulation the pathogens are often offered a favorable environment.
The affected women complain a few days after delivery of painful nipples and distension in one or both breasts, which are warm to hot in the inflamed areas and reddened. The women feel generally ill and cut off, not infrequently, high fever and chills occur. It is also possible that abscesses develop and lymph node swelling under the armpits is palpable.
Outside the puerperium, mastitis often results from minor injuries that then act as a portal of entry for germs. If there are cysts or tissue proliferation, secretory flow or secretion congestion may be the factors favoring it.
Thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism as well as breast cancer may also be considered as causes. Parallel to the pain and increased pressure sensitivity, a milky or bloody discharge often appears.
Pain in the area of the nipples often have harmless reasons. (Image: chainat / fotolia.com) Breast pain due to hormonal changes
Not only because of breastfeeding women are affected much more frequently than men. Other hormonal changes in female development and conversion phases are often associated with pain and tension in the breasts or itchy nipples. These include breast growth during puberty, pregnancies and monthly menstruation, which is often accompanied by menstrual pain.
Knots and sore nipples
If palpable nodes are accompanied by the pain, a specialist examination is immediately indicated. In this should be clarified urgently, whether behind the painful thickening a mastitis, an abscess, a benign tumor or a breast cancer (breast cancer) hides. If painful abscesses develop in later stages of mastitis or thelitis, these can sometimes be felt as nodules. In the case of an abscess, there is a risk of bacteria spreading into the blood, which can lead to blood poisoning.
If the pain occurs immediately before menstruation and there are individual lumps in the chest, a benign tumor may be present. This - known as mastopathy - conversion reaction in the connective tissue of the breast, is the result of hormonal imbalance and affects about 30 to 50% of all women, especially at the age of 35 to 55 years. Another benign tumor, which can form from glandular and connective tissue in the breast, is the so-called "fibroadenoma".
Malignant diseases
The causes of the complaints are in many cases harmless, but can also be signs of a serious illness. A malignant carcinoma of the breast usually does not hurt itself when touched, but it can be accompanied by a painful inflammation. Inflammations (outside of the puerperium), concerning the nipple or the mammary gland, should therefore be examined in any case by a specialist.
Behind a one-sided, slowly growing inflammatory redness may be a Paget's disease of the nipple and nipple concealment. It is a rare cancer that is characterized by itching, weeping, scale scabies, discharge from the nipple and later also knot formation and often indicates a deeper-lying carcinoma.
In addition to thickening and pain, e.g. Changes in the nipple, should be consulted to clarify the cause of a gynecologist. (Image: auremar / fotolia.com) When is there a suspicion of breast cancer??
The suspicion of a breast cancer is, among other things, when next to the palpable node bloody discharges from the nipple and their changes show. This is the case, for example, according to the German Cancer Society e.V., when the nipple suddenly seems "pulled inwards". The same applies to newly appearing skin symptoms such as large porosity or "orange peel", non-decaying redness and inflammation. If suddenly a size difference of the breasts becomes recognizable, this is also a reason, according to the experts, to see a doctor.
treatment options
The treatment always takes place depending on the cause. For sore, irritated nipples, the compatibility of various garments and underwear is observed. The nipples are to be kept soft with oil or ointments, at times nursing pads can also be used.
In order to prevent inflammation in the puerperium care should be taken to ensure hygiene and intensive nipple care, e.g. with marigold ointment or evening primrose oil. Sometimes the use of nursing hats or the optimization of nursing techniques can help. For this area, a midwife is certainly the best contact person.
Mammary and nipple infections are conventionally treated with antibiotics. In abscesses, a skin incision is sometimes made to drain the pus.
Home remedies and naturopathy for nipple pain
On the outside, inflammatory envelopes help with arnica, chamomile or other anti-inflammatory medicinal herbs. Quark wrap or the fresh juice from leaves of aloe vera have a wound healing and cooling effect and can therefore be very beneficial to sensitive breasts.
Instructions for quark wrap
Danger: If the condition is perceived as unpleasant or allergic skin reactions, the curd should be washed off immediately. |
Malignant diseases may be accompanied by conventional treatment with natural therapies. The biological cancer therapy tries to support the orthodox medical therapy with the most diverse naturopathic methods. It integrates, for example, vitamin and mineral supplements, homeopathy, acupuncture, environmental therapy and hypnotherapy to activate the body's own self-healing powers and to mitigate side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
Mistletoe extracts are among the most widely used alternative drugs in cancer therapy. (Image: euthymia / fotolia.com) Another naturopathic procedure, which is now frequently used in alternative medicine cancer therapy, is mistletoe therapy.
