The nipple hurts and burns: causes and scheme of treatment

Itching and burning of female nipples can appear for various reasons. Often such an unpleasant condition is accompanied by painful sensations. However, because of the sensitivity of the problem, women are not always in a hurry to consult a doctor. Women's breasts are naturally very sensitive, so if the nipple burns, this is not a reason to panic. Such discomfort does not always indicate a pathology and can be temporary. However, in some cases burning in the nipples is still a signal of the development of serious diseases that require consultation and professional assistance of a specialist. Therefore, it is necessary to understand when the discomfort is caused by the peculiarities of the physiology of the female body, and when it indicates health problems.

Why nipples burn

The causes of discomfort in the mammary gland can be as follows:

• early pregnancy;

• breast-feeding;

• menstrual cycle;

• non-compliance with hygiene rules;

• Dehydration of the body;

• taking hormonal drugs and antidepressants;

• prolonged sexual abstinence;

• mastopathy;

• Oncological diseases (Paget's disease).

It is very important that every woman pays special attention to her breasts in order to prevent probable problems in the future. When the nipple hurts and burns, only in a few cases it is a variant of the norm. This phenomenon, as a rule, occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, as well as during lactation and breastfeeding. In other cases, including the menstrual period, it is necessary to take certain measures and contact a specialist. Otherwise, the woman runs the risk of receiving a disappointing diagnosis, which can cost lives.

Burning in the nipples during pregnancy

As mentioned earlier, the cause of pain and burning in the nipples can be an interesting situation. During this period, the body experiences a colossal hormonal reorganization, the milk ducts expand, the breast increases in size, the production of the hormone prolactin increases. Therefore it is not surprising that the nipples hurt and burn during pregnancy, because they were not prepared for drastic changes. Fortunately, painful and unpleasant sensations - a temporary phenomenon, and by the beginning of the second trimester, everything, as a rule, passes.

Burning during lactation

During breastfeeding nipples undergo changes, their skin becomes more rough. If the child is fed incorrectly, he will not grasp the breast well and bite it. This can cause the appearance of cracks, which are accompanied by pain and burning. To solve the problem, it is necessary to accustom the baby to proper sucking, and after feeding, lubricate painful areas with healing agents. For the treatment you can use lanolin, ointment "Bepanten", "Solkoseril" or sea buckthorn oil.

If not only the nipples burn after feeding, but also pain in the chest, redness of the skin and a rise in 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 , surgical intervention is often necessary, followed by removal of the abscess with thick pus.

In addition, with breastfeeding nipples often suffer from thrush. And this problem can affect not only the mother, but also the child. Combating thrush is the regular washing of hands before and after feeding, maintaining nipples in a dry and clean state, excluding from the diet products containing sugar and yeast. If necessary, to treat the disease doctors prescribe antifungal drugs.

The nipple burns due to the menstrual cycle

Breast condition directly depends on the monthly cycle. Pain and burning in the mammary gland, as a rule, occur a few days before the onset of menstruation. In addition, cases when the nipples burn in the middle of the cycle are not uncommon. This discomfort is caused by an increase in the blood levels of progesterone and prolactin. These hormones have the property of retaining fluid and electrolytes in the entire body, including the mammary gland, which causes unpleasant sensations in the chest and an increase in its volume. With the advent of menstruation, the level of hormones decreases and the morbidity of the mammary gland disappears.

Mastopathy

There are often cases when the nipples hurt and burn before the menstrual periods when fibrocystic mastopathy occurs. The disease is accompanied by a pathological proliferation of connective tissue in the mammary gland.

In addition to pain and burning, there are other symptoms:

1. There is one or more seals in the breast.

2. There are discharge from the nipples (often transparent).

A characteristic feature of mastopathy is that the symptoms manifest themselves immediately before the critical days, and with their onset decrease or disappear altogether. However, after a while the disease progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced and prolonged: pains increase and worsen not only before menstruation, but also after it.

In order to identify fibro-cystic mastopathy, you can conduct an independent palpation of the breast. But it's better to trust the specialist, do ultrasound and mammography. The disease is treated with hormonal and non-hormonal drugs. In severe cases, surgical methods are practiced.

Mastopathy can be both acquired and hereditary. Early diagnosis of the disease can successfully and irretrievably cure it.

Non-compliance with hygiene rules

The reason that the nipple burns can be a hygienic component. For example, incorrectly selected material of the bra (synthetic compound, the presence of aggressive dyes), the use of cosmetics and personal care products that cause allergies.

To eliminate the problem, it is recommended to give preference to linen from natural materials and buy cosmetics with a minimum content of chemical components.

Paget's disease

Determine yourself why it hurts and burns your nipples is not easy. The reason can be either completely innocuous or extremely serious. So, a painful burning sensation in the nipple region can be a signal of such a terrible ailment as a nipple cancer. In medicine, it was called "Paget's disease."

The insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that at the initial stage its symptoms are expressed so insignificantly that a woman can not attach importance to them. At an early stage, redness appears and a crust is formed, so often the disease is confused with eczema. Later stages are accompanied by hypersensitivity, itching, burning, tingling and pain in the nipples. Also of these, there may be droplets of blood.

It is almost impossible to establish Paget's disease on examination. If suspected, the doctor prescribes a biopsy, and if the diagnosis is confirmed, a surgical procedure is performed. Radiation therapy is prescribed as an auxiliary treatment.

What kind of symptoms should I pay attention to in pain and burning in the nipples

• Appearance of bloody, prenucous or purulent discharge.

• Change the size, shape and color of the nipple and areola.

• Formation of sores, erosions, cracks in the nipples and areola.

• Soreness and swelling of the chest and around the nipple.

• The constant and increasing nature of pain.

• Pain in the armpit area.

If these symptoms are detected urgently, it is necessary to visit a gynecologist or mammologist, as they can signal an oncological disease of the breast.

Methods of diagnosis

To find out the cause of the morbid condition in the area of the breast, do not put the diagnosis and prescribe the treatment yourself. To do this, it is better to seek the help of a specialized specialist who will help to conduct the examination and, if necessary, prescribe the appropriate treatment.

The following diagnostic methods can be assigned to a patient:

• US of mammary glands (allows to detect the tumor and determine the place of its localization);

• mammography (recognizes abnormalities and nodules that are not palpable);

• MRI of the mammary glands (makes it possible to conduct the most accurate diagnosis).

The purpose of this or that examination depends on the diagnosis that the doctor will assume during the initial examination.

Do not forget that timely application for qualified help will allow for effective therapy and avoid loss of precious time in case of serious illnesses. For prophylaxis it is recommended to conduct regular self-examination of the breast and carry out a planned visit to the doctor.