Eczema of the nipples is a fairly common skin disease among women, which is one of the varieties of dermatosis. The special clinical picture that accompanies this pathology is very uncomfortable and unpleasant, but if you seek help from a specialist in time, it will not be difficult to finally overcome the disease.
There are quite a lot of factors that provoke the development of eczema of the nipples, but it is still impossible to establish exactly for what specific reason this or that case occurs. Many experienced doctors agree that the disease is a consequence of the deterioration of the immune system. And in order for specific signs of eczema of the nipples to appear, the action of certain provoking factors is needed.
Main reasons
Dermatosis occurs in most cases against the background of diseases and impaired functioning of internal organs, and also accompanies skin pathologies. Among the factors that can provoke the development of eczema of the nipples, you canhighlight the following:
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver;
- disturbances in the endocrine system;
- problems with the metabolic process;
- long-term treatment with antibiotics and other medications;
- regular exposure to harmful chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions;
- infectious diseases (microbial, fungal);
- parasitic diseases;
- hereditary predisposition;
- psychosomatic reasons.
How to recognize the disease?
The clinical picture of the initial stage of nipple eczema in many ways resembles ordinary dermatosis in other areas of the skin. Pathology quickly becomes chronic. The course of the disease has an undulating type: the symptoms either worsen, or are replaced by a period of remission. During such a sluggish state, therapeutic action has practically no effect. That is why eczema is often accompanied by complications. And although this type of disease is not contagious, that is, it is not transmitted from person to person, the external manifestations of the pathology are not at all attractive.
Symptomatics
The following symptoms may occur with the disease:
- A pronounced inflammatory process in the areola area.
- Clear boundaries of lesions, visible contour of the lesion.
- A maculopapular rash that is filled with translucentliquid.
- Skin is dry and flaky.
- There are pain, burning and itching around the nipples.
- Nipples develop cracks and fluid comes out.
Disease in pregnant and lactating women
Many breastfeeding women are prone to eczema. The fact is that during breastfeeding, the baby can injure the nipple, this can cause the development of the disease. The maculopapular rash, which is characteristic of the early stages, develops into vesicles and small erosions filled with fluid in a couple of days. Then the affected areas are covered with crusts-flakes of a light brown hue.
Pregnant women can also quite often experience this disease. Low immunity and a weakened body lead to easy penetration of various infectious diseases. If a woman already had chronic pathologies of the skin, there is a risk of developing eczema of the nipples. If a girl suffers from chronic dermatosis, then the exacerbation in the form of dermatological problems with the nipples is understandable. Treatment of the disease in this position is very limited, since it is highly undesirable for active drugs to enter the body.
Possible Complications
Usually, getting rid of a disease that has a mild course is not difficult, but even after effective and effective treatment, patients can often still have spots on their chest. After complications, serious redness remains “for memory”. However, this is far from the most unpleasant thing that can leavepathology after. A more serious consequence of eczema is the development of a secondary bacterial infection.
Herpetic eczema of the breast, which develops together with the human herpes simplex virus that has entered or is activated in the body, is of particular danger. Accompanying eczema, the infection carries a great risk for pregnant women and their babies. The difficulty is that it is very difficult to recognize the presence of herpes in the body, since the rashes of a viral vesicular nature are almost the same as the symptoms of eczema. Complicated symptoms such as fever may be the only sign of a secondary infection.
Recommendations for effective treatment of eczema
- If the general condition of the nipples is extremely severe and painful, it is better for a nursing mother to stop breastfeeding.
- If the disease is chronic, it is better to switch to a special hypoallergenic menu, consisting mainly of plant foods and foods high in protein.
- When buying underwear, pay special attention to the materials from which it is made. So, it is better to choose a bra from natural, cotton fabrics, refuse woolen, flannel and synthetic products.
- Be sure to change your underwear every day.
- Body care products should be hypoallergenic.
- During an exacerbation of the disease, it is advisable to do water procedures less often.
Where to start treatment?
Getting rid of stains onchest and other symptoms of eczema takes quite a lot of time, as well as effort and patience, since it is imperative to follow all the doctor's recommendations. Sometimes specialists are in no hurry with drug treatment in the hope that the body will be able to overcome dermatological pathology on its own. If after a while no positive results are observed, the doctor prescribes a special course of treatment.
Naturally, it will not be possible to get rid of the pathology on its own if it has a fungal or bacterial character. In any case, before you cure eczema, you must first change your lifestyle and revise your diet. From the daily menu, it is worth excluding those foods that can cause an allergic reaction.
Diet
- Those who are interested in how to cure eczema should include more dairy and sour-milk products in the menu.
- It is recommended to consume a large amount of vegetables and fruits to supply the body with the missing vitamins and trace elements.
- It is important to eat protein foods of animal origin, while their fat content should be within the achievable range. These include chicken, rabbit, turkey and beef.
- It is recommended to eat river or sea fish at least twice a week.
- Be sure to include whole grain cereals in the menu, for example, oatmeal, buckwheat, brown rice.
Also, during treatment, it is worth giving up spicy, smoked, s alty and fried foods. Exclude fromits menu includes sweet products, bakery products, alcoholic and carbonated drinks, coffee. Very often, in addition to drug therapy, they resort to other types of skin treatment. For example, after consulting with your doctor, you can try the treatment of eczema with folk remedies at home. A comprehensive and comprehensive fight against pathology should bear fruit.
There is no way to determine how quickly the disease will recede. It mainly depends on the general well-being and strength of the body, the duration of the course of the disease and the frequency of relapses (if we talk about chronic pathology). The disease is especially complex in older people. The sooner the patient seeks medical help, the easier and faster the course of treatment will be.
Diagnostic measures
With the traditional clinical picture, it is not difficult to make a diagnosis - eczema of the nipples. It is more problematic to determine the disease if the symptoms are blurred or do not proceed as they should. One of the diagnostic tasks is to exclude the possibility of a secondary infection. The following diagnostic methods are considered the most effective:
- Sowing scrapings and microscopy. If eczema is microbial in nature, then pathogenic microorganisms can be detected in the test material.
- The level of immunoglobulins. In this nipple disease, an increase in IgE levels is observed, which is a sign of an allergic reaction, even if the disease is in remission.
- The study of the level of histamine in the blood. With allergic dermatosis, andalso with eczema on the nipples, the level of histamine in the blood is significantly increased.
If the disease is of a sluggish nature and severe symptoms, they resort to the study of fluid secreted from the nipples or a biopsy from the lesion, ultrasound of the mammary glands, mammography, and also to the study of allergy tests. Differential diagnosis is carried out with cracks in the nipples, if there is a herpetic rash, an inflammatory process of the skin in the areola, and also with Paget's cancer. If necessary, they are referred for a consultation with a dermatologist, oncologist, allergist or infectious disease specialist, who can prescribe ointments for eczema and dermatitis.
Essential medicines for treatment
Drug treatment is individual for each patient, however, the scheme by which all specialists prescribe their course of therapy is the same for everyone. So, first of all, antihistamine drugs are prescribed. Such medicines eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Common antihistamines include:
- "Loratadine".
- Pipolfen.
- Zyrtec.
- "Loratin".
- Fenistil.
Some doctors consider it necessary to cope with the intoxication of the body before treating eczema itself. To remove harmful substances, they resort to such absorbents:
- "Multisorb".
- Enterosgel.
- "Entegnin".
- Atoxil.
In case of complicated course of the disease and serious lesionsnipples will also need to include hormonal drugs in the treatment.
Preparations for local treatment
Creams or ointments for eczema and dermatitis with corticosteroids are prescribed as topical treatment, such as:
- Celestoderm.
- Triderm.
- Sinaflan.
- Sinalar.
- Ultralan.
- "Flucinar".
- Dermovate ointment shows good results for eczema of the nipples.
Don't start the disease. The sooner you start treatment, the sooner you will get rid of this unpleasant pathology.
