Breast Rash

(Tennessee)

I'm a twenty-four year old woman, my concern is that in the past couple of months the skin on my breast has started to change in texture and I have sores that leak a clear fluid and they do not heal completely , my breast also hurt and itches, also noticing changes now on other breast. I've been experiencing fatigue and easily bruise as well. My great grand mother died from an aggressive form of breast cancer at age 30, my aunt has been diagnosed and battling cancer for several years now. I do not have insurance currently through my employer and I am attending school full time so I'm not sure about how to get checked and I have not been in to see my family care provider in several years. I'm uploading photos of both breasts if someone would look at them and see if my concerns are validated or nothing or worry about. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:

Thanks for getting in touch about the rash on your breast. Looking at the pictures, this looks like a chronic folliculitis or infection of the skin hair follicles. This can be caused by bacteria such as staphylococcus and streptococcus and would normally be treated with antibiotics. I understand your concerns, particularly with your family history of breast cancer, but it doesn’t look like this. There is a rash associated with breast cancer that occurs on the nipple and areola area and looks like a form of eczema. This is known as Pagets disease of the nipple. You can also get a change in the skin that looks like orange skin and is known as peau d'orange. Again, I must emphasize it doesn’t look like this. However, with your family history, I would suggest that you have a breast examination and treatment.




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