Symptoms of breast eczema include:
Breast eczema doesn’t hurt. However, if you scratch your breast eczema, you may break your skin, leading to an infection that can cause pain.
Eczema can develop anywhere on your skin, including your breasts. A combination of immune system activation, genetics, environmental triggers and stress can cause it.
Breastfeeding can also cause breast eczema. It may cause a rash to develop around your nipples, which may lead to breast eczema.
Some mental/emotional signs of stress that can cause breast eczema include:
Some physical signs of stress that can cause breast eczema include:
Breast eczema isn’t contagious. You can’t spread breast eczema to another person through skin-to-skin contact.
Your healthcare provider will examine your breasts. They’ll look for common signs of eczema, including discoloration and dryness. They’ll also ask about your symptoms.
Your healthcare provider can typically diagnose eczema after a physical exam. However, if there’s any doubt, they may perform the following tests:
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Getting rid of breast eczema can be difficult if its cause is something you can’t control, like genetics. However, you may have some control over your environment and stress levels. Try to determine what triggers or worsens your breast eczema, and then avoid it. The goal is to reduce itching and discomfort and prevent infection and additional flare-ups.
Consider these home remedies and tips:
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The connection between breast eczema and food/drink allergies is unclear. If you have food allergies, then one of the reasons why you must avoid those foods is that they may cause or worsen your breast eczema. Examples of common allergies include peanuts, dairy, eggs, sugar, alcohol and gluten. Pay attention to what you eat. If your breast eczema flares up after you eat a particular food, then you might be allergic to it.
With proper treatment, your breast eczema should go away after one to three weeks. However, no treatment can claim to eliminate the symptoms of breast eczema 100% of the time. You may encounter flare-ups on your breasts for the rest of your life. Once you determine the cause of your flare-ups, you may prevent flare-ups from happening as often.
If you have breast eczema, it can generally be well-managed with good skin care and treatment. However, flare-ups of symptoms can occur throughout your life.
Breast eczema is a chronic condition, which means there isn’t a cure. However, treatments are very effective in reducing the symptoms of dry, itchy skin.
There are steps you can take that may prevent breast eczema outbreaks:
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Many people live with breast eczema. It can be challenging, though.
There may be times when your breast eczema disappears. These times are “remission” periods. The goal of a good skin care routine and treatment is to prevent flare-ups. Be sure to avoid anything that triggers your breast eczema, moisturize, take your medicine and follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations.
Reducing your stress is also very important in reducing breast eczema flare-ups. Try these tips:
See your healthcare provider as soon as you notice symptoms. Get treatment right away.
Breast eczema is annoying and can be embarrassing, but it’s common and very normal. It can affect your quality of life, particularly if it’s very itchy or makes you feel self-conscious. However, with a proper skin care routine and treatment, you can reduce its impact. See your healthcare provider as soon as you notice signs of breast eczema.
Every day, people see your skin, hair and nails. At Cleveland Clinic, our expert and caring dermatology team will make sure they’re healthy and strong.
Last reviewed on 10/27/2021.
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