Itchy breast engorgement is a common problem that women have when they are breast feeding and when they start to wean their infant. As the woman starts to taper the amount of milk that she gives her child, the breasts can become more and more engorged. This can be uncomfortable for many women and cause the to have sore itchy breasts. In many ways, the woman should deal with it lick any other itch. The most important thing to do is to figure out why the breasts are itchy. The breast tissue is sensitive and highly specialized, but it is still just skin. In can have infection, allergies, and trauma like any other part of the body. Therefore it is appropriate to consider all of the different causes of sore itchy breasts before making a diagnosis.

The most common and cause of an itch is skin breakdown around the nipple. As the child sucks on the nipple there is some trauma that occurs. The repeated action of the child’s lips along with the wet environment can irritate the skin. This leads to some breakdown of the skin. This tends to be uncomfortable for most women and can also itch. Many times this can be solved by using a cream to moisturize the nipples and maintain the skin. Sometime some of the best product have more petrolatum. This provides a great barrier against moisture and is able to keep the skin protected.

Another source of a red itchy breast rash is an allergy. It is possible for the skin to have a dermatitis that causes inflammation and itchiness. The technical term for most of these problems is called contact dermatitis. The skin can react to a number of different compounds that exist in the environment. New laundry detergent or materials tend to trigger these sorts of reactions. The combination of any allergic reaction and the trauma and moisture of breast feeding is a set up for trouble. Some of the best ways to solve this problem is to apply a lotion to the skin where the allergy is located. You want to avoid strong cream with steroids as they can cause damage when used long term. Also, the medications can be transferred to the baby if the mother is not careful. The same is true for some of the oral anti-allergy medicines. Things like diphenhydramine can get into the breast milk and make the baby sleepy. Other medicines like loratadine can be helpful, but it is best to consult your physician before taking anything as you do not want to cause any harm to the neonate.

Lastly, an infection could be the cause of the problem. All of the previously mentioned situations also allow bacteria or other causative organisms into the skin around the nipple. This can cause a mastitis, which can be red, itchy, and painful. Sometimes an abscess can form and that would need to be drained and treated with antibiotics. All of these causes of itchy breast engorgement can be effectively treated.