So I’m a guy who’s 27 and I don’t pay that particularly much attention to my nipples, but one of mine has been bugging me for a good couple months now and I don’t know what’s wrong.
It’s only one (the right one if it matters) and basically it itches like no ones business. Part of the itching too is that its red and swollen. It get’s really dry too when it swells and gets hard (think of when it’s cold) but putting moisterizer on it just makes it sting and ultimately doesn’t help because instead of being hard and dry, pointy and itchy it’s soft and pointy and itchy.
If I run my hand over it with some pressure I do feel pain, but not a lot of it. Honestly most of the pain I feel with it comes from the fact that I itch it so much it practically becomes raw. I have zero health insurance so I haven’t been to a doctor or anything like that to talk with them, and I honestly don’t think my college’s health center would be much help. Are there any docs or nurses in the audience who might have an inkling as to what I’m feeling?
I’m not a physician, but if I were, I’d call what you’ve described nipple dermatitis.
Any number of things might be contributing to it: clothing/nipple chafing, too much moisture and humidity buildup in your shirt, and a variant of yeast infection called thrush are all prime candidates.
My advice would be to avoid using any nipple cleanser harsher than water and try to keep the area as dry and well-ventilated as you possibly can. I don’t know what kind of shirt you usually wear, but whatever it is you might try to change it up with a fabric that breathes a little better. This will also help if the irritation is being caused by some kind of fabric allergy. Most importantly, stop scratching it!
Persistent symptoms would most likely be treated with a prescription corticosteroid cream.
Um… my office mate’s husband and my great-uncle both have breast cancer. Itchy, swollen, and pain is what got them into their doctor’s offices. Get that checked out, man. Apparently men getting it isn’t as rare as everyone thought.
It’s probably worth checking out. Could be nipple eczema, but those symptoms can also herald Paget’s Disease of the Nipple, which is a form of cancer. Go get it checked, and be happy if they just say, “it’s eczema/dermatits, put some cream on it.”
(I’m purposely leaving that totally innocent, epic typo in there.)