What’s this rash on my breast?

Symptoms:

» You’ve developed a rash running in a single stripe of blisters around one side of your chest affecting the skin of your breast. It’s excruciatingly painful.

You’ve developed » a sore rash underneath your breasts which despite fastidious hygiene keeps coming back and the skin remains damp, red and itchy.

» You’re over 50, the skin of your nipple is getting scaly and hard, spreading into the areola, it’s also itchy and red.

It could be:

Shingles, a viral » infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same one that causes chicken pox. The virus lies inactive in nerve tissue and years later may reactivate as shingles.

Candidiasis, thrush, a » yeast/fungus infection which has taken hold in the warm, damp crease underneath your breasts. Candida lives on the skin but is usually kept under control by normal bacteria.

Paget’s disease which » usually signifies an underlying cancer. It’s easy to mistake the signs for simple skin irritation. Don’t.

Stop it:

» Contact your doctor promptly to confirm the diagnosis so you can have prescription antiviral drugs to soothe, heal and reduce the risk of complications.

See your doctor for an » examination and anti-candida cream. And check if you have thrush in your mouth or your bowel and eradicate that too.

» See your doctor as soon as possible for a diagnosis and referral to a breast unit for full investigation and treatment. Examine your breasts monthly so you’re always aware of any changes.