Men and women will experience itchy nipples at a point in their lives. A good number of reasons why your nipple itch is nothing that calls for concern. However, some symptoms should not be ignored. Itching nipples can be a sign that something more serious is going on.
Pregnancy
Hormonal changes, breast expansion, and increased blood flow may cause a woman to experience itchy nipples during pregnancy. A woman may also experience nipple soreness, tingling, sensitivity, and breast-heaviness.
Commonly, women can treat pregnancy-related nipple itching themselves, by applying
a chemical-free lotion like vitamin E, cocoa butter or lanolin: Using additional petroleum jelly throughout the day may also be helpful in keeping moisture within the skin. Apply lotion or petroleum jelly to the nipples after showering, especially in the morning and evening.
Allergic Reactions
Your nipples are just as sensitive as the rest of the skin on your body. If you’ve recently changed your fragrance, detergent, lotion or anything else you put on your body, then that might be a reason why your nipples are itching. According to MayoClinic, “Some people react to strong irritants after a single exposure. Others may develop signs and symptoms, after repeated exposures to even mild irritants. And some people develop a tolerance to the substance over time.”
Paget disease of the nipple
According to the National Cancer Institute, one of the symptoms of Paget disease is itchy nipples. The disease itself is “a rare type of cancer involving the skin of the nipple”, with less than 5% of all breast cancer cases being a Paget disease of the nipple. Oftentimes, the outer symptoms: itchy nipples, flattened nipple, thickened skin around the nipple, or discharge from the nipples, are accompanied by a tumour inside the breast. The symptoms are also, those shared by other less life-threatening conditions, like eczema, so the key to a correct diagnosis is to be diagnosed by a doctor.
Eczema
Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes dry, itchy inflammation that can show up as a red rash. If you’ve had breast itchiness for a while, and you can’t pinpoint the reason, eczema could perhaps, be the cause.
Itchy nipple piercing
If you are into body jewellery, and at some point in your life you had your nipple pierced, this may be the reason why all of a sudden you are experiencing this itching sensation. The intensity of itchiness doesn’t have to be the same in both nipples. The most probable reason, which lies behind itchy pierced nipples, is the fact that the healing process is still in progress.
