| Nipple bleb | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Dermatology  |
A nipple bleb is a blister on the nipple that can be filled with serous or other fluid. It may be pink or light yellow.[1] It is thin-walled and may appear as a small blister, more than 5 mm in diameter. It can also be referred to as a bulla. Some clinicians may also include milk blisters as a type of bleb. In addition, a blocked Montgomery gland may also be called a nipple bleb though its cause is different than a milk or serous-filled bleb on the nipple.[2] In some cases the bleb may be associated with an adjacent blocked sebaceous cyst.[3]
It may be caused by a blocked pore that leads to seepage of milk or serous fluid under the epidermis. This causes a white 'bump' that appears opaque and shiny. If the bleb continues to block the flow of milk out of the breast it may develop into a blocked milk duct or even mastitis.[4]
A nipple bleb is often treated by the woman herself since a warm saline soak and gentle washing may open the blister and cause it to drain.[3]
- ^ Association, Australian Breastfeeding (4 February 2012). "White spot on the nipple". Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ "Sore, tender and damaged nipples". New Zealand Ministry of Health. 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ a b Walker, p. 534-5.
- ^ Walker, Marsha (2011). Breastfeeding management for the clinician : using the evidence. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. pp. 534–5. ISBN 9780763766511.