22 years old and worried about Pagets
I'm 22 (and a fresh 22... my birthday was less than two weeks ago) and my nipples have been acting weirdly to say in the least. I noticed them being rather dry a couple of months back but did not think anything of it. For the past couple of weeks, I have noticed that they are more and more discolored. On both sides, my nipples are almost white in the middle. If I brush them with a washcloth, tiny bits of flaky skin seem to come off (very small amounts) but they still are white. The hardest part is that I have partially inverted nipples (have always had them, this is not a recent development) so they are not always visible... they are the kind that do easily come out though when even the slightest bit chilly or sometimes when something brushes against them etc. It looks like on both nipples the ducts (I guess they are called) some are very red and some are white and overall they look irritated. However I have not noticed much if any itchiness, soreness, or swelling aside from the general sensitivity/soreness around the time of my period. There is not a consistent itching or swelling or anything. When they are inverted, they look normal as they always have but when they come out, they look awful. White patches on them and very red ducts. I have not noticed any discharge but I'm not sure if there has been any that has just slipped past me -- if there has been, it would have been white or clear. I have been having panic attacks and constant anxiety and even nightmares about this as virtually everything on the internet that comes up either A) relates to pregnant/breast feeding women or says breast cancer - usually Pagets. I know from what I've read that Pagets tends to affect older women in their 50s and 60s but I have read a lot as well about it showing up in adolesencents/women in their early 20s as well. I do not have a direct close family history of breast cancer although there have been other cancers on my mothers side. My great grandmother did have breast cancer but that's it. I am 22 years old, otherwise generally okay health although I have expected that I had hormonal issues for the past year or so. Was tested last summer for PCOS and thyroid and everything came back normal much to my disbelief and I did not press the issue further. I also have very small breasts and I am underweight. I have had several skin issues - I have suffered from moderate and persistent acne for the past 10 years, have extremely dry and sensitive skin that typically flakes on my face and sometimes other parts of my body as well get dry patches, have tinea versicolor recurrently usually on my neck, chest/breasts, and inner arms. And overall just have rather sensitive skin that easily gets irritated/itchy but never have I had an issue like this on my nipples before and it doesn't seem like excema as it is not on my areola at all - just on the nipples themselves. It is on both nipples about the same amount, although sometimes one will look worse tha the other. I have applied vaseline/lotion a few times but I hate touching my nipples because it sends me into a panic that I have breast cancer and also when I've applied the creams my nipple was usually inverted so I'm not sure that it really sunk in or not. I am looking to make an appointment with my GP once I receive my new insurance card in the mail but the wait is killing me and making me anxious because I keep thinking about them having to squeeze my nipples and I am terrified to find out I have Pagets/breast cancer. From reading other posts on here, it seems most people suggest going to a dermatologist or breast specailist for these kinds of concerns but I suppose GP is the best bet so they can refer me to the others. I don't know. Just wanted to see what others experiences were .
Comments
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CH - going to your GP to have any changes checked out is ALWAYS a good idea so you’re on the right track. After reading through the boards here I’m sure you’ve seen that the odds of you having cancer is close to zero, so keep that in the forefront of your mind while you’re waiting to see the doctor. Honestly it sounds like either a skin issue or more likely dry skin...especially considering the sensitive skin issues you have. If your nipples are naturally inverted then it could be trapping body wash in skin folds if you don’t get them completely rinsed out. It could also be a reaction to soap or body cream. You could try gently applying Vaseline with a q-tip if using your fingers makes you anxious. Whatever it is it’s probably not cancer at your age. I know it’s scary but please remember the almost zero odds. Breathe easy and post back when you see the doc, we would love to hear the good results! Hang in there!
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Great advice from Egads007. You are doing the right thing. Hang in there and keep us posted!
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Thank you for the responses! I appreciate it. I went to the doctor a few days ago and had a breast exam - she didn't find any lumps and my nipples did not have any discharge. She prescribed a topical anti fungal cream and said if it didn't clear within 2 weeks that I would be referred to a breast specialist. So far has been about 4 days and I'm not seeing any improvements (they are about the same, sometimes look slightly better for a little but then go back to the same). I'm really starting to get worried about having bilateral Pagets or some other kind of breast cancer that causes an issue with the nipples.
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