Infected glands on nipple help.

[mkh9]

I have gotten an infected nipple gland (Montgomery glands) twice now. I am 56 and in menopause. I take a shower after the gym and every other day. I don't scrub the area. The doctor says it is not known what causes this. I hate it and have to take an antibiotic each time plus it hurts. Any suggestions? I have never had children and I am not on hormone replacement drugs.
thanks,
mkh9

[AnnieBrooke]

I don't think it sounds like either thing, then. That's plenty clean for a bra. And blackheads or pus are different than just a blocked gland like might happen with mastitis. I'd talk to a dermatologist.

[mkh9]

Okay thanks. My family practice said it was clogged sebaceous glands that got infected.  

[AnnieBrooke]

Hm. Well, then, you could try this thing -- get a Q-tip (not the kind with a wooden stick but the kind that have a white cardboard stick) and a very clean cutter (it wouldn't be too careful to clean the cutter with alcohol). Cut one of the cotton-bud ends off the Q-tip, leaving a blunt stick. (Cut it square so you don't have a stick that is  too pointy and will scratch you.) Then after a bath, use the clean cardboard stick to trace into the folds of the nipple (if you have never breast fed, maybe you haven't been aware of how many outlets there are in a nipple -- milk can come out like a sprinkler head, and those outlets are all hidden in creases of the nipple skin). Over time, the creases can fill with something -- probably salts from sweat and skin oils and maybe even skin flakes -- that comes from the skin or possibly even inside the nipple. If you spread the skin of the nipple with your fingers and scrape gently on the creases with your little cardboard stick, off will come surprisingly noticeable amounts of whatever that stuff is. (It looks like dried salt.) If a natural outlet there gets blocked (by this skin deposit stuff), possibly that would encourage an infection.

You might try this a few times (once a month, perhaps) and see if there seems to be any of this skin stuff there.

[AnnieBrooke]

and, p.s. -- if you have a magnifying mirror, it would help you to see what you are doing.  lol

[AnnieBrooke]

p.s. again -- of course, I mean, do this preventatively on a healthy nipple, not one with the swelling and redness, etc. By then, it's time for the antibiotics.

[AnnieBrooke]

I assume you wash your bras regularly? It's possible that some skin secretions are in the folds of the nipple and block the ducts; those can be gently removed by the blunt end of a Q-tip stick after taking a shower.

[mkh9]

Hi AnnieBrooke,
Man I just lost a big message, again. Ugh. Well, here goes again.
1. I wear my regular bras about twice before washing and my sports bra I admit 3 times. So I will wash more often . I just only have one good sports bra so I will buy more.
2. I wake up with the infection. By the time I see it is swollen, red, has pus, and hurts. I do have some occasional blackheads. I know I guess I am not clean enough maybe with the bras. If you have a blackhead is it okay to pick? Should I was the nipple area more or something in addition to new bras.
Thanks,
mkh9