Rash between Breasts: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments and Prevention
Rashes anywhere on the body can be painful and itchy. But when we talk about the rash between breasts, it can be particularly irritating and difficult to tolerate.
And to be honest, it isn’t as uncommon as it sounds, considering how the space between breasts is closed and a perfect host for several reactions that sweat gives off during summers.
During the healing process, the rashes between breasts can leave dark brown spots that may be quite unpleasant to look at.
There is a possibility of such a rash to turn red and start to swell depending on the reason behind the problem. Pimples from rashes are sometimes filled with pus, a clear indication that the skin is infected.
Signs and Symptoms of Rash between Breasts
A lot of people miss apparent signs and symptoms that they may be developing a rash between breasts until it becomes itchy and visible.
Following are some of the signs that can help determine if you’re at the risk of an outbreak between your breasts or not.
1. Smell
A foul odor from your breasts is the first symptom which can be helpful in identifying the rash between breasts.
2. Inflammation
We all know that inflammation is a bad sign. If the cleavage starts swelling up, it shows that the woman is in extreme discomfort. If the problem gets worse, the area might begin turning red.
3. Itchy Feeling
A constant itchy feeling may start to surface and cause displeasure. You can start feeling quite uneasy, especially in a public place.
4. Burning Sensation
You might start feeling all of a sudden as though your cleavage is heating up and a burning sensation is starting to spread all over your chest.
Please do not avoid this and take some time to identify the reasons as to what is causing this sensation.
Related Reading: 12 Possible Causes and Treatments of Pain under Left Breast
What Causes Rash between Breasts?
The maximum time rashes take to heal is two weeks. If your rash has been irritating you for more than two weeks, my advice to you would be that you immediately consult a doctor who can help deal with the problem in the best way possible.
Here are some things that may cause rashes between breasts:
1. Sweating
Now, this is something I have personal experience with. The more you sweat, the possibility of developing a rash between your breasts increases because of the lack of exposure to air, especially when you have a bra on.
Like all the other areas of the body, sweating can cause a lot of irritation on the cleavage, more so because it is one of the most sensitive parts of your body.
Sweating gives form to moisture that may result in the breasts developing smelly and itchy rashes on the cleavage.
You might also notice that this increases during summers. To minimize the possibility of developing a rash between breasts, you might want to consider wearing loose clothes and curtail the times you put on a bra so that you don’t sweat much.
2. Food Allergies
Different people react in different ways to food allergies.
However, some foods can cause rashes when consumed in surplus. For example, unnecessary intake of avocados and peanuts may cause breasts to start swelling.
Rash between breasts caused by food allergies disappears after some time on their own. However, it would be essential to identify if the causes behind your rash is a food allergy and decrease the intake of that food immediately.
3. Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is likely to cause a burning sensation on the cleavage because of the yeast from the breast milk.
If these rashes become pervasive, a visit to the doctor would help deal with the problem appropriately without much discomfort.
4. Unfitting Bras
One of the most common reasons behind a rash between breasts is the use of unfitting bras. A lot of women today prefer wearing push-up bras, avoiding the discomfort caused by them.
If you have big breasts, I would suggest you steer clear of push-up bras as the friction caused by them can result in the appearance of pimples on the cleavage, and this can be extremely painful.
5. Fungal
Poor hygiene and not being able to take proper care of the chest area can result in fungal spores that have been known to create problems for women between the breasts.
Usually, this is caused when a woman wears a bra for more than once without cleaning, which can be responsible for heat rashes.
6. Yeast Infection
Yeast infection, also known as Candida infection is a more familiar cause of redness between the breasts. The infection mostly shows up when the breast skin comes in contact with one another.
If not tended to immediately, it might turn into a more significant infection of the skin. Here are some of the factors that can cause yeast infection:
- Moisture builds up between the breasts.
- Tight tops and tight bras, especially during the summers.
- Friction caused by excess weight or fat.
Related Reading: Sore Breasts after Period (Mastodynia): 10 Possible Causes and Treatments
Rash Between Breasts: Is it Breast Cancer?
Rashes between breasts can be excruciatingly painful and cause the immeasurable amount of discomfort. So the first thing that comes to your mind is if you’re at the risk of having breast cancer or not.
Even though a rash between breasts rarely indicates breast cancer, it would be ok to seek medical attention from the dermatologist for any signs that may suggest otherwise.
Breast cancer barely ever lead to pimples on the chest area, however, if you feel itchy pimples on the nipple, you should immediately get an appointment with a specialist as they will run proper tests and detect the cause behind your condition.
Natural Treatments for Rash between Breasts
For the most of us, the thing that contributes to the amount of confidence we have is a body with no marks or pimples.
This becomes even more important during summers when you want to be able to wear clothes that don’t cover you up entirely. Here are some natural treatments for rash between the breasts:
1. Cotton
Using cotton to absorb the moisture between your breasts might keep the condition from worsening. Rashes between breasts are a result of the moisture that builds up because of the skin surfaces rubbing against one another.
Keeping cotton between breasts after taking a shower and drying the chest area would be helpful.
2. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. It can help in reducing pain when applied to the affected area. Hence, it is an effective home remedy to decrease the discomfort caused by the itching and rash between breasts.
It also helps lessen the friction between breasts as it is greasy. Coconut oil is an excellent product that helps the skin regain its smooth texture.
Take a warm shower and make sure that the skin is drained of all the water. Apply coconut oil on the surface between the breasts. Repeat this process twice or thrice a day to treat rash between breasts.
3. Cold Compress
A cold compress is used to rid the skin between the breasts of all the heat caught between them. It’s handy with the pain and redness or any spots that may have formed in the affected area.
Put some ice in a cotton cloth and press it between the breasts. Keep doing so for at least twelve minutes. Repeat after five to six hours. Try to do this at least three times a day to soothe rash between breasts.
4. Turmeric
Turmeric will help you deal with the rashes between your breasts because it’s an antiseptic. It will also help with inflammation because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Mix turmeric with milk or water and apply it on the cleavage. Make sure that the affected area is clean and dry. Leave the mixture on for at least 30 minutes.
5. Calamine Lotion
Calamine lotion is an inexpensive product and extremely effective when it comes to treating the skin on a woman’s chest previously affected by rashes.
It has a cooling effect and speeds up the healing process as well. Pour some calamine lotion on cotton and apply it on the affected area.
Related Reading: Burning Sensation in Breasts: 12 Possible Causes and Home Remedies
Preventive Tips for Rash between Breasts
Put on the right size bra. Avoid push-up bras, particularly if you have big breasts.
If you’re overweight, try to manage your weight. Extra fat causes friction and friction causes rashes. Wear loose clothes, especially during summers.
Try to avoid an overheated environment since it makes your body prone to sweating.
Read Next:
- Rash behind Ear: 10 Possible Causes and Home Remedies
- How to Treat Chlorine Rash?
- How to Teat Infected Tattoo?
Sources:
“Rash Between Breast, Cleavage Pimples, Red, Bumps, Get Rid Fast,” Health Mds, last accessed January 22, 2018; http://www.healthmds.org/rashes/cleavage-rash/rash-between-breast-pimples-cyst-spots-itchy-smell-burns-painful-red-bumps-heat-treatment/
