Hi. My Girlfriend Has A Small Red Scaly Spot Under

Posted on Wed, 13 Feb 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : Hi. My girlfriend has a small red scaly spot under her left areola. She has already had her yearly mammogram and annual dermatological exam shortly before this spot occurred. While she has no family history of breast cancer, she still is a bit paranoid. I should mention that she suffers from eczema that worsens in the winter. Could this spot be due to a flare up of eczema?

Answered by Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Information

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service,

If she has a history of eczema, this spot could be due to that. It can also be a small fungal infection (yeast or ringworm). Rarely, Paget's disease of the breast can cause what looks like eczema of the nipple. If she just had a mammogram though, that would make this even less likely.

She can try a moisturizer such as Eucerin to see if it will go away. If she needs definitive reassurance, and the Eucerin doesn't help at all, then best to go into her doctor.

I hope this information helps.
Please let me know if I can provide further information or clarification.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee