Wart's up, doc?
October 13, 2011 3:57 PM Subscribe
I have what looks like a wart on one of my nipples. Should I be worried?
Is it possible for a wart to grow on a nipple? This thing is very tiny, very pink, and doesn't act like any kind of ordinary skin pucker on a nipple (basically, it just sits there and doesn't respond to any stimulus, which nipple skin puckers usually do). It seems to be wholly external on the skin (i.e., not a "lump.") Doesn't hurt or do anything obnoxious. It hasn't been there for very long--I'd say two months at most.
FWIW, I have been prone to warts in other places (usually fingers) and also get a LOT of "skin tags" all over my body (including my breasts, but this isn't one--its base is fully on the nipple and not pinched inward like a skin tag). I've also gotten a couple subcutaneous cysts (not in breasts) and my mother is prone to those also, and has had them removed from her breasts. I have never been pregnant so have never breast-fed. There is breast cancer in my family--only one person (my cousin) but she died of it and she was only in her late 30s (my current age).
YANAD, YANMD, obviously.
Is it possible for a wart to grow on a nipple? This thing is very tiny, very pink, and doesn't act like any kind of ordinary skin pucker on a nipple (basically, it just sits there and doesn't respond to any stimulus, which nipple skin puckers usually do). It seems to be wholly external on the skin (i.e., not a "lump.") Doesn't hurt or do anything obnoxious. It hasn't been there for very long--I'd say two months at most.
FWIW, I have been prone to warts in other places (usually fingers) and also get a LOT of "skin tags" all over my body (including my breasts, but this isn't one--its base is fully on the nipple and not pinched inward like a skin tag). I've also gotten a couple subcutaneous cysts (not in breasts) and my mother is prone to those also, and has had them removed from her breasts. I have never been pregnant so have never breast-fed. There is breast cancer in my family--only one person (my cousin) but she died of it and she was only in her late 30s (my current age).
YANAD, YANMD, obviously.
I have a friend who has one of those. Her doctor said it was nothing to worry about, just the way the skin is. Several other doctors have also seen it and did not seem worried by it. That being said it couldn't hurt to ask your doctor about it the next time you're in to see them.
posted by bleep at 4:00 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by bleep at 4:00 PM on October 13, 2011
Could it be a Montgomery tubercle? These are totally normal to my understanding, and although photos of them usually show areolas with a bunch of them all around the nipple, personally I have just one that actually shows noticeably.
posted by ootandaboot at 4:13 PM on October 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by ootandaboot at 4:13 PM on October 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have had a wart on my breast, nestled up against my nipple. It wasn't painful, but it was very WTF? How the hell did that get there?
I went to the doctor and he removed it like any other wart.
Sometimes our bodies are an anti-wonderland.
posted by Windigo at 4:39 PM on October 13, 2011
I went to the doctor and he removed it like any other wart.
Sometimes our bodies are an anti-wonderland.
posted by Windigo at 4:39 PM on October 13, 2011
I just read read this today about bumps on nipples. So much there I didn't know! However, that doesn't sound like what you have. Unless you're pregnant and then who knows what kind of craziness could be happening. I wouldn't immediately jump to "Cancer!" but definitely worth getting checked out. I've had the occasional wart on my hand or foot and it was always better to get it treated when it was smaller. Such a sensitive area! Definitely get it checked out.
posted by amanda at 4:49 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by amanda at 4:49 PM on October 13, 2011
Cherry angioma?
My girlfriend used to get one here or there. I thought they were pretty - like little pink freckles.
posted by whalebreath at 6:31 PM on October 13, 2011
My girlfriend used to get one here or there. I thought they were pretty - like little pink freckles.
posted by whalebreath at 6:31 PM on October 13, 2011
it just sits there and doesn't respond to any stimulus
Then it's not a wart -- don't all warts hurt when you squeeze 'em? The doctor who first diagnosed mine used the scientific word impingement to describe that squeezing pressure, which he used as confirmation.
posted by Rash at 8:54 AM on October 14, 2011
Then it's not a wart -- don't all warts hurt when you squeeze 'em? The doctor who first diagnosed mine used the scientific word impingement to describe that squeezing pressure, which he used as confirmation.
posted by Rash at 8:54 AM on October 14, 2011
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posted by tel3path at 3:59 PM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]