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Topics: Health, Advice, Women's Health, Life, Cancer, Explained, Tyla Exclusive, NHS
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Health, Advice, Women's Health, Life, Cancer, Explained, Tyla Exclusive, NHS
While, for the most part, boobs are great - it's clear they come with a fair few hang-ups.
For starters, there's the sheer discomfort of ill-fitting bras, large-chest-induced back pain and don't even get me started on how tender they feel when you're on your period.
Many people, however, have started reporting symptoms of 'itchiness' in the chesticle region, with the term 'itchy boobs' seeing a 14x higher search rate from July to August of this year, according to data supplied by Bupa UK insurance.
Additionally, 'one itchy nipple' searches tripled while 'itching below breast' searches doubled.
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So, to answer all your questions on the health query ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Dr Tim Woodman, Medical Director for Cancer Services, Bupa UK Insurance, has shared his expertise.
Dr Woodman explains that, like any other area of your body, your breasts can feel itchy from time to time.
"It’s rare for itchy breasts to be a symptom of breast cancer," he says, "but if you have a patch of skin on or around your breasts that you find yourself regularly scratching, it’s always worth getting it checked by a health professional."
While it's rare for itching around your breasts to be a sign of cancer, it’s not impossible.
One type of rare breast cancer, called inflammatory breast cancer, can cause changes to the skin on your breasts, the doctor notes, adding that this can lead to itching, redness, inflammation, pain and swelling.
Dr Woodman highlights that there's a rare skin condition, called Paget’s disease, that affects the nipple and areola.
"Sometimes, this can develop into cancer within the breast duct lining. However, it’s not always a cancerous condition, but it can lead to sore, itchy and bleeding nipples," he explains.
More regularly, itching can be caused by other conditions, like eczema. Other conditions, like mastitis, can cause inflammation in the breasts, leading to itching and discomfort.
The expert advised: "If you find that you regularly need to scratch the skin on or around your breasts, you should get it checked by a health professional, especially if it’s causing you discomfort or inconvenience."
Since the early 1990s, breast cancer incidence rates have increased by around a sixth (18%) in the UK, hence why it's so vital for us to know all the symptoms and signs of breast cancer to look out for.
Now, the most common symptom reported in breast cancer patients is a new lump or the skin thickening around the breast. These changes can occur both on the breast and in your armpits.
Dr Woodman adds that other things to look out for include:
Again, if you experience any of the above symptoms, it’s important to get yourself checked by a health professional.
While these symptoms don’t always necessarily mean breast cancer, as some lumps can be benign too (meaning non-cancerous), you won’t know that for sure until you get yourself checked - always good to be on the safe side, we say!
Dr Woodman says that 'around a quarter' of the UK’s breast cancer cases could be prevented through lifestyle changes.
He mapped out five ways to help you stay healthy:
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.