Yesterday I saw a woman who was breastfeeding uneventfully for 4 months,
until 3 weeks ago developed a milk blister or "milk under the skin" on one
nipple. She had a painful blocked duct and so went back to her local
maternity unit where a midwife used a sterile needle to open the offending
spot on the nipple. The blockage did not clear spontaneously, but she went
home and kept feeding and the blockage cleared.
One week later the process was repeated. And since then she has removed the
tiny piece of skin herself every 2 days (she ran out of needles given to her
from the hospital and has started using "horse" needles!).
Anyway she wanted me to "Fix the problem for good". However, when I saw her
the spot was tiny and there was no blockage, so I was reluctant to do
anything. Should I have tried to remove it? Robyn Noble in Breastfeeding
Review, July 1991, p118 says "In some cass *complete* removal of this
overgrowth is needed to discourage reoccurence of this condition".
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Lisa Amir
GP / LC in Melbourne, Australia