Regarding the higher incidence of mastitis cited in the JOGNN study in the
lanolin-using moms, I would suspect it is an artifact of the moms continuing
to slather an occlusive on top of an uncleaned, bacterially contaminated
crack.  I bet if the moms had gently cleansed the broken skin prior to using
the occlusive that they would have not had this effect.  While the majority
of the studies I've looked at suggest that hydrogels reduce pain, most do
not suggest that they promote faster healing.  I treat broken skin on the
nipple the way I would broken skin elsewhere:  The first aid is mild
cleansing, perhaps mild antibiotics used topically as prophylaxis, and
prevention of further truama.  Use of occlusives can prevent scab formation
and can be useful.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html