Dr. Mary Ann O'Hara has done some research on nipple blebs which can be
found in the journal BREASTFEEDING MEDICINE Volume 7, Supplement 1, 2012.

BLEB HISTOLOGY REVEALS INFLAMMATORY INFILTRATE THAT REGRESSES WITH TOPICAL
STEROIDS; A CASE SERIES MaryAnn O’Hara, MD, MPH*
Seattle Breastfeeding Medicine, Seattle, WA

She removed the painful blebs with a punch biopsy tool which immediately
relieved the pain. When studied microscopically the blebs were found to
contain immune cells indicating "a tissue reaction
to milk that has leaked from ducts into surrounding tissue." Based on these
findings, she treated subsequent blebs with a short daily course of a very
thin layer of a mid-potency steroid under occlusion to enhance penetration
into the inflamed and fibrotic tissue. She concluded that nipple blebs are an
inflammatory response to nipple trauma when milk leaks from ducts into the
surrounding tissue. She reported that the lesion and symptoms usually
regress with topical steroid treatment,

This might prove to be another approach to those pesky and painful blebs
that we all seem to encounter and work so hard to improve.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome