I have a private practice in New York City and have observed that some
mothers cover up, often with non breathable breast pads, smear a lot of
lanolin and can thereby end up with bad cases of yeast on the nipple
(especially in cultures where women can never expose the nipple to air, even
at home).  I theorize that you actually "seal in" the yeast with the
lanolin. Lansinoh has become available at our ubiquitous pharmacy/everything
else stores, and is definitely overused. Since the LLL info sheet does not
mention using lanolin as a cure for yeast, perhaps that is a good enough
reference for the time being. Perhaps when the sheet is revised, lanolin use
could be actively discouraged in yeast cases.
Many "professional anecdotes" constitute one level of evidence based
practice.  Another local LC and I agree that this is a big problem in our
area.  I very much agree that restricting use of lanolin to a real cut on
the nipple is an excellent protocol; I use those exact words myself.
Are there any dermatologists on our list?  Can we invite one?
Kate Sharp
LC in NYC
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