What does dark areola color mean? These four possibilities

There are four most common reasons for dark areola in women. Among them, pregnancy is the main reason. Others are excessive stimulation of sexual life and wearing inappropriate underwear. If it is caused by pathological factors, it should be taken seriously.

1. Four possible reasons why women's areola turns dark

1. Pregnancy: Hormonal changes cause the areola to become larger and darker. Even if hormones gradually return to normal after delivery, the size of the areola will never return to its pre-pregnancy state.

Hormonal changes cause the areola to grow larger and darker

2. Sunbathing: Wearing a bikini without sun protection will make the fabric more transparent after entering the water, giving the sun a chance to attack your breasts. Or if you like to wear thin and transparent cute clothes, don’t wear underwear, and don’t use sunscreen, all of which will cause your areola to darken.

3. Overstimulation: Excessive sexual life, babies sucking breast milk, liking to scrub the body with a sponge, improper exfoliation, etc., can cause melanin deposition.

4. Wearing rough underwear: The underwear is made of rough material and constantly rubs the areola, which can also cause melanin deposition.

2. Look at the color of the areola to predict serious illness

Physiological changes

1. After a woman becomes pregnant, starting from the early stages of pregnancy, the color of her nipples and areolas will deepen, gradually changing from light red to dark brown. This change is mainly due to the increase in estrogen and progesterone in the body after pregnancy, and is a normal physiological change.

After a woman becomes pregnant, the color of her nipples and areolas may darken from early pregnancy.

Darkening of the areola without pregnancy

2. For some women (mostly between 30 and 45 years old), even when they are not pregnant, the color of their nipples and areolas gradually deepens from pink-brown to dark brown. A breast examination may not reveal any lesions, but this color change indicates that the woman has a "transient" increase in estrogen in her body. Perhaps after a period of time, due to self-regulation, the estrogen level returns to normal, and the color of the nipples and areola also returns to normal. This is still a normal physiological change.

Pathological changes

1. The color of the nipples and areolas deepens, accompanied by severe itching around the nipples and areolas. During breast examination, hyperplastic lesions or cystic hyperplastic lesions may be found in both or one breast. The darkening of the color of the nipple and areola indicates an increase in the level of estrogen in the body. It is consistent with the law of disease occurrence for the breast, which is a target organ.

The color of the nipples and areolas darkens, accompanied by itching around the nipples and areolas

Simple darkening of the nipple and areola

2. The color of the nipple and areola simply deepens to dark brown or black brown. Even small nodules may be found around the areola glands, forming protrusions. At this time, there is no lesion when examining the breasts.