Darkening around the nipple

The area around women's nipples becomes dark, which is a normal physiological phenomenon. It is mainly due to the effect of female secretion, so there are more pigment deposits in this area. This is also a sign of female sexual maturity. Generally, the area around girls' nipples is lighter in color before puberty. As they age, the darkening becomes more obvious. Let’s learn some knowledge related to nipples.

Common physiological changes of dark nipple color:

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

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.

Common pathological changes of dark nipple color:

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.

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. We should consider whether the patient has more serious liver disease. This is because liver disease causes decreased liver function, and estrogen cannot be normally broken down in the liver, causing the nipples and areolas to darken in color, which is exactly the same as the spider nevi and cinnabar palms that appear in men with severe liver disease.

3. When a woman's ovaries suffer from certain benign tumors, the amount of estrogen secreted by the ovaries increases, which can cause the color of the nipples and areola to darken, and many small nodules may appear around the areola glands. Such patients should see a gynecologist as soon as possible to find out the cause and receive timely treatment.

In view of this, when examining the breasts, be sure to pay attention to changes in the color of the nipples and areolas. It is necessary to clarify whether the changes in the color of the nipples and areola are physiological or pathological, and make a clear diagnosis and active treatment based on the characteristics of the changes.