Montgomery glands The darker area of skin around the nipple is called the areola. On the areola there are some little raised bumps. These are quite normal and are called Montgomery glands. They produce fluid to moisturise the nipple.
Montgomery tubercles are small bumps around your nipples and are completely normal. They are most common during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as around puberty and throughout the menstrual cycle. Still, people can develop them for several reasons. Montgomery tubercles shouldn't hurt.
You should avoid squeezing, popping or trying to unclog Montgomery glands because this could lead to infection or skin injury. Sometimes, Montgomery glands can become blocked, inflamed or infected. The signs would be a painful swelling or inflammation around the nipple and areolar area.
Depending on the cause, you may be able to get rid of bumps on your nipples. If the bumps are from an infection, certain skin conditions, or an ingrown hair, you can try these remedies. Applying a warm compress to the affected area. Using over-the-counter creams or ointments with hydrocortisone or tea tree oil.
Montgomery glands can become filled with a waxy substance. The gland then resembles a pimple with a white or yellowish head. These spots are known as Montgomery tubercles. Women do not have to be pregnant or breast-feeding for this to occur.
Montgomery tubercles look like small, raised bumps on your areolas. The number of bumps varies from person to person. Some women don't have any, while others have more than 20. Sometimes they fill up with a waxy substance, so they can occasionally look like a pimple with a white or yellowish head.
Most bumps and pimples on the nipple will go away on their own in a few days. However, if you are experiencing pain or discharge, talk to your doctor. They will likely look at the bump and the surrounding skin to see if they can diagnose the problem based on appearance.
Squeezing Montgomery glands
Although they look a bit like small pimples that could be popped, they're a normal part of your breast anatomy and should be left alone. Attempting to remove the tubercles by squeezing or picking might make them even more noticeable, or cause them to become infected.
Irritated Montgomery's glands appear red and slightly swollen. Infected Montgomery's glands may look pimple-like with a “white-head” at the tip. Irritated or infected glands can be painful to touch. Montgomery's glands may be inflamed by ointments, bra fabrics, breast pads, soaps, etc.
Also called Montgomery tubercles or areolar glands, Montgomery glands are a normal part of the nipples in men and women, says Dr. Chen, and usually get larger in response to a change in hormones, especially for women. That includes during puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy.
Areolas can also change in size as you age, gain or lose weight, or experience hormonal changes during puberty, periods, pregnancy, or menopause. While most of these changes are normal and perfectly harmless, certain changes may warrant an examination by a healthcare provider.
Generalized lumpiness was once thought to be abnormal and was even called fibrocystic breast disease, but it is so common that it is now considered normal. Breast lumpiness usually goes away after menopause but may be found in women who are taking hormone therapy after menopause.
If your nipple bumps come with other symptoms, that could be cause for concern. Here are the signs that you should call your doctor, according to Dr. Cate: Red bumps that are warm to the touch and accompanied by fever.
These bumps are called Montgomery glands. They secrete oil that helps to lubricate the areola. They become slightly larger and slightly red/pink when you are pregnant and breastfeeding.
Treatment is almost never necessary, since areolar glands do not represent a pathologic condition. They can be removed or destroyed surgically, by laser, or by electrodessication.
The veins in your breasts become more noticeable under the skin. Some women get stretch marks on their breasts. The nipples and the area around the nipples (areola) become darker and larger. Small bumps may appear on the areola.
Montgomery's tubercles are small bumps on your areolas (the dark area around the nipple), that can show up during pregnancy. They often appear around the same time as those tell-tale dark veins and sore nipples that are hallmarks of early pregnancy.
Although present outside of pregnancy, Montgomery tubercles become more prominent around the 12th week of pregnancy. The increased prominence of the Montgomery glands is accompanied by other pregnancy related breast changes such as the darkening and enlargement of the areola.
Leave them alone: As long as your nipples and areola are soft and healthy, leave the Montgomery glands alone. Wash your breasts with warm water and avoid soaps that can wash away the protective substance secreted by your Montgomery glands.
Montgomery's glands are large sebaceous glands capable of secreting milk; they represent an intermediate stage between the sweat and the mammary glands. Fascial tissues envelop the breast; the superficial pectoral fascia envelops the breast and is continuous with the superficial abdominal fascia of Camper.
Lumps in a woman are most often either fibroadenomas or cysts, or just normal variations in breast tissue known as fibrocystic changes. Fibrocystic changes are painful, lumpy breasts. This is a benign condition that does not increase your risk for breast cancer.