What could cause a red lump on a breast ?

Start easy and think about flea, tick, bug, or spider bites. Does it itch? Is the area red and feel warmer to the touch than the surrounding areas.

Keep an eye on it for a few days; if it does not improve, check it out with primary physician.

What do you mean by “tracking”?

I’d go and see a doctor if I were you….

Are you one of those people who plucks hair in that area? It might be an ingrown hair….

I’d keep an eye on it for a day or two, and if it doesn’t improve I’d see a medical professional.

G’day Dani,

Thanks for your question.

It could be fat necrosis. However, any lumps on a breast should be looked at by a doctor as soon as possible. link

Regards

Thanks so much fro answering guys! @keithold that likn was extremely helpful and unfortunately my symptoms to have similarities to some on that site for the absscess (yuk)
I have booked a doctors appointment and will be there this afternoon. @gailcalled thanks for your answer. I first got it at the beginning of yesterday adn did just think it was a bite. until i woke up this morning and had the ‘tracking’ what I mean by that it lines coming from the redened area, going up my chest and one going on the side towards my armpit… this is what alarmed me, because a simple bite doesnt usually do anything like that (unless it was a spider bite or something)

Are you breastfeeding at all? My first thought was mastitis
Definitely see a doctor. Warm compresses can help.

Just go to the doctor for heavens sake.

@Zacky I am I am… straight after work! im sure it cant be too serious. im only 20— not many 20 years olds develop breast cancer or anything… or do they??? and no @casheroo im not breastfeeding, never had a child! I should know by tonight =]

@i_n_a_d_xxx Please let me know how things go.

Coincidentally, I just read a story that included a disease that manifested itself this way—and it’s a real disease, and a killer if not treated in time. See your doctor ASAP and tell him you want to be checked for Inflammatory Breast Cancer. It is often misdiagnosed as “rash”, “insect bite”, “skin irritation” etc., but it can be a very aggressive cancer. Don’t delay on this, please.

When you say tracking do you mean red lines moving away from the red area? That could be blood poisining, or some sort of cellulitis, which might need IV antibiotics, but definitely some sort of antibiotics. That is very dangerous. @CyanoticWasp brought up the cancer possibility, that there is a breast cancer that is like a rash on the breast, but if this happened suddenly it sounds like an infection. If it is growing quickly (I would get out a pen and trace around the boarders of the redness so you can see if it grows outside of the line you have drawn) like a centemeter every 12 hours or faster go to the doctor ASAP.

Well well well, @Zacky thought i would let you know I am still alive. as you may recall i only have the internet at work! and that lump got mighty sore and impossible to bear for the last week… so I have not been at work until today! it is tough to get back inot it after a week off of lazying around, even if i am in pain!
the doc was unsure of what it migth be- he jsut gave me antibitoics and sent me on my way! i started them on Monday and by Thursday I was worse and starting to panick that my breast may need the chop!! I marked it out with a premanent marker as @JLeslie suggested, and not only did that calm me down because by friday it had shrunk, but i also now have marker allll over the inside of my favourit laze about singlet =]...
I still have a lump, and I am on antibiotics (which by the way make me feel horrible in the stomach) for another few days, so hopefully the lumjp will disappear… if not- back to the doctor i go! thanks all for your inputs!

@i_n_a_d_xxx, I still think you should get your doctor to biopsy for Inflammatory Breast Cancer. It’s apparently uncommon, which is in your favor, of course, but… it does tend to strike younger women. Check out this link, from the National Cancer Institute.

If that’s ruled out, then at least you won’t have to worry about it.

@ i n a d xxx: “the doc was unsure of what it migth be- he jsut gave me antibitoics and sent me on my way!” I

would immediately change doctors if I had heard that. Antibiotics and no reason is a bad combination and terrible medicine.

@i_n_a_d_xxx Next time you can use an ink pen, intead of a marker, so it will wash off easier. I’m glad it made you feel better to mark it though. There is nothing wrong with trying the antibiotics for a week to 10 days, if it looks like cellulitis or the area has a fever and is spreading. Certain infections are easily observable (of course we don’t know what it really looks like) and then if it does not go away do further testing for other possibilities. If that is the case you might want to go to a breast specialist. The antibiotics should be causing significant improvement within 5 days though if they are working. I am unclear from what you wrote about the timing. Did it get worse while on the antibiotics or better? Also, if you can take the drug with food (you have to be sure, because food affects absorption for some drugs) make sure you do to avoid stomach upset. Avoid taking with dairy.

@gailcalled, that’s excellent advice. Especially if he didn’t even do a culture. It’s doctors like that who are helping the evolutionary processes that lead to drug-resistant bacteria, too.

It might have been a very good guess. I am the first to be annoyed with docs who hand out antibiotics left and right, but this might have been a very worthwhile guess. If it looked like cellulitis the normal thing to do is prescribe antibiotics, very rarely are cultures taken. It is not strep throat (which by the way I think should always be cultured the old fashioned way before prescribing).