Keeping your skin cool and dry: Use a fan or air conditioner to cool your body down if the temperature is hot or humid. Take a cool shower and either lightly pat your skin dry with a towel or let your body air dry to prevent further irritation. Healthcare providers diagnose inflammatory breast cancer after a thorough examination of the breast and often a tissue biopsy of your nipple or an underlying mass. This requires prompt treatment. Mastitis

Heat rashes form minutes to hours after you start sweating. The heat rash is an area of your skin with clusters of small, pimple-like bumps. Symptoms of a heat rash include: Insect bites: Getting bitten by a mosquito causes a small, raised welt anywhere on your skin. Bed bug bites can also cause tiny bumps and itchy skin. Bug bites can happen on any skin on your body. There can be many potential causes of breast rash. While most rashes on your breast happen due to bug bites, allergic reactions, irritants or infection, some breast rashes are a sign of breast cancer. What do breast cancer rashes look like?Other allergic reactions or irritants: Things like metal on jewelry, scents from soap, perfumes or dryer sheets, chemicals, food additives or outdoor irritants (like grass) can all cause the skin on your breast to develop a rash. Treatment for dermatitis (skin irritation) includes topical steroids and avoiding the substance causing the irritation. This can include soaps or cosmetics that produce an allergic reaction, particular types of clothing material or friction from a bra or clothing. Once you start cooling your body down, a mild heat rash could go away within a day. On average, heat rashes last two to three days. More severe heat rashes can last up to a couple of weeks without treatment.

Severe symptoms could occur from a heat rash, especially if you itch it and the bumps break open. Reach out to your healthcare provider if you experience the following severe symptoms:

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Heat rashes also form in areas where your clothing rests on your skin for a long period, like the waistband of your pants. Heat rashes rarely form on your face. What are the symptoms of a heat rash?

Eliminating friction: Loose-fitting clothing is best to wear around a heat rash to avoid irritation. For heat rashes around your groin area, you could temporarily avoid wearing undergarments to reduce the amount of clothing rubbing against your rash. Babies should also go a few hours without a diaper for heat rashes that affect their diaper region. Dermatitis: This is a catch-all term to describe any type of irritation, discoloration or inflammation on your skin. There are many different types of dermatitis. The rashes above aren’t associated specifically with your breasts — they can appear anywhere on your body, including your breasts. These are mostly harmless but can cause discomfort. See a dermatologist or your primary care physician for treatment. Inflammatory breast cancer Inflammatory breast cancer causes your skin to become red and eventually dimple or pit, taking on the texture of an orange peel. Other symptoms can include pain and swelling and an inverted nipple.Treatment for mastitis usually consists of antibiotics to fight the infection. Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer and mastitis may be similar, so it’s necessary to make sure that the rash completely resolves. Breast abscess Mammary duct ectasia is a condition that occurs when your milk ducts widen. These milk ducts contain debris which can sometimes become infected. Symptoms can include: Treatment of a breast abscess consists of draining pus from the infected area. If the infection is small, your provider may use a syringe and needle, often under ultrasound guidance by a radiologist. If it’s a large infection, a small incision may be required to drain the pus. In either case, your provider uses a local anesthetic to numb the area first. Mammary duct ectasia Taking medicine to treat any fevers: If your heat rash is induced by fever, try taking an over-the-counter medication, such as Tylenol® or ibuprofen, to bring down your temperature. Seborrheic dermatitis: Another type of dermatitis that causes red, dry, flaky, itchy skin. It’s most common on your scalp but can appear other places like your breasts. Dandruff and cradle cap on infants are examples of seborrheic dermatitis.