How can you tell the difference between Paget's disease and eczema?
John Johnson
Updated on May 24, 2026
Paget's disease may affect your nipple, while eczema rarely affects your nipple. Paget's disease also typically only affects one breast, while eczema affects both breasts and other parts of your chest. Paget's disease won't respond to the same treatments as eczema.
Is it eczema or Paget's disease?
But there are differences. For example, Paget's disease affects the nipple while eczema on the breast generally affects the areola and rarely affects the nipple. Also, Paget's disease usually occurs in one breast while most other skin conditions tend to affect both breasts.What does early Paget's disease look like?
Symptoms of Paget's disease of the nipplePaget's disease of the nipple always starts in the nipple and may extend to the areola. It appears as a red, scaly rash on the skin of the nipple and areola. The affected skin is often sore and inflamed, and it can be itchy or cause a burning sensation.
What does eczema look like on areola?
Signs of nipple eczema may include: Dry, itching skin. Patches that appear red or brown and gray. Tiny raised bumps that leak fluid when scratched or irritated.What can be mistaken for Paget's disease?
The symptoms of Paget disease of the breast are often mistaken for those of some benign skin conditions, such as dermatitis or eczema (1–3).pagets disease vs eczema of nipple || Surgery
Does Paget's disease respond to steroid cream?
The most common symptom of EMPD is a chronic rash that resembles eczema—only it does not respond to topical steroid creams. The disease can lead to: Itching or burning—with pain and bleeding from scratching of lesions.Can symptoms of Paget's disease come and go?
In most cases, Paget's disease affects one breast, and the symptoms may come and go. This means symptoms may cycle through, appearing to improve and then worsen again. The symptoms may look similar to eczema or other such skin conditions.What does eczema on your breast look like?
Breast eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a condition that causes your skin to become dry, discolored, itchy and bumpy. It may appear in the dark areas around your nipples (areolas), between your breasts, under your breasts, on the sides of your breasts or elsewhere on your chest.Why do I have eczema on breast?
Eczema of the nipple occurs when an itchy, scaly, irritated rash develops in the areola (area of dark skin surrounding the nipple). It can occur on one or both nipples. Usually it is caused by irritation from certain articles of clothing, soaps, laundry detergents, or lotions.How do you fix eczema on breasts?
Breast eczema treatment and prevention
- Moisturize your skin multiple times a day to keep moisture in. ...
- Identify what seems to trigger a reaction and avoid anything that may worsen the condition. ...
- Take warm (not hot) showers that last less than 15 minutes.
- Take a diluted bleach bath to prevent flare-ups.
How do you tell if you have Paget's disease?
Symptoms
- Flaky or scaly skin on your nipple.
- Crusty, oozing or hardened skin resembling eczema on the nipple, areola or both.
- Itching.
- Redness.
- A tingling or burning sensation.
- Straw-colored or bloody nipple discharge.
- A flattened or turned-in (inverted) nipple.
- A lump in the breast.
How quickly does Paget's disease progress?
Mammary Paget's disease is associated with carcinoma of the underlying lactipherous ducts. The skin lesions progress slowly over months as scaly, fissured, or oozing erythema of the nipple and areola. Advanced lesions may appear as well-demarcated, eczema-like plaques with a pink or red hue.What is the life expectancy of someone with Paget's disease?
In that study, the British General Practice Research Database identified 2465 patients diagnosed with Paget's disease of bone from 1988 to 1999; retrospective review indicated that 5-yr survival was 67% in patients with Paget's disease compared with 72% in control patients.What causes eczema on areola?
Genetics: Eczema is often inherited (passed down through families). Environmental factors: Laundry detergents, certain fabrics, soaps, lotions and perfumes can irritate the skin around your nipple and lead to a flare-up of eczema.Can you have eczema on nipples?
Skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis may occur on the nipple and the areola, the flat coloured part around the nipple. These problems are more common in women who tend to be allergic (eg. have known eczema, asthma or hay-fever), or who are pregnant or breastfeeding.Why do I have dry patches on my areola?
Paget's disease usually affects the skin of one nipple and produces eczema-like symptoms, appearing as an itchy, red rash on the nipple that can extend to the darker area of surrounding skin (the areola). It can also appear as a small ulcer or dry, red, flaky patches of skin similar to psoriasis.What are the 7 different types of eczema?
There are seven different types of eczema:
- Atopic dermatitis.
- Contact dermatitis.
- Neurodermatitis.
- Dyshidrotic eczema.
- Nummular eczema.
- Seborrheic dermatitis.
- Stasis dermatitis.