areola

is it common for teenagers about 15 years old to bleed from their areola ?

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  I have already answered your question in your previous post (http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/590995).  I'm posting it here again:

At your age, it is highly unlikely that bleeding from your areola is a sign of breast cancer.  The more likely explanation is that the bleeding was caused by excessive dryness of the skin around your areola, causing cracks and breaks to form. The areola has a lot of glands around it which produce oil to keep it supple, but if you use a strong soap, you may be washing away this protective layer of oil.  Another possibility for the bleeding is infection around that area (mastitis).  If this is the case, there is usually associated tenderness in the breast.