Beauty of breasts contributes to a woman's overall beauty. She looks sexy if she has a pair of voluptuous breasts. Cracking of nipples is a problem which many women face. Nipples turn sore, pain a lot, crack and may even bleed. It erodes the beauty of breasts and the joy during foreplay and love-making. Nipples also play an important role in breast feeding. If they get cracked, a critical situation may arise when the baby latches on to them. Thrashes of cold air mainly cause nipples to get cracked. Wrong breastfeeding position, poor latching, overuse of one breast, prolonged use of soggy breast pads, improper use of breast pump, inverted nipple, inadequate drying nipples after feeding, trauma due to excessive exercise, dry skin conditions, conditions like nipple candidacies, Paget's disease of nipple, eczema etc may also lead to cracked nipples.

Home Remedies

1. Holding the baby properly during breastfeeding plays an important role in preventing the nipples from getting cracked. The baby should be held in such a way that its nose is away from the breast. Your entire areola and nipple should be in the baby's mouth. The baby should be able to suckle with force. Never drag the baby away during breastfeeding and keep switching sides each time you feed.

2. Feed the baby several times during the day. The milk contains essential nutrients and vitamins that nourish and keep nipples hydrated, reduce friction and check cracking.

3. Apply ice cubes on affected area before giving a breastfeed to the baby. This eases pain and discomfort.

4. Wear bra to guard the nipples from the hit of cold air.

5. After child birth, a liquid called colostrums oozes from the nipples. It lubricates nipples naturally. Use of soaps may remove the lubricant and cause drying and cracking. Therefore do not use soap on nipples. You can use plain water to clean them.

6. Expose your nipples to air for sometime daily.

7. Gently rub Aloe Vera gel on nipples. This mends cracked nipples.

8. Rub coconut oil on affected area to heal them.

9. Make a poultice out of yarrow leaves and place on affected area. Application of yarrow infused oil also yields rewarding results.

10. Application of calendula cream or ointment on affected area is a good curative measure.

11. Mix olive oil and lemon juice and apply on nipples to prevent cracking.

12. Application of shea butter heals cracked nipples.

13. Massage nipples with sweet almond oil. This locks in moisture and checks cracking.

14. Coat nipples with petroleum jelly to get cured of cracked nipples.

Read more Home Remedies for Cracked Nipples. Also know useful Home Remedies for Damaged Hair. Read effective Home Remedies for Dandruff.

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