Super Itchy Armpits!

[scuwiffpixi]

OMG my armpits have been super itchy for the last week! I have kept them clean and have not changed my deodorant at all, and they are sooo itchy it's becoming unbearable!!

I have a skin tag under one which has doubled in size in the last month but that's pretty normal during pregnancy and have cleared it with my midwife but wow my underarms!
I am having trouble not scratching them raw!

I have been using Aloe Vera cream to try and calm them down but that only lasts for an hr or so and can't exactly spend most of my day at work coating my armpits in cream!

I just wondered if any one has heard of this or experienced this or is having the same trouble as me at the mo?

I read somewhere its because your mammary tissue actually goes half way up under your arms to your armpits and it's the same principal as itchy boob, but my boobs are fine and dont itch at all?

Any Ideas anyone?

 

[gemabee]

try baby talc
as soon as i get a tiny bit of moisture on my skin it itches nd is incredibly uncomfortable.
i went for a walk this mornin... nd was itchin so much after i had to have a shower nd cover myself in talc... i wasn't even sweatin noticably!
xx

 

[sugarwag]

my armpits have been achey and a bit itchy ...my Mum is a nurse and reminded me that there are glands which link to your boobies in there...when she was breastfeeding she used to get so full of milk that she had to squeeze it down (toothpaste tube style) from under her armpits! It could be boobies and glands getting ready to milk it!
xxx

 

[DivaSatanica]

I've had the same issue with all three of my pregnancies. The itchiness for me starts after the swelling, I get HUGE lumps under my arms. With my daughter the doc told me it was basically the same thing as the other poster mentioned......the glands connecting to the breasts and filling with milk. Its very uncomfortable.

 

[julietz]

Wow i am glad i am not alone, thought it was just me, but i also started about 8wks ago with an irritable rash underarms, i also have a skin tack under the left armpit which has got bigger and is a bit sore, was gona mention it at next mw appointment, i honestly thought it was due to some new bras i bought, that have a gel lining to keep in place, cos the rash isnt exactly in my armpit but around it and is sore, and flairs up more after a shower.

I stopped shaving for a week and didnt use the bras, or deodorant, and just put baby talc on to keep it dry and it soon cleared up, is slightly still there but not as bad, think its just open pores while pregnant, that get irritated by soaps and perfume etc, thats what i thought anyway.

 

[Midnight_Moon]

I had itchy armpits and a rash that appeared, I had changed my deoderant tho... I went to the dr who said it was a fungal infection like thrush which is common in pregnant women just where you sweat slightly more and bacteria can grow. he gave me a cream to use to get rid of it. if it doesnt calm down after a while I'd go to the dr just to get it checked out

 

[Lotti1978]

Me too.....how odd...dont know why

 

[scuwiffpixi]

So many great replies! Thanks ladies!

The milk and boobies thing was what I thought it may be to start with! But the fungal infection thing is also worth checking out!!

I already had ring worm earlier in my pregnancy (under a boob) but I managed to get rid of that, may be it's just moved locations?

I'll try the talc to keep dry as the Aloe Vera cream only seems to work for a short time.

I found myself scratching in my sleep last night so it must be getting really bad! :S
My armpits are defiantly more red and swollen and looks like I have pink scars under there, the skin tag that's grown also hurts today!

So I will defo go to docs to see if it could be fungal?

So glad to find I'm not alone with this!

 

[wish2bmama]

Ooo I have this too. I have been using the cocoa butter I use on my belly. It seems to be doing the trick. But the fungal infection thing kinda scares me. I will as at my next apt fur sure!

Glad to know I am not alone! xx

 

[Fiore]

At about 30 weeks my pits started getting really itchy so I changed deodrant, I had been using the same one for years. I'm now using Dove, it's like a cream you rub onto your pits? It's done the job though and no more itching yay!xx

 

[scuwiffpixi]

I have stopped using my normal deodorant and have decided to try something different to my normal routine.

I did try using talc for a few days to keep dry but found I was still super itchy, and now my armpits are swollen and a reddish brown and have flaky skin, I'm beginning to think that the fungal infection is more the case than not!

Like I said in my post before, I have already had ring worm on a boob but have got rid of it so I'm thinking that the fungal infection has just moved locations!

Don't be too scared of fungal infections as they are really really common and easy to deal with but just such a pain in the butt while you have it.

I have for the last 2 days been cleaning my armpits with hand sanitiser on a cotton pad, Which requires no water and dries really quickly and also kills 99.9% of bacteria, then I have been using "Daktarin" for athletes foot which is what my midwife told me to get for my ring worm which has worked a treat to get rid of that pretty quickly, and so far in the last 2 days They haven't been half as itchy! YAY! And are not as red or flaky!

So I think it seems to be working! It's not totally stopped itching but is loads better and It's not waking me in the night with me scratching in my unconscious. So I will keep up with this routine and see if it works! I will keep the posts up on if it works?!

 

[scuwiffpixi]

Ok, so it worked for a few days then found myself waking at 4 in the morning for my regular as clockwork kicking session followed by the obligatory wee then the monumental itching again!

Everything seemed to make it worse!

I tried cold compress, aqueus cream, anti bac dry wash, plain washing, dove, talc, and finally pure Aloe Vera GEL and that did the trick! Phew what a night!

I have taken to carrying it around in my bag as an essential along with my maternity pack (only 5 weeks to go!) Rennies, chocolate and bottle of water.

I hope it gets better, it can't get much worse, can it?

 

[wish2bmama]

I just went to my doc, he gave me a cream to help, and it sure does. Maybe you should go in for a visit?

 

[scuwiffpixi]

I saw the mid wife and she has had look under my arms and said it was most likely fungal from the looks of it, so back to the twice a day Daktarin routine and it has helped allot for my armpits. Yay!!

 

[whocanfind]

I thought I was in the itchy milk-filled armpits mommy club alone. Glad to know I'm not by myself. I have skin tags under both arms and they both are huge. I even asked a doctor about the need for surgery and she recommended that surgery is needed when they are painful. These aren't painful, just itchy, ugly, and huge! I'll try the baby talc powder and see if that helps. Thanks ladies!