Breast Dimpling

Breast dimpling is a change in the skin on your breast. Your skin may have tiny indentations or look rough and uneven. Breast dimpling can be a symptom of a benign breast disorder like mastitis. It may also be a symptom of a breast cancer, including inflammatory breast cancer or invasive ductal carcinoma.

Overview

What is breast dimpling?

Breast dimpling is when a section of skin on your breast has tiny indentations that look like dimples. The indentations may make that section of skin resemble a piece of orange peel (peau d’orange). Your breast skin may look rough or uneven.

The change in your breast skin may be a breast cancer symptom. But other breast disorders can also cause breast dimpling. Any change in your breast can be a cause for concern. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have breast dimpling. They’ll find the cause and recommend any treatment you may need.

Possible Causes

What are the most common causes of breast dimpling?

Breast dimpling may be a symptom of benign breast disease. Certain types of breast cancer can also cause this symptom.

Benign breast disease and breast dimpling

Benign breast diseases are noncancerous conditions that may cause symptoms like breast dimpling. Those conditions include:

• Fat necrosis: This is when fat under your skin dies. Breast surgery or a traumatic injury may cause fat necrosis.
• Fibrocystic breast changes: This condition causes painful lumpy breast tissue. The lumpy breast tissue may lead to breast dimpling.
• Mastitis: Women who are breastfeeding may develop inflammation in their breast tissue. Inflammation may change your breast skin’s appearance.

Breast cancer and breast dimpling

Breast dimpling is a common symptom of the following types of breast cancer:

• Invasive ductal carcinoma: Symptoms include breast skin that looks dimpled, scaly or reddened. It’s the most common type of breast cancer.
• Lobular breast cancer: This condition affects the milk-producing glands (lobules) of your breast. Breast dimpling is a symptom of lobular breast cancer. Other symptoms are changes in your breast size and shape.
• Inflammatory breast cancer: This is a rare breast cancer. Symptoms are breast dimpling and pain. It can cause skin discoloration. Sections of your breast skin may be red, pink or purple.

Care and Treatment

How is breast dimpling treated?

The treatment depends on the condition that causes a change in your breast skin. For example, if you have mastitis, a healthcare provider may recommend lymphatic drainage massage. If you have breast cancer, treatment may be breast cancer surgery. You may also receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

What are the possible complications or risks of not treating breast dimpling?

Breast dimpling doesn’t go away on its own. Just as important, breast dimpling can be a breast cancer symptom. Without treatment, breast cancer can spread to other parts of your body.

When To Call the Doctor

When should I be concerned about breast dimpling?

Breast dimpling isn’t normal. It’s a symptom of changes in your breast. Those changes may be a benign breast disorder or breast cancer. You should talk to a healthcare provider if you have breast dimpling.

Additional Common Questions

What’s the difference between breast dimpling and puckering?

Breast dimpling and breast puckering are the same thing. Dimpling and puckering refer to tiny indentations on your breast skin.

A note from Wockr

It’s natural to have concerns when breast dimpling makes your breasts look or feel different. This change doesn’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer. But it’s a reason to talk to a healthcare provider. They’ll discuss your symptoms with you. They may do tests to learn more about your breast health.