For the last two or three months, I've noticed that one of my nipples seems to be peeling a lot. No lotion helps. What is causing this? Is there anything I can do to make it go away?

-- Cindy

Peeling around the nipple may be absolutely nothing worse than dry skin. But it could also be a sign of something more serious. Any condition that affects the skin elsewhere -- dryness, friction from clothing, psoriasis, eczema, etc -- may also affect the skin on the breast. Itchy, red, peeling skin around the nipple may also be a sign of Paget's disease of the nipple. This is an uncommon type of breast cancer that usually affects women over the age of 50. It arises from the ducts beneath the nipple, and in about half of all cases it is associated with a mass within the breast. In patients without an underlying mass, survival after appropriate treatment is 94-100 percent. In such cases, treatment usually consists of removing the nipple-areola complex and underlying ducts and sampling the lymph nodes under the arm. Because of the wide range of possibilities, you should see your doctor. Your should discuss consulting a dermatologist or breast surgeon with your gynocologist, depending on how the nipple looks.