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Sep. 25, 2016
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A large percentage of new mothers abandon breastfeeding because of exquisite pain shortly after the birth, or soon thereafter. Despite wide recognition of the advantages of nursing, for mothers in their most vulnerable condition, withstanding further suffering is just not tolerable. The nipple is the site of an array of conditions and if intervention is delayed or improper recommendations are given it will eventually lead to soreness and severe pain. 
In an article just published in Breastfeeding Medicine, Dr. Sody Naimer and Prof. Zeev Silverman show how a dermatoscope can easily reveal the underlying condition. The dermatoscope is a hand-held tool currently widely used to characterize skin lesions. It helps to visualize and accurately diagnose by enlarging very small clinical details.  
The article presents vivid color photographs of the broad range of appearances of the normal enlarged nipple alongside examples of bacterial infections, fungal infections, friction sores and delayed abrasion healing. The authors hope that wide utilization of this technique will enable clear-cut diagnoses, leading to focused accurate therapy, which would prevent superfluous medication, shorten suffering and allow women to continue nursing.  
Naimer is a member of the Department of Community Health and Silverman is a member of the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology in the Faculty of Health Sciences.