However, if you are already experiencing damaged nipples, it would be necessary to relieve the pain and maintain a good breastfeeding relationship. Healing skin on the breast is also necessary to prevent infection like mastitis for instance as cracked nipples can be an easy entry point for bacteria. You would not want to ruin your nursing experience by such suffering.

Medical studies now show that what helps is "moist wound healing".  The way to make use of this concept is to keep your wound moist and warm, which prevents scab formation and accelerates healing.   Do note as we talk about "moist wound healing" that simply keeping your skin wet is not considered "moist wound healing" as the skin layers are not kept hydrated.  Eg. putting water-soaked cotton pads.  And between soaks, the skin will dry up,  healing will be delayed.  Furthermore, drying skin promotes cracking.

From my experience, to help heal wounded nipples/breast skin, here are some tips:

1.  Hand-express some milk to wet the nipples & breast just before you start nursing.  This will make it more comfortable when baby latches on.  I find that even today, if I am going through a phase of dry skin, expressing some milk onto my breastskin before nursing helps the same way.

2.  Express some hindmilk onto the breastskin AFTER a nursing session and air-dry. Breastmilk has some Vit E and many beneficial healing properties.  And hindmilk is fatty & oily to hydrate the skin.  Do note however that although this method may be soothing to a mother with simple nipple tenderness it may not work well enough for more damaged nipples.

3.  Cool teabags (any plain type of tea, eg. Lipton teabags) applied to the breast after nursing can be soothing.  The tannin in the tea leaves are said to be good to some extent in healing sore skin.  Camomile or calendula tea might help soothe sore skin and with healing as well.

4. Apply 100% USP modified lanolin between nursing sessions.  Lansinoh Cream for Breastfeeding Mothers - because of the aspect of "Moist Wound Healing". Indeed the cream is great, albeit a little sticky and messy.  To use effectively, dab enough Lansinoh on the affected area to cover it.  Dab the cream on the corresponding area on your breastpad so that the sore part of your nipple/breast is bathed in this cream and is prevented from further abrasion.  Another way to prevent the cream from rubbing off on your bra or breastpad is to use a breastshell after applying the cream.  You may also use a small-sized plastic mesh tea strainer (with handles cut off of course).

This ultra-purified lanolin cream further works by being  absorbed into the upper layers of the epidermis and  maintain the skin's natural moisture level.  It does not need to be removed before breastfeeding. Cream that has to be removed before the next feeding may disrupt the healing process.

This cream is especially useful to me, having a tendency to dry skin and eczema. It is a great moisturiser. And if like me, you have sensitive nipple skin, you may find it useful to apply it on your nipples/areola area before you take a bath or shower and before you go for a swim in a chlorinated pool.

I found that Lansinoh  works great on my lips as well.  If you have dry lips, put Lansinoh on overnight and you will have supple lips the next morning!  It also provides great shine as a lipgloss!  Just a dab will do the trick.  If your children, or even your husband, have cracked lips, applying this overnight would help close the wound too.  So this would certainly be a useful item to have in your first-aid kit on travels!  Especially when visiting places of cooler climates.

5. For cuts, cracks, raw & sore-feeling skin on nipples & breasts, Hydrogel Dressings for Breastfeeding Mothers would be really helpful. Hydrogel dressings started off being used in hospitals as a medically advanced method of healing wounds.  It has in recent years become increasingly popular and easily available for use by the ordinary consumer.   The simplest form that you can find at the supermarket shelves these days has to be the common band-aid that promotes "superior protection for fast natural

healing" with a waterproof multi-day use plaster that has "moisture-seal" technology.  But as we are breastfeeding mothers, we can't possibly use bandages that are multi-day sealing, right?  We need to feed on the breast!  Hence the beauty that comes with the development of hydrogel dressings for breastfeeding mothers.  Mothers who for whatever reason have raw, cracked, damaged skin on your breasts will find quick relief from such hydrogel dressings.

Hydrogel dressings utilize a saline-based hydrophilic polymer that does not need to be rinsed off before nursing. These dressings produce a closed moist healing environment, provide a bacterial barrier and feel soothing, especially if your gel dressings were placed in the fridge before application.

I myself have tested this product and can attest to its effectiveness.  Those who know me would be familiar with my problems with cuts from my son's broken teeth.  I had cuts on the sides of both my nipples and had been battling the cure of these cuts for quite a while.  Even when the cuts closed, they would crack again with the next nursing session, much to my chagrin.  I was thus very glad to try out the hydrogel discs when they were introduced to me!  The hydrogel discs were very good as a 2nd skin for surface areas on the nipples and breast that it is able to touch.  Sad to say though, my line cuts were at the base of both nipples, an area that the gel discs could not touch.  On doing further research into this product, I could confirm that it was alright to use creams together with the hydrogel discs as long as it was not excessive.  So I applied Lansinoh at the base of my nipples where the cuts were and used it in conjunction with the gel discs.  This really worked as the gel discs kept my skin from drying out - one reason why skin would crack.  At the same time, the hydrogel discs keep the cream from rubbing off my bra or clothes, which defeats the purpose of using it for moist wound healing.   After I applied Lansinoh & used the hydrogel discs as a "dressing" (eh.. double-protection), the cuts closed in a few hours.  With continued use of  the hydrogel discs, the skin around the cut was kept moist & supple, so the cuts that closed up remained closed even after a number of breastfeeding sessions! *yay!*  In total, I had used the hydrogel discs for 3 days.

6.  Do take extra care to change your nursing pads often.   Wet breastpads are not considered a moist wound environment.  Avoid also nursing pads with plastic linings.  Cloth breastpads & other breathable pads which allow flow of air is essential to healthy nipples.