What Are All These Tiny Bright Red Dots on My Breast ?

By Lorra Garrick | Last updated 01/23

Very tiny, bright red dots popping up over time on the breast can make a woman think this is a sign of breast cancer.

Breast cancer awareness is very important and has ongoing and strong publicity.

More and more women – including younger – are becoming more conscious of this disease and its signs, plus any new changes in their breasts.

So when a woman notices a tiny bright red dot on her breast – and especially if she notices more bright red little spots appearing over the course of time – this can get her heart racing.

“It is important to have a routine skin cancer screening in addition to mammograms annually to verify the cause of these lesions,” says Erum Ilyas, MD, a board certified dermatologist who performs adult and pediatric medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology and skin cancer treatment with Schweiger Dermatology Group.

Dr. Ilyas continues, “However, the most common reason I see patients for ‘bright red dots’ actually turn out to be angiomas, also referred to as cherry angiomas. These benign lesions are not related to skin or breast cancer.”

Angiomas. Shutterstock/Ocskay Bence

Angiomas, which do not need to be removed other than for cosmetic reasons, tend to come after age 30 and especially 40.

They may be flat or slightly elevated.

If one of your parents has a bunch of these tiny red spots, chances are, you will begin noticing them on your own body by 40.

An angioma (also known as a hemangioma) is a dermatological situation, not a gynecological one.

They are very superficial – and benign – dense masses of blood vessels, which is why most are “bright” red.

Since this is an issue of the skin, there is no reason why angiomas wouldn’t also appear on the skin that covers a woman’s breasts any less than they would appear on one’s trunk, back, shoulder, neck or arms.

Angiomas, regardless of their location, have no connection to cancer of the breast, skin or any other organ.