My Twelve Year Old Has for the past Two Seasons, Had His Nipples Bleed When Swim

I would maybe get some of that skin chafing stuff to rub on his chest before he swims. It's called Body Glide and you can get it on Amazon or at a sporting goods store. A lot of runners use it to stop chafing when they run, but it would totally work for this too. It might help and it's worth a shot! I would wear it even if he is or isn't wearing a swim shirt.

Is he wearing a swim shirt? Sometimes the friction from skin rubbing against tops can cause them to chafe. I've heard of a runner who had to wear clear waterproof bandaids there to prevent bleeding.

It can be a sign of dermatitis - he could just be overly sensitive to chlorine. One of my kids is. He won't even swim in pools in hotels. Be sure to really rinse him afterwards in shower.

This question has popped up on here quite a few times (if you do a search) - so it does happen to quite a few people.

Runners can get this commonly from chaffing. Is he wearing a swim shirt?

Does he wear a swim shirt? My sons nipples got extremely sensitive and sore a couple of summers ago and it turned out that his swim shirt was rubbing and was holding the moisture/chemicals against his skin. When he stopped wearing it the issue went away.

If he's wearing a shirt, that's probably the culprit.

Did this problem just start happening when he reached puberty age? And does it happen while he's actually swimming, or when he gets out of the water?

Years ago when I worked on a summer camp one or our male campers had the same issue. From what I recall, the nurse told me that it happened to him because when we swim our skin absorbs water and expands/wrinkles. When we get out of the water it retracts. His nipples were becoming erect when he got out of the water (while his skin was retracting), and the resulting pressure caused his nipples to bleed. I'm not a doctor or scientist, but it made sense at the time. He just covered himself with a towel or put a shirt on as soon as he got out of the pool so that it wasn't as noticeable.

I think your next step is probably a dermatologist.

I would guess he's chaffing on something.
Or his skin is very sensitive to chlorine.
Does it happen if he swims in the ocean?

what kind of sunscreen do you use on him?
Is he wearing a UV shirt?
Does he have any allergies?
Does he shower after getting out of the pool?

I would assume that he has an allergy to something and you need to figure out what that is. One by one....start with sunscreen....for one week - if nothing changes, it's not the sunscreen, then the UV shirt, one week, no change? Move on to showering after pool/swimming.

Go to a dermatologist to see what he/she can do for you!

what are the common factors in this happening? Do you use the same sunscreen?

sounds like an allergy problem to me and I would take him to a dermatologist.

I'm allergic to the Bromine that the YMCA puts in their family pools. The skin that is out of the water gets splashed. When it dries I start itching like crazy. In the lap pool they use chlorine and it doesn't bother me at all.

If I put lotion on my skin before getting in it helps the Bromine to not burn so much. Maybe you could get him to put Vaseline on his areola area before he gets in the water?

Perhaps asking a dermatologist instead of a doc that mostly treats colds and other childhood ailments would be a good idea.

Is it all the time, or just after long practices?

My first thought is what others asked: is he wearing a shirt of some sort? Just because pH and chlorine levels are "good" and within normal limits doesn't mean he isn't sensitive. I agree with B's question about whether it occurs at other times, like in the ocean. Does he do any other sports in other seasons? Runners, as you know, often get chafing. So do surfers.

I'd consider a sports doctor and a dermatologist.