Breast abscess. Coloured mammogram (breast X-ray) of an abscess (pink, lower right) of the areola of a woman's breast (orange) seen from the side. The areola is the ring of tissue that surrounds the nipple of a breast. An abscess is a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed, damaged tissue. It usually arises from a local bacterial infection. Infection is treated with antibiotic drugs and pus may be drained from the abscess.