You can check for lumps at home, particularly in the breast area, by performing regular self-exams. Here's how:
The Best Time to Check:
- Choose a consistent time each month. For women, a good time is a few days after your period ends, when your breasts are less likely to be swollen or tender.
How to Perform the Exam:
-
In the Shower:
- Using the pads (flats) of your three middle fingers, check your entire breast and armpit area.
- Use varying pressure: light, medium, and firm. This helps you feel tissue at different depths.
- Move your fingers in a circular motion, overlapping each circle slightly. A pattern (like up and down, or a spiral) ensures you cover the entire area.
- Check both breasts each month.
-
In Front of a Mirror:
- Visually inspect your breasts with your arms at your sides. Look for any changes in size, shape, skin texture (dimpling, puckering), or nipple changes (inversion, discharge).
- Raise your arms overhead and repeat the visual inspection.
- Press your hands on your hips and flex your chest muscles. Look for any changes as the muscles move.
-
Lying Down:
- Lie down with one arm raised above your head.
- Using the same finger technique as in the shower, examine your breast on that side.
- Repeat on the other side. Lying down allows the breast tissue to spread out, making it easier to feel for any abnormalities.
What to Look For:
- New lumps or thickenings: Any area that feels different from the surrounding tissue.
- Hardened knots: A distinct, firm lump.
- Changes in size or shape of the breast: One breast noticeably different from the other.
- Skin changes: Dimpling, puckering, redness, or scaliness.
- Nipple changes: Inversion (turning inward), discharge, or crusting.
- Pain: Persistent pain in one area of the breast, although pain is not usually a sign of breast cancer.
Important Considerations:
- Be familiar with your breasts: Knowing what is normal for you makes it easier to detect changes.
- Don't panic: Most lumps are not cancerous. However, it's crucial to report any new or concerning changes to your doctor promptly.
- Regular clinical breast exams and mammograms are still recommended, especially if you have risk factors for breast cancer. Home self-exams are not a substitute for professional screening.
