Watching closely in the mirror, clasp your hands behind your head and press your hands forward. Next, press your hands firmly on your hips and bend slightly toward the mirror as you pull your shoulders and elbows forward.
Do steps 2 and 3 to check for any change in the shape or contour of your breasts. As you do these steps, you should feel your chest muscles tighten. The breasts are best examined while lying down because it spreads the breast tissue evenly over the chest. Your fingers slide more easily over wet, soapy skin. This may make lumps and other changes easier to feel.
Remember to check your entire breast and underarm area. Use the pads of the fingers of your other hand to check the breast and the surrounding area firmly, carefully, and thoroughly. Some women like to use lotion or powder to help their fingers glide easily over the skin.
Feel for any unusual lump or mass under the skin. Feel the tissue by pressing your fingers in small, overlapping areas about the size of a dime. To be sure you cover the whole breast, take your time and follow a definite pattern: lines, circles, or wedges.
Some research suggests that many women do BSE more thoroughly when they use a pattern of up-and-down lines or strips. Other women feel more comfortable with another pattern. The important thing is to cover the whole breast and to pay special attention to the area between the breast and the underarm, including the underarm itself.
Check the area above the breast, up to the collarbone, and all the way over to your shoulder. The American Cancer Society recommends using three different levels of pressure to examine your breasts:.
Some women repeat step 5 in the shower. Your fingers will glide easily over soapy skin, so you can concentrate on feeling for changes underneath. One of the most frightening moments for a woman is if she feels something different or unusual while performing breast self-examination. One of the most important reasons to perform regular breast self-examination is so that you know what is normal for your breasts.
If you find a lump, it is important not to panic. Make sure you get answers. Make it routine. The more you examine your breasts, the more you will learn about them and the easier it will become for you to tell if something has changed. Try to get in the habit of doing a breast self-examination once a month to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally look and feel.
Examine yourself several days after your period ends, when your breasts are least likely to be swollen and tender. If you are no longer having periods, choose a day that's easy to remember, such as the first or last day of the month. The lower half of your breast can feel like a sandy or pebbly beach. The area under the nipple can feel like a collection of large grains.
Another part might feel like a lumpy bowl of oatmeal. Start a journal where you record the findings of your breast self-exams. This can be like a small map of your breasts, with notes about where you feel lumps or irregularities.
It is not unusual for lumps to appear at certain times of the month, but then disappear, as your body changes with the menstrual cycle if you are still menstruating.
Learn more about Breastcancer. So if you feel a lump that doesn't show up on a mammogram, bring it to your doctor's attention. Get it evaluated. Marcia Boraas, M. Sameer Gupta, M. Create a profile for better recommendations.
Breast implant illness BII is a term that some women and doctors use to refer to a wide range Sign up for emails about breast cancer news, virtual events, and more.
Subscribe to our podcast for conversations on the issues that matter most. Sometimes when more x-rays are taken of the area or mass, or the area is compressed more, it no longer looks suspicious. In fact, most repeat mammograms do not find cancer. You will most likely be given the results of your tests during the visit. You might be told one of the following:.
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