After the visit, the doctor will perform a breast exam in two major steps: visualization and palpation.
- The examinee is asked to remove her top. The doctor first asks the arms to hang down to see if there are changes in the contours of both breasts, if the nipples are at the same height, if there are changes in the skin of the breasts, nipples and areola area such as redness, peeling, ulceration, erosion, etc., and if the nipples are retracted. Then ask to cross your arms and rotate your body to the left and right respectively, and the doctor will observe the above from different angles.
- The patient may be in a sitting or supine position for palpation. During the examination, the doctor gently strokes the breast with the fingers and palm of the hand together, looking for any suspicious lesions and covering the entire breast area as closely as possible. Then, the doctor will again press the breast with the joined fingers with a slightly heavier pressure, examining all areas of the breast and the ipsilateral armpit in a certain order. The doctor will avoid squeezing or pinching the breast with the fingertips and will alternate and compare both breasts. Finally, the doctor will also gently squeeze the nipple and areola areas bilaterally to observe for nipple discharge.
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