Standing position in front of the mirror to observe.
1.Stand in front of the mirror with your upper body naked and your arms hanging at your sides and observe the shape of your breasts.
2.Hold your arms above your head and rotate your body to see if there is any change in the shape of your breasts.
3.Cross your arms and slowly rotate your body to the left and right to see if there are any changes in the nipples and breasts.
4.Put your hands on your hips and press down hard while rotating your body to make the outline of your breasts appear clear. Du Yanze, Department of Mammary Gland, Gansu Cancer Hospital
Note: Observe whether there is any abnormal change in the shape of the breast. If abnormal change is found in one breast, it is necessary to compare with the other side; inspect whether both breasts are symmetrical, if not, be alert and seek medical attention in time.
Sitting examination.
1. Hand position: raise the left hand behind the head and check the left breast with the right hand. After checking the left breast, raise the right hand behind the head and check the right breast with the left hand in the same way.
2, the scope of the examination: up to the subclavian, down to the sixth rib, lateral to the anterior axillary line, and medially near the sternal parietal.
3, check the technique: three fingers together, from the upper 12 points of the breast (the breast is compared to a clock), starting with the fingers in the direction of the clock tightly against the skin for circular massage check to the nipple areola. Use your index finger, middle finger and thumb to gently lift the nipple and squeeze it to check carefully for secretions.
Note: the fingers should not be detached from the skin, the force should be even; master the strength to the fingers can touch the rib cage as appropriate.
Reclining position examination.
1, the body lying flat on the bed, so that the entire breast flat on the chest wall, easy to check whether there are abnormal lumps in the breast. Especially for fat women, it is easy to miss the lumps located in the lower part of the breast, and the prone position is better for inspection.
2, lying touch method: first take the lying position, the right arm is raised above the head, so that the right breast becomes flat. Then put the four fingers of the left hand together with the palm of the fingertips to check whether there are lumps or other changes in various parts of the breast.
3.Checking methods: clockwise loop check, vertical band check, wedge check. Examine the left breast in the same way and compare how the left and right breasts differ. Finally, gently squeeze the nipple with the thumb and index finger. If there is a discharge and it is clear or bloody, you should seek medical attention promptly.
Shower examination method: When showering, it is easier to find breast problems because of the wet skin. The method is to slowly slide the palm of one finger and carefully examine all parts of the breast and armpit for any abnormalities.
Self-examination of the breasts in the mirror
Self-examination of the breasts can be done in the mirror when waking up, sleeping, dressing or bathing.
Method of observation.
Step 1: Face the mirror with your hands vertical and observe the shape of your breasts in general;
Step 2: Raise your arms above your head and carefully observe the shape and contour of your breasts on both sides for any changes;
The third step: hands in the waist, two elbows efforts backward, so that the chest muscles tense.
Content of observation.
Any abnormalities in the skin of the breast: any redness, rash, superficial venous anger, skin folds, orange peel-like changes;
Whether the nipples are at the same level, whether there is elevation, retraction, depression; whether there is a change in the color of the areola;
Whether there is any abnormal discharge from the nipple;
Whether both breasts are equal and symmetrical, and whether there are any abnormalities in the nipple, areola and skin.
Long-term observation will reveal any abnormalities, and if found, immediate medical attention should be sought.
The main contents when self-examining breasts
Time of examination: Before the examination, attention needs to be paid to selecting a date, preferably in the middle of two menstrual periods. Because at this time the breast is less engorged and soft, it is easier to feel the lump.
Self-examination of the breast fingers: the correct inspection technique is to gently touch the breast with joined fingers, not to grasp and pinch, otherwise it is easy to mistake normal breast tissue for a lump. When touching, the palm of the hand should be flat and the four fingers together, and the most sensitive index finger, middle finger and ring finger should be used to gently touch the breast in order.
Visual examination of the breast includes
1, the shape of the breast: remove the top, face the mirror, arms crossed or raised above the head, repeated several times, observe whether the outline of the breast shape is complete and symmetrical, there is no abnormality in the outline. Normal breasts have a complete curved outline, and any abnormal changes in this curved shape should be taken seriously.
2, the skin of the breast: observe whether the skin of the breast is smooth, whether the color is normal, whether the skin has dilated veins and edema, whether the skin has dotted depressions (or orange peel-like changes) and regional depressions (dimple sign) exist.
3. Nipples: check whether the height of both nipples is on a horizontal line, whether the color of both nipples and areolas is the same, whether the skin of the nipples is peeling or erosion, and whether the nipples are elevated or have retraction.
4. Chest wall: whether there is a large dark brown disease-like protrusion present on the chest wall from the outer top of the nipple to the inner bottom of the nipple, to be considered as a possible parametrial nipple or parametrial breast.
5. Internal part of the breast: from the external upper, external lower, internal lower, internal upper area of the breast and finally the nipple and areola area in the middle of the breast, the external upper part may extend to the armpit. Small lumps are not easy to be touched, so the left hand can be used to hold the breast during the examination and the right hand can be used to look into it. The lump in the lower part of the breast is often covered by the sagging breast, so the breast can be held up or the arm can be raised lying down, and the other hand can be used to look for the lump, and if the deep lump cannot be pressed, it can also be examined in the front bowed position. Finally, squeeze the nipple and pay attention to whether there is liquid outflow.
6, both sides of the armpit: pay attention to the presence of enlarged lymph nodes.
The best time for self-examination of the breast
Due to the influence of various related endocrine hormones, the breast will undergo some physiological changes of hyperplasia and rejuvenation, causing the breast tissue to be in various degrees of congestion and edema, and these changes may interfere with the self-examination of the breast and the doctor’s judgment of the location, size, and trait of the lump.
The best time for examination is usually around the tenth day of menstruation, when estrogen has the least effect on the breast and the breast is in a relatively quiescent state, and lesions or abnormalities of the breast are easily detected. Breast examinations should be performed regularly and frequently. The best time for self-examination of the breasts is usually the 9th to 11th day after the onset of menstruation. At this time, estrogen has the least effect on the breast and the breast is in a relatively static state, making it easy to detect lesions.
Older women after menopause have less estrogen in their bodies and are less affected by endocrine hormones, so they can choose the examination time at will. However, it should be reminded that the high incidence of breast cancer is between 40 and 60 years old. If breast lesions are detected during self-examination or screening, patients should seek early medical consultation and follow medical advice.
Some patients who are in clinical remission of benign breast disease do not have regular follow-up examinations for a long time, and when the original benign lesions become malignant, it will be very difficult to cure them. Therefore, early and regular self-examination and consultation should be an important principle, and choosing the best time to visit the doctor is an important means to improve the correct diagnosis rate.
Notes on breast self-examination
1, the purpose of the examination: the purpose of breast self-examination is to find out whether there are lumps in the breast and whether the shape of the breast has changed: whether there is a local bulge and depression in the breast, redness and swelling and other changes; whether the nipple is sunken and overflowing; if these conditions occur, you should go to the hospital promptly.
2, pay attention to the distribution range of the breast: the actual distribution of the breast is far more than the part of the breast bulge, the outer upper part can extend to the armpit, the upper and lower left and right have very thin glands extending out, so the scope of the examination should include the entire forehead.
3, palpation should be correct: the correct technique is to palm flat, four fingers together, with the most sensitive index finger, middle finger, ring finger end finger gently touch, sliding or large area rubbing can be fixed with the middle finger, the other two fingers touch and press, but do not grasp the breast with your hands, because grasping with your hands will confuse the lump with the normal gland, can not make a correct judgment. It is common to see women who feel a lump-like sensation when they grasp and pinch their breasts with their hands, which adds to the psychological burden, so the correct technique is very important.
4.Timely medical consultation: mastering the correct method of breast self-examination can detect abnormalities in the breast at an early stage, especially breast cancer of 1cm in size that may not have metastasized yet, thus buying precious time for breast cancer treatment.
Common breast examination methods
Infrared breast examination; high frequency color B-ultrasound examination; X-ray mammography; mammography; breast duct endoscopy; CT examination; MR examination; PET examination.