Because men are diagnosed with Breast Cancer, this information pertains to you also, especially at or before age 40.
BREAST SELF EXAM(BSE)
Breast Self Exams and Mammograms at age 40 or before are the number one ways to locate breast cancer in women and men. When performing your breast exam, use a gliding substance such as body oil, lotion or water when in shower. WHEN PERFORMING BSE, start at your Areola (nipple) by pressing down with gentle pressure and make small circular motions. Press deeper in that same area, and continue pressing down until you can‘t press anymore. When you reach the collar bone or ribs, start over from the areola to the tissue next to where you started. Continue this action until you have covered your entire breast.
(DO NOT leave spaces in your compressing and motions), as each area should be palpated. DO NOT lift your fingers from your breast after each circular motion or you miss an area that might have cancer, so slide your fingers on your skin to the next area from your Areola. Doing this will insure you are overlapping the tissue you now finished and not miss a section.
PLEASE include your Axillary (underarm) area when doing your monthly exams. Your underarm houses lymph nodes that aids in clearing the tissues (as under the arms and breast) of infective organisms.
Do this procedure on each breast once a month to familiarize yourself with your breast tissue. If you have menstrual cycles, do the exam several days after, and if you no longer have cycles, choose a day that’s easy to remember for each month. If you have sizable breast, this procedure is best performed lying down, as you can use sections of your breast by mentally sectioning off your breast areas. If you are not comfortable performing this exam, PLEASE ASK SOMEONE TO READ THE INFORMATION AND DO IT FOR YOU, OR ASK YOUR DOCTOR. Having seen many young women with breast cancer, I can safely say there is no ADULT age group for performing BSE’s.