Master Grazia’s life skills

How to check your breasts

Dr Emma Pennery CBE, clinical director at Breast Cancer Now

At Breast Cancer Now we say it’s as simple as TLC, which stands for touch, look, check. The main thing is that you keep checking and you know what your breasts look and feel like normally. Of course, all of our breasts are different, but if we understand how we look and feel normally then we’ll be much more aware of any unusual changes.

Checking your breasts only needs to take a few minutes. There’s no special technique and you certainly don’t need any training. It’s about getting to know what’s normal for you, so that if you notice anything different from normal, you can get it checked out.

We want people to check the whole breast area, that includes your chest, so just above the breast, between the breast and the neck and the armpits. It’s a little bit broader on the body than just the parts of the breasts that you think of.

One of the mistakes people make is only looking for a lump. There are other signs and symptoms, such as a change in size or shape, or change in the skin texture (it may look dimpled or puckered over the breast). Or a change in the nipple – it might turn inwards when that isn’t normally how it looks. Or you may notice discharge. So while a lump is important, and is one symptom, it’s by no means the only change to look out for.

Bras causing cancer is a a myth. It’s said that lots of UK women are wearing the wrong size bra and I suspect that can be uncomfortable but it’s not a safety issue.

GPS understand what they’re looking for, and know when to refer on. So if you find a change, go and see your doctor. The sooner things are found, the more likely it is that any problems can be treated successfully. breastcancernow.org