What does a healthy breast feel like?

Women’s breasts are very sacred. In addition to reflecting a woman’s figure, they also provide milk and maintain blood balance in the body. Therefore, it is very important to have healthy breasts. Do you know what healthy breasts feel like? If you don’t know, let’s learn about it together. This will also make it easier for everyone to do self-examination.

It is important to be familiar with the appearance of your normal breasts so that you can detect any abnormalities. There are three steps to breast self-examination:

Step one: Check in front of the mirror.

First, you stand in front of a mirror, topless, with your arms hanging at your sides, and observe the shape of your breasts. However, it is not abnormal for one breast to be slightly larger than the other. Next, raise your arms above your head, turn your body, and see if the shape of your breasts changes. Then, put your hands on your hips and slowly rotate your body to the right and left to check if there are any sunken, red, swollen or skin damage on your nipples and breasts.

Finally, place your palms on your hips and press down hard while rotating your body, which will make the outline of your breasts appear clear. Pay attention to observe whether there are any abnormal changes in the shape of the breasts. If any abnormal changes are found, compare them with the other side to see whether the breasts are symmetrical. If it is asymmetric, be alert and seek medical attention promptly.

Step 2: Check while standing or sitting.

First, raise your left hand behind your head and use your right hand to examine your left breast. The correct range of breast examination is from below the clavicle to the sixth rib, from the anterior axillary line to the inside near the sternum.

The correct way to check is to put three fingers together, start from 12 o'clock above the breast (compare the breast to a clock), and use the fingertips to press against the skin in a clockwise direction to perform a circular massage check. After each circle, return to 12 o'clock and move down 2 cm to do the second circle. The third round of inspection should check the entire breast up to the nipple. During the inspection, the fingers should not be separated from the skin, and the force should be even, with the strength controlled so that the fingers can touch the ribs.

This method is called acupressure circulation massage. After checking the left breast, raise your right hand behind your head and use your left hand to check the right breast in the same way. After you have examined your entire breast, use your index, middle, and thumb fingers to gently lift and squeeze the nipple, carefully checking for discharge. If you find any secretion, you should go to the hospital for further examination.

Step 3: Check in supine position.

Lie flat on the bed with a small pillow or folded towel under your shoulders so that your entire breast is flat against the chest wall to facilitate checking for any abnormal lumps in the breast. Because the breasts sag when sitting or standing, especially in overweight women, it is easy to miss lumps in the lower part of the breast, so it is also necessary to examine in the supine position. The scope and technique of examination are the same as those for sitting or standing examination.