The most romantic day of the year isn’t just about chocolate and roses – it's also a good opportunity to show some self-love by looking out for your breast health.
The most romantic day of the year isn’t just about chocolate and roses – it's also a good opportunity to show some self-love by looking out for your breast health.
Why should I be checking my breasts?
While some instances of breast cancer are detected by routine NHS mammograms for women aged 50 to 70, most cases are found by people noticing new or unusual changes to their breasts.
The sooner breast cancer is found, the better the chance of successful treatment – which is why it is vital for everyone to know what changes to look and feel for.
At Breast Cancer Now, we encourage people to do this using TLC: our breast awareness message.
What is TLC?
Usually, TLC stands for tender, loving care – and that’s certainly something you’ll be giving yourself when checking your breasts for anything new and unusual. However, in this case, it also stands for touch, look, check.
Touching, looking at and checking your breasts and chest are the three ways you can help identify and follow up on anything unusual for you.
When touching your breasts and/or chest, make sure to pay attention to any new or unusual changes, and include the area up to your collarbone and into your armpits. This might be a lump, a difference in skin texture such as puckering or dimpling, or any painful areas. On its own, pain is not usually a sign of breast cancer, but it’s important to make note of pain which is there all or almost all of the time.
When looking at your breasts and/or chest, keep an eye out for any changes such as redness or inflammation. You’ll also want to look for nipple changes – has it become pulled in (inverted) or is there an unusual liquid (discharge) from either nipple? Can you see any rashes or crusting around them?
You will also want to look for changes to the size or shape of your breasts – it’s normal to have one breast a little larger than the other, but has one suddenly become larger than or different to the other?
Remember, you know your body better than anybody else, so you’re more likely to spot any new or unusual changes.
If you do notice anything out of the ordinary for you, the final step is to check with your GP. Visiting the doctor about your breast health may feel worrying at first, but it is better to get the changes checked than to ignore them. It may be a non-cancerous (benign) breast condition, or a normal change that happens to the breasts throughout life – but it could also be the key to getting treatment for breast cancer, as soon as possible.
Remember, the sooner breast cancer is found, the more successful treatment is likely to be.
When and how should I TLC?
Touching, looking at and checking your breasts only takes a few minutes, and there’s no special way to do it. You can check while standing up or sitting down, in the shower or while you’re getting ready in the morning.
The important thing is to do it regularly – that way you’ll get used to the way your breasts/chest look and feel so you’ll know what’s normal for you, you’ll be aware of any changes sooner, and can have a better chance of successful treatment if it is breast cancer.
Is there anything else I should know?
Your breasts can change with age, pregnancy, menopause, and, if you have a menstrual cycle, at different times of the month. For this reason, most breast changes are normal. If you get into the habit of doing TLC regularly, you’ll become familiar with what your normal looks like.
If you have already had a diagnosis of breast cancer, it might be a bit scary to check yourself. While most breast cancers are successfully treated, there is a possibility it can come back, and it is common to worry about breast cancer returning. If you want to learn about the signs and symptoms to look out for when you’ve had breast cancer, we have some resources to help.
If you are nervous about visiting a GP, remember that you can always look to Breast Cancer Now’s information on signs and symptoms of breast cancer or speak to one of our nurses confidentially for more information on what to check for and what happens if you are referred to a breast clinic.
Checking your breasts only takes a few minutes and everyone will have their own way of touching and looking for changes. Whether it's in the bath, shower or before going to bed, checking for signs and symptoms is as easy as TLC. Check them - it could make all the difference.