8/25/22, 9:41 AM What is Breast Self-Awareness and Why is it Important?

What Is Breast Self-Awareness

and Why Is It Important?
A NewYork-Presbyterian breast surgical oncologist shares how to take
control of your breast health.

 4 MIN READ  • CANCER CARE & RESEARCH  •  Story By Meghan Moog

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin
cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. One in eight women will
develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

That’s why it’s so important to know your breasts from a young age, says Dr.
Stacy Ugras, a breast surgical oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Medical
Group Hudson Valley. “Breast self-awareness is an important part of early
detection for breast cancer,” Dr. Ugras says.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Ugras shares with Health

Matters simple steps you can take to increase breast self-awareness, including
how to perform breast self-exams.
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8/25/22, 9:41 AM What is Breast Self-Awareness and Why is it Important?

What is breast self-awareness?

Everyone should practice breast self-
awareness. The simplest way to do
that is by looking at your breasts in
the mirror with arms both up and
down, making sure they’re symmetric
and that there are no inconsistencies
between the two. If there is evidence
of skin dimpling or redness, discharge
or scaling of the nipples, tell your
doctor. Symptoms like these present
physically on the skin’s surface and
you can easily monitor them on your
Dr. Stacy Ugras own.

When should breast self-

awareness start?
Practicing breast self-awareness should begin when breasts develop. Pediatric
patients who have breasts should be aware of them and the rest of their
bodies. Examining themselves at home and knowing what to look for is a good
habit to establish early on, with the help of a parent or caretaker.

Once breasts develop, get a clinical breast exam by a physician annually.

Yearly mammograms should begin at approximately age 40, according to
the American Cancer Society. Doctors may advise beginning
mammograms earlier than that if there is a family history or other risk
factors.

How do you perform a self-exam?

“There’s no right or wrong way to conduct a self-exam,” says Dr. Ugras, who is
also an assistant professor of surgery at Columbia University Vagelos College

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8/25/22, 9:41 AM What is Breast Self-Awareness and Why is it Important?

of Physicians and Surgeons. “Many times, patients become overwhelmed and

believe they are doing it incorrectly, but I always encourage them to focus on
the big picture.”

Here is what to keep in mind:

Do a self-exam once a month, about a week after your period. Over time, you’ll get to
know the normal texture of your breasts and notice anything abnormal.
Start with visualization and look in the mirror, with arms up and down, to see if there
are any asymmetries between the two breasts.
Next, use the opposite hand of the breast you are examining to conduct a sweeping
motion and touch all portions of your breasts, going up and down and left to right.
Then, start feeling for lumps or masses. Those that are firm like a rock or stuck to the
chest wall are more concerning, and you should reach out to your doctor right away. If
you feel a mass that persists for more than one cycle, tell your physician.
Breasts take up the space between the neck bone and upper abdomen, from the
underarm area, to the chest wall and sternum, so be sure to cover those regions,
including your nipple and the area around it.
You can conduct a self-exam either standing up or lying down, whichever is more
comfortable.

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Dr. Ugras also encourages a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy weight

and diet, exercising for 30 minutes three times per week, limiting alcoholic
beverages to five or less per week and not smoking can help reduce breast
cancer risk.

Ultimately, if you do find something concerning while practicing breast self-

awareness, try not to panic. It could be benign, and if not, while a breast
cancer diagnosis is always difficult, Dr. Ugras encourages patients to
remember that the earlier cancer is detected, the greater the chance of a better
outcome. Even those diagnosed with more advanced cancer have a greater
chance of survival thanks to medical advances.

“We are having some really good outcomes, even with disease that initially
seems very aggressive,” she says. “If a lump is detected during a self-exam, be
sure to seek care because there’s always something we can do to treat it.’’

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