One of the best ways to “prevent” breast cancer – because you can never truly prevent cancer – is to catch it early enough and one of the best ways to do that is by performing regular breast self-exams. Why? “The medical community advocates that women get to know their breasts intimately, so that they can more easily pick out abnormalities in their breasts any time of the month,” advises Dr. Bola Oyeyipo, a family physician in San Antonio, Texas and co-founder of Healthgist.com.
If you’re new to breast self-exams, you may be wondering, “When’s the best time to do them?” You can do them while you’re showering, standing in front of a mirror or when you’re lying down in bed.
When standing in front of the mirror, look for any swelling, redness, dimples in the skin, or changes in breast and nipple size and shape. Make sure both hands are on your hips and then raise both arms above your head.
