Breast health care methods

The core of breast care for ordinary healthy women is to do three things - regular and standardized breast screening, daily gentle care to reduce irritation, and avoiding risk factors that are clear to damage the breasts. All health care products and massage programs that claim to be able to enlarge the breasts and dredge the breasts are basically IQ tax, but may damage the breasts.

When it comes to screening, in fact, the current attitude of the academic community towards self-examination is not completely unified. The current WHO guidelines do not recommend routine breast self-examination as a screening method for people at average risk. The reason is that most non-professionals cannot accurately distinguish lumps from normal glands. Instead, they tend to be overly anxious when feeling physiological hyperplasia, and may also miss small deep-seated lumps. ； However, many front-line breast doctors in China still recommend that you touch it when you take a shower. This is not to replace professional screening, but to familiarize you with the normal state of your breasts. If you suddenly feel a lump that was not there before, or if you have inexplicable nipple discharge or sunken skin, you can go to the doctor as soon as possible, so that you will not find out until it becomes serious. As for the rhythm of professional screening, there is no need to memorize complicated formulas. If you are 20 to 39 years old, you can have a clinical breast examination + breast ultrasound every year. If you are over 40 years old, you can also have a mammography examination. If you have a family history, just ask a doctor to adjust the screening frequency. You don’t have to guess.

After talking about screening, let’s talk about the care we can usually do at home. It’s really not as complicated as everyone thinks. Don't believe the rumors that "underwire bras cause cancer". I specifically asked the director of the Breast Department, who I know well, that as long as the bra you wear doesn't strangle your breasts and make you unable to breathe, or leave red marks on your skin that won't go away for a long time, it doesn't matter whether you have underwire bras or not. The only thing you need to pay attention to is not to wear underwear when sleeping, so as to give your breasts enough room to relax. Two years ago, I wore a push-up underwired underwear for three days for a photo shoot. When I took it off, my ribs had purple marks. The next week, my breasts hurt when I touched them. I went for a color ultrasound and found that the physiological hyperplasia had worsened. Later, I changed to soft underwired underwear and adjusted my work and rest. Also, you must wear a sports bra with enough support when exercising. I used to wear ordinary bras when running a half-marathon to save trouble. After running, my breasts swayed and hurt for two days. After I checked, I found out that the breasts swayed too much during strenuous exercise, which would strain the suspensory ligaments of the breasts and make them prone to sagging over time. I really can’t save this money. Pay attention when cleaning. The skin of the nipple and areola is much thinner than you think. Don't rub it hard with scrubs or strong shower gels. Just rinse it with warm water. If there are scabs during breastfeeding, apply a little lanolin ointment to soften them and then rub them gently. Scratching them can easily lead to infection.

Last week, when I accompanied a friend to the breast department for a review, I met a 28-year-old girl who had been going to the beauty salon every week for six months for "breast unblocking massage." Each time, the technician applied unknown essential oil to her and rubbed it vigorously, saying that it could spread the hyperplasia and enlarge the breasts. As a result, she had severe chest pain recently. A color ultrasound revealed that there were several cysts in the breasts, and inflammatory fluid was squeezed out. The doctor said that external rubbing and the essential oils may contain estrogen, which damaged the breast ducts. Don’t believe in massage and unblocking claims. Breast ducts are like a bunch of grapes. If you rub the fragile grapes hard, you will only break them and it will be impossible to unblock them. There are also those pills and patches that claim to be able to enlarge breasts. Most of them secretly add estrogen. Using them may indeed cause temporary swelling and pain, making it look like the breasts are getting bigger. However, it will greatly increase the risk of breast lesions, which is not worth the gain.

As for several issues that have been particularly hotly debated on the Internet, I have also compiled different clinical opinions for you to refer to as needed. For example, should breast hyperplasia be treated? The view of Western medicine is that 90% of breast hyperplasia is physiological and related to the menstrual cycle and emotional stress. As long as the pain does not affect your life, there is no need to treat it at all. Adjusting your work and rest to be less angry and drinking less high-sugar milk tea and coffee can relieve it. If the pain is severe, just take some ibuprofen. ； Some Chinese medicine practitioners also believe that breast hyperplasia is related to liver stagnation and qi stagnation, and you can use some prescriptions to soothe the liver and regulate qi. As long as it is prescribed by a regular hospital and is not a three-no product, you can try it. You don’t have to fall into one camp, whatever suits you. There is also the issue of hot compresses. If there is pain during menstruation or breast congestion, hot compresses with the right temperature can indeed relieve the pain. However, if it is an unexplained lump or even inflammation, do not apply it blindly. High temperature will speed up blood circulation, but may cause the inflammation to spread and the lump to grow faster.

In fact, breasts are really not that delicate. You don’t have to pay a lot of money for care every day, and you don’t have to wonder if there is something wrong every day. It is better to have a physical examination every year and don’t mess with it. If you really feel uncomfortable, go directly to the breast department of a regular hospital and don't believe the nonsense from beauty salons.