Posts Tagged ‘breast’

All about Benign Breast Cancer

January 31st, 2010 admin

There are many causes of benign breast cancer. These are the changes in the breast tissue, any breast infection or injury, and any medicine that are taken that have caused the lumps or the breast pain. Changes in the tissues of a woman’s breasts occur with the fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle.

Types of Benign Breast Conditions

There are many types of lumps and conditions in the breast that are benign and it is very important to know them so that you will not have to be unnecessarily alarmed when you find a lump in one or both of your breasts.

    * Fibrocystic changes. This increases the size and tenderness in the breast before the menstrual period. These lumps are just milk ducts and surrounding tissues that have grown and dilated to form cysts. The lumps that are formed may be hard or rubbery. Fibrocystic changes are often noticeable among women in their 40s.
    * Simple cysts. These are just fluid filled cysts that change in size with the woman’s menstrual cycles.
    * Fibroademonas. These are considered the most common benign tumors in a female breast. They are solid, round, and rubbery, and they can move freely in the breast once they are pushed upon and it is usually painless. This type of benign breast condition is due to the excessive formation of the milk producing glands and the surrounding breast tissue. This condition will most likely occur in women between the age of 20 and 30.
    * Intraductal papillomas. This condition is characterized by small, wart-like growths in the lining of the mammary duct near the nipple area and women between the age of 45 and 50 are the most likely to be affected.
    * Traumatic fatnecrosis. This condition will occur if a trauma like an injury occurs in the breast and the characteristics of the lumps are round, firm, hard, single, and usually painless.

What You Should Do If You Find A Lump

Once you discover a lump in your breast you should immediately see a physician because it might be a benign breast cancer condition. It is recommended to see a doctor right away if you find the following in your breasts:

    * An area that is distinctly different from another area in either breasts
    * A lump or a thickening near the breast or the underarm that is persistent
    * A change in the size, shape, and contour of the breast
    * A mass or lump in your breast
    * Changes in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or the nipple.
    * They are dimpled, puckered, and appear scaly or even inflamed.
    * A bloody or clear fluid discharge from the nipples
    * Redness in the skin on the nipple area or anywhere on the breast

A monthly examination of the breast is recommended to detect any abnormalities that are found in the breast and to prevent any development of benign breast lumps.

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How to Perform Breast Self-Examination

January 31st, 2010 admin

Breast cancer is one of the top diseases causing death among women. The problem of breast cancer haunts every woman. The cancer is dreaded not only for what it stands, but because of the string of complications it carries along its wake. In such a situation, detecting the onset of breast cancer is of prime consideration because in most cases, by the time the cancer is detected, the disease has spread so much that it may be too late to cure it. Nonetheless, with proper education and better treatment procedures, women have a far better chance combating the disease.

Because breast cancer is a widely dreaded disease, efforts are put in place to help women detect early signs of breast cancer and other forms of breast diseases. One such method used in detecting breast abnormalities is the breast self-examination (BSE). BSE is the process of finding abnormalities in the breast. It involves looking and feeling at both breasts for possible swellings that may be the telltale signs of breast cancer development. 

How to Conduct Breast Self-Examination

BSE is performed in front of a mirror with the torso exposed so as to view better the procedure being done. The process involves doing the so-called 7Ps, which are the guide toward a successful breast examination and early detection of breast cancer. The 7 procedures are the following:

1. Position. This involves inspecting both breasts and palpate in the mirror with the arms at various positions to give the woman leverage on the examination at various angles. The examination is first performed lying down with a pillow under one shoulder and then followed by a pillow on the opposite shoulder and then finally lying flat.

2. Perimeter. This means the width with which the examination is done. First, the entire breast is examined, including the nipple and then followed by examining the area extending into the armpit and the nearby lymph nodes.

3. Palpation. This is done by palpating with the pads of the fingers without lifting the fingers as they move across the breast.

4. Pressure. This means the amount of pressure exerted on the breast during BSE. The process involves employing light pressure first, then moderate, and finally heavy pressure.

5. Pattern. There are three patterns available to a woman, whichever she feels most comfortable with. The first pattern is the so-called vertical strip, which involves moving the fingers up and down over the breast. The second pattern is the pie-wedge pattern, which starts at the nipple and then moves outwards. The third pattern is the circular pattern, which involves moving the fingers in circles outward from the nipple.

6. Practice. With the continued practice of conducting BSE, one will get a feel of the breast tissue and enable a woman to detect breast tissue changes.

7. Plan. This means knowing what to do in case changes in breast tissues are detected.

Although 80 percent of growth detected through BSE are non-malignant in nature and may not lead to breast cancer, it is nonetheless wise to report any changes to the doctor to conduct a mammogram.

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Natural Medicine For Breast Enlargement

January 31st, 2010 admin

Women who have small breasts size are always on the lookout for ways to enhance their breast size as they are well aware that men are usually put off with a small breast size. In recent past apart from breast enhancement surgery women have also opted for alternative form of treatment to enhance their breasts size. This preference is mainly due to lack of any side effects in using natural medicine as well as the natural look that the breasts get from natural growth is much better than artificial silicon implants. In this article let us find out how one can go about things to enhance the size of breasts by using natural methods.

Some Effective Herbs
Small breast size is mainly due to low level of estrogen in the body hence women are administered such herbs which have a high estrogen content thereby countering the deficiency of estrogen in the body thus assisting in natural growth of breasts. Herbs like saw palmetto and fenugreek are commonly used in breast enhancement pills as they have high estrogen content in them.

Foods
You should avoid eating junk or processed food and eat fresh fruits and vegetable especially green vegetables are very beneficial. Carrots and chicken head soup have high estrogen content and are commonly given to girls with small breasts size in China.

Stay Away from Addictions
If you are taking natural breast enhancement pills then you should strictly abstain from addictions like smoking and alcohol as well as limit the intake of coffee and tea. This is because all these substances interfere with the working of herbs and bring down their efficacy to a very low level.

Exercise
Exercising is very important to keep yourself fit. To improve the overall look of your breasts you can try doing push ups against the wall and dumb bell flies. These exercises will help increase blood flow to the breast are and speed up the growth process.

Yoga For Breast Enhancement
There are also some yoga asanas which help in breast enhancement. Yoga helps in overall development of your personality and improves your overall health.

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Breast Augmentation: Which Type is Right For You?

January 31st, 2010 admin

Due to extreme advances in medicine, there are several types of breast augmentation available today. Reasons for breast augmentation are aesthetics, breast reconstruction after cancer or to correct deformations, breast reconstruction to replace dangerous, old implants, or as part of sex reassignment. Both men and women can have breast augmentation or reductions. Breast augmentation is the most common form of plastic surgery in the United States. With all the advancements in medicine and the popularity of this type of surgery soaring, many men and women are considering having this procedure performed. The question of what type of surgery would be best for you beg to be answered.

The two most common types of breast augmentation implants are saline and silicone gel. Other types of implants used in the past were polypropylene string and soy oil filled implants. It is sometimes recommended that these implants be replaced, due to safety issues.

While there isn’t much choice in type of implants offered, there are a wide variety of incision types. The most common is called an inframammary incision, which is to say an incision just below the breast in the infra-mammary fold. This procedure is most common due to the fact that placement of the implant is easiest and most precise using this method. Some women opt not to use this method though, as breasts that do not drape over the infra-mammary fold will show a more visible scar than with other methods.

The periareolar incision is one that places the incision along the areolar border. If using silicone gel implants, this type of surgery is more difficult that an inframammary incision due to the fact that the actual incision length is approximately five centimeters in length. The biggest advantage to this type of incision is that scaring after healing is minimal.

The transaxillary incision is an incision in the armpit, whereby the implant is tunneled into the breast for proper placement. With this type of incision there is no scaring on the breasts, but placement is much more difficult. Revisions of the surgery are sometimes required.

Transumbilical incisions are much more uncommon. This technique requires the surgeon to incise the navel and tunnel up from the stomach into the breast. There is no scaring of the breast, but the surgery is much more difficult and recovery takes longer and is more painful. Only saline filled implants may be used with this procedure, as silicone implant’s shells can be damaged during placement of the implant.

As with any surgery, there are risks and rewards. An excellent surgeon should be your only choice. To find the best cosmetic surgeon, Los Angeles is a good place to start. Makes sure your choice of surgeon has excellent references, is well known, board certified and insured. Dr. Calvert, known from appearances and philanthropic work associated with the Tyra Show, fulfills all these requirements.

To find out more about the different types of breast augmentation and their risks and rewards, contact Dr. Calvert. Dr. Jay Calvert is a board certified plastic surgeon of high stature. His work and philanthropy has been highlighted on the Tyra Show as well as many other venues.

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Preventing Breast Cancer

January 31st, 2010 admin

Breast cancer is the commonest cancer of women in the world. It can happen to anybody, young or old, married or single. One in 5 women is at the risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime in USA. In India the incidence is slightly lower but it is increasing.

A lot of research is being done to find the cause and cure of breast cancer. Cause of breast cancer is still unknown. Certain cancer genes have been identified that run in families or can occur newly by mutation in women without any family gene. Tests are available to detect such a gene so that extra precautions can be taken to detect cancer early in women with such genes. Since the advances in plastic surgery have made it possible to create attractive new breasts, women who are genetically at high risk can go for removal of breasts and reconstruction.

Prevention gives the best chance of cure. You can beat the cancer by being cautious and detecting it early. Remember cancer starts as a painless lump in the breast and you have the best chance of detecting it yourself. By Breast self examination ( BSE). This is how you can do It:

* Stand in front of a mirror with top exposed.
* Place hands on hips.
* Look for signs of dimpling, swelling, soreness, or redness in all parts of your breasts in the mirror.
* Repeat with arms raised above your head.
* While still standing, palpate your breasts with your fingers, feeling for lumps. Try to use a larger area of your fingers rather than prodding. Feel both for the area just beneath the skin and for the tissue deeper within.
* Go over the entire breast while examining. One method is to divide the breast into quadrants and palpate each quadrant carefully. Also examine the “axillary tail” of each breast that extends toward the armpit.
* Repeat palpation while lying down.
* Check the nipples and the area just beneath them. Gently squeeze each nipple to check for any discharge.

Breasts tend to feel different in different parts of menstrual cycle. Therefore BSE should be done 7-10 days after the first day of periods, every month. Once you get the feel of your breasts it will be easy for you to detect any change and you will be able to differentiate normal breast feel from that of a lump.

If you have detected a lump or nodule do not panic, because 8 out of ten times these are harmless. You should go to an expert surgeon for examination. She/he may advise further testing if needed like mammography( breast X ray) and sonography of breast -both of which are painless .Fine needle biopsy may also be needed to get the diagnosis.

If the lump is benign (harmless) it can be left alone or can be removed through small incision. If it is malignant (cancer) and detected early (less than 2 cm size lump) then it is possible to have breast preserving surgery wherein only the lump with surrounding rim of normal breast is removed leaving behind rest of the breast and radiation to the breast. For bigger cancers treatment usually involves total removal of breast and chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy. Plastic surgical breast reconstruction is commonly done after total removal of breast. If the cancer is detected in early stage, very long survival 20 years or more is known after complete treatment.

After the age of 40 yearly mammography can be done to detect any minute cancer. It is like an X ray and is painless. Early detection not only allows for breast preservation but also increases the chances of cure.

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Herbal Breast Care

January 30th, 2010 admin

Beautiful breasts are considered the hot symbol with the most appealing quality. Every woman wants to have an attractive bust line but due to lack of proper care it become saggy and loses its beauty. Here in this article you will find some easy home care of your breasts. A woman’s breasts should naturally remain firm and uplifted till the age of fifties.

Breasts are one of the most attractive parts of women. A beautiful bust line can add extra gorgeousness to the overall look. Breasts not only add beauty but also help her to feed her baby. Breastfeeding is no doubt a wonderful experience for women. Women are advised to take care of their breasts.

Herbs are used all over the world to cure various diseases. There are a number of herbal preparations available that play an important role in healing a disorder. In this article, you will find some useful herbal preparations for breast care.

Sore, cracked nipples are usually a result of breastfeeding, either because of the baby dragging at the nipple or because correct care is not being taken in washing and drying the breasts before and after feeding.

With the passage of youth, the bust droops but if this begins to happen when a woman is young, immediate attention should be taken to minimize and even remove the defect. Shapeless, small, sluggish or over-developed breasts reduce the attraction of a streamlined figure.

Proper breast care begins with the cleanliness of the breast. Women should devote a few minutes of their bathing schedule in pampering the breasts. Since breasts are a spongy mass of tissue enclosed by a skin, they can be washed with the same soap you use for the rest of the body. It is easier to wash the breasts because of their shape, but be sure to also wash the area under the armpits.

The quantity of milk a mother produce depends on the demand of the babies. If a mother wants to save time she may feed both babies at the same time but in case she will have to find the most comfortable position to feed the twins.

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