Breast Cancer Awareness: Know Your Normal and Know When to Get Checked
11 minute read
11 minute read
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast awareness should not be limited to one month of the year.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, and while most breast changes are not cancer, it is important to know what is normal for you and seek medical advice when something changes. Cancer Research UK confirms that common warning signs can include a new lump or thickening, changes in breast size or shape, skin changes, nipple changes and unexpected nipple discharge.
At Surrey Skin Care, we believe good health and confidence go together. Surrey Skin Care is part of CEDA Healthcare and works alongside our wider private medical services, including Private GP Clinic. This gives patients access not only to skin and aesthetic care, but also to medical assessment and diagnostic services where appropriate. Surrey Skin Care currently operates from locations including West Byfleet, Sunningdale, Wokingham, Farnham, Reigate and Putney.
For patients who require further investigation of a breast concern, access to breast ultrasound is available through our associated Private GP Clinic diagnostic service.
There is no single way breasts should look or feel.
Breasts naturally vary between individuals, and they can also change throughout life because of:
The aim of breast awareness is therefore not to search for something abnormal every day.
It is to become familiar with your normal.
The NHS recommends checking your breasts or chest regularly, around once a month, because familiarity makes it easier to notice new changes.
A simple approach is:
Look. Feel. Notice. Act if something changes.
Many breast symptoms are caused by benign conditions.
However, certain changes should not be ignored.
A new lump is one of the most common reasons people seek medical advice.
Most breast lumps are not cancerous, but the NHS advises that any new lump in the breast or armpit should be checked by a GP.
Benign causes can include:
The important point is that you cannot reliably determine the cause simply by feeling the lump yourself.
It is normal for breasts to be slightly different in size.
What matters is a new or unexplained change.
If one breast changes in shape, contour or size and this is not normal for you, arrange an assessment.
Look for changes such as:
These signs do not automatically mean cancer, but they should be assessed.
Seek medical advice if you notice:
Again, these can have benign causes, but new changes deserve attention.
Nipple discharge outside pregnancy or breastfeeding should be discussed with a clinician, particularly if it is bloodstained.
Breast awareness also includes the area around the breast.
The NHS advises seeking medical assessment for swelling or a lump in the breast, chest or armpit.
Breast pain by itself is not usually a symptom of breast cancer.
However, persistent pain, particularly when associated with other changes, should still be assessed.
The NHS advises seeing a GP if breast or armpit pain does not go away.
Finding a lump can understandably cause anxiety.
However, most breast lumps are harmless.
Common causes include fluid-filled cysts and fibroadenomas.
That does not mean a new lump should be ignored.
The correct next step is clinical assessment.
A GP may:
If further investigation is needed, imaging such as mammography or ultrasound may form part of the diagnostic pathway.
A breast ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the tissues inside the breast.
It does not use ionising radiation.
Breast ultrasound may be used:
Cancer Research UK states that breast ultrasound usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes and is considered a very safe investigation.
Not always.
This is an important distinction.
A breast ultrasound can provide valuable information about the structure and characteristics of a lump, but it does not automatically confirm or rule out cancer.
For example, ultrasound may help determine whether a lump is:
If a solid or suspicious abnormality is identified, further tests may be recommended.
These can include:
Cancer Research UK describes breast diagnosis as potentially involving a combination of examination, mammography, ultrasound and biopsy.
These two tests have different roles.
Ultrasound uses sound waves.
It is particularly useful for assessing specific lumps or areas of concern and can help distinguish between cystic and solid abnormalities.
A mammogram uses low-dose X-rays to create detailed images of the breasts.
Mammography is also the principal imaging method used in breast screening programmes.
In symptomatic patients, mammography may be used together with ultrasound and clinical examination.
These tests are therefore complementary rather than interchangeable.
No.
A private breast ultrasound should not be viewed as a substitute for routine NHS breast screening when you are eligible.
Breast screening is designed to look for early changes in people who do not have symptoms.
Diagnostic ultrasound is used for a different purpose, usually to investigate a specific symptom or area of concern.
If you have a breast symptom, do not wait for your next routine screening appointment.
Speak to a GP.
Breast tissue tends to be denser in younger women.
This can make mammograms more difficult to interpret in some cases.
Cancer Research UK notes that patients under 40 with a breast lump are more likely to have ultrasound as their first imaging test.
However, the correct imaging pathway depends on the individual.
Factors include:
The decision should therefore be guided by a healthcare professional.
A breast ultrasound is generally straightforward.
During the appointment:
There is usually no special preparation required.
Cancer Research UK states that the scan itself usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
Surrey Skin Care is best known as a doctor-led aesthetics and dermatology clinic, but the business forms part of the wider CEDA Healthcare group and works alongside private GP services. Its website explicitly states that Surrey Skin Care also specialises in GP services and links patients into the wider CEDA Healthcare medical network.
This matters because skin, aesthetic and general health concerns do not always exist in isolation.
Patients who notice a breast concern should not simply treat it as a cosmetic issue.
Medical symptoms require medical assessment.
Where appropriate, patients can access GP assessment and diagnostic ultrasound through the associated Private GP Clinic service.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is often associated with pink ribbons and fundraising.
But the most important message is behavioural:
notice changes and act on them.
The NHS advises seeing a GP if you develop a breast or armpit lump or any breast or nipple change that is not normal for you. nhs.uk
Waiting does not make a concerning symptom easier to assess.
If the cause turns out to be benign, you gain reassurance.
If further investigation is needed, you are already moving through the correct pathway.
There is no single perfect technique.
The goal is simply to become familiar with your own body.
The NHS advises checking approximately once a month.
Stand in front of a mirror and look for:
Feel:
Use a comfortable technique that allows you to become familiar with the texture of your own breast tissue.
You are looking for something new or different, not perfection.
Family history is only one part of breast cancer risk.
However, tell your doctor if close relatives have had:
Your doctor can decide whether additional risk assessment or specialist referral is appropriate.
Breast cancer can also affect men.
It is much less common, but men should still seek medical advice if they notice:
Breast awareness is therefore relevant to everyone.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month should lead to action, not just awareness.
Become familiar with how your breasts or chest normally look and feel.
Aim for around once a month.
Most lumps are benign, but they still need assessment.
Routine screening remains important even when you feel completely well.
If something changes, book a GP assessment rather than waiting to see whether it disappears.
Surrey Skin Care is part of CEDA Healthcare, which also operates Private GP Clinic.
Through the wider group, patients can access diagnostic services including breast ultrasound where clinically appropriate.
The Private GP Clinic ultrasound service provides diagnostic breast imaging and states that patients can self-refer for most ultrasound scans.
This allows Surrey Skin Care patients to move into an appropriate medical pathway when a concern goes beyond aesthetics or dermatology.
Breast ultrasound should still be viewed as part of a diagnostic process, not as a replacement for GP assessment, mammography or specialist breast services where these are required.
If you notice something that is not normal for you, do not ignore it.
Most changes will not be cancer.
But reassurance should come from proper assessment rather than assumption.
At Surrey Skin Care, our wider connection with CEDA Healthcare means patients can access both clinical consultation and diagnostic services when required.
For breast ultrasound and related diagnostic services, patients can be directed to the associated Private GP Clinic ultrasound service.
Telephone: 0300 124 7600
Surrey Skin Care currently operates clinics in West Byfleet, Sunningdale, Wokingham, Farnham, Reigate and Putney.
Ultrasound can identify abnormalities and provide useful information about a breast lump, but it cannot always confirm whether a lump is cancerous. Further tests such as mammography or biopsy may be required.
Most patients find breast ultrasound comfortable. Some pressure may be felt when the probe moves over the breast, particularly if the area is tender.
No. Breast ultrasound uses sound waves and does not involve ionising radiation.
Cancer Research UK states that a typical breast ultrasound takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
A new breast lump should first be medically assessed. A GP can determine whether ultrasound, mammography or specialist breast referral is most appropriate.
Neither test is simply “better”. They have different roles. Mammography and ultrasound are often used together depending on age, symptoms and clinical findings.
Yes. Ultrasound is often used as the first imaging investigation in younger women with breast symptoms because younger breast tissue tends to be denser.
No. Most breast lumps are benign, but they should still be checked by a GP.
Yes. Men can also develop breast cancer and should seek medical advice if they notice a new chest or nipple change.