Experts have advised women to be very vigilant when it comes to checking their health especially creating awareness about breast cancer.
Many women diagnosed with breast cancer share a common experience: They feel a lump that wasn’t there before, which ultimately turns out to be cancerous. It’s why women are told to be familiar enough with what their breasts feel like to notice any such changes.
According to Women’sHealthMag, here are four signs of breast cancer you may not have known about.
1. DIMPLING OR SCALY SKIN
A rough patch of skin that feels scaly or thicker than usual or skin that starts to dimple can signal breast cancer, Weber says. With some breast cancers, channels that go from the inside of the breast to the skin become blocked, resulting in skin changes that make the breast look like it’s covered in an orange peel.
2. SWELLING
Sometimes a lump can be lurking under the surface, even if a woman can’t feel it. This might change the shape or size of a breast, and could even result in some pain, which 6 percent of women in the recent research reported.
3. NIPPLE CHANGES
Some breast cancers will cause what’s called nipple inversion or retraction, in which the nipple turns inward. Typically, that’s because a mass is growing inside the breast and changes its shape, Weber explains. In the recent research, 7 percent of the women who were diagnosed with breast cancer reported nipple abnormalities.
4. NIPPLE DISCHARGE
Another possible nipple abnormality can be discharge that’s not breast milk. Nipple discharge is, thankfully, most often not cancer, but it’s important to see a doctor immediately if the discharge comes out without you touching or squeezing the nipple, especially if it’s bloody and only affecting one side.
