BREAST ENHANCEMENT

Breast Self-Exam

Administrator — Sat, 26 May 2007 02:53:37 +0000

A breast self-exam is done to detect changes that could lead to breast cancer. To learn what is normal for your breasts and to find any problems, you should do a breast self-exam once a month.

Why Do Breast Self-Exams?
If breast cancer is found early, most women can be treated with success. That is why routine breast self-exams, mammography and checkups by your doctor are vital.

How to Do a Breast Self-Exam
The best time to do the breast self-exam is a few days after your period ends each month. It’s easier at this time because your breasts are less tender or swollen. There are two parts to a breast self-exam —looking and feeling.

Looking
In the first part of the exam, you are looking in the mirror for any changes.

Feeling
In the second part of the exam, you are feeling for any changes. You can do this lying flat on your back, standing, or when you are taking a shower or bath. It often is easier to examine your breasts when they are smooth and wet with soap and water. It’s a good idea to examine your breasts both ways — lying down and standing.

Examine one breast at a time. Feel with the pads (not tips) of your three middle fingers.

Remember how your breasts feel each month. Mark any lumps or other changes on the diagram shown here. Show it to your doctor.

Signs of a Problem
If you notice any of these symptoms during your breast self-exam, call your doctor:

A lump

Swelling

Skin irritation

Dimpling

Pain

Nipple retraction (nipple turns in)

Redness of nipple or breast skin

Scaly nipple or breast skin

Nipple discharge

Finally…
Do the breast self-exam once a month. If you detect any signs of a problem, talk to your doctor.

This excerpt from ACOG’s Patient Education Pamphlet is provided for your information. It is not medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for visiting your doctor. If you need medical care, have any questions, or wish to receive the full text of this Patient Education Pamphlet, please contact your obstetrician-gynecologist.

Bizarre breast facts

Administrator — Sat, 26 May 2007 02:38:23 +0000

Women may think of their breasts as nothing more than a body part that excites men. And who can blame them? The male fascination with female breasts is as old as the stars themselves. However, there’s a lot more to discover and learn about them. Breasts have their own colorful history and their own share of interesting and odd facts. To see what I mean, here’s a collection of breast trivia from the Clevastin natural breast enhancement system:

The late French porn star Lolo Ferrari is credited as having the world’s largest breast implants. During her lifetime, she had 22 surgeries to make her breasts 73 inches round!

Although rare, men also develop breast cancer. This occurs in men between the ages of 60 and 70. Risk factors include aging, exposure to radiation, a family history of the disease, heavy alcohol intake, obesity, lack of exercise, high estrogen levels, and those who work in hot environments. This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that 2,030 new cases will be diagnosed among men. In the United Kingdom, there are 300 new cases of male breast cancer yearly.

A study supposedly published in the New England Journal of Medicine said that staring at women’s breasts for just 10 minutes a day can improve a man’s health and add four to five years to his life. The German study was carried out by a certain Dr. Karyn Weatherby who said that ogling at busty beauties is equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics workout. She said this gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation, cutting the risk of stroke and heart attack by half!

The Milky Way Galaxy is so named because the ancient Greeks thought it was made from drops of milk from the breasts of the Greek goddess Hera.

A survey made by bra maker Triumph found that British women have the biggest boobs in Europe. More than half the women in that country wear a size D cup or larger. Denmark scored second while Holland was third. On the other hand, Italian women had the smallest breasts where 68 percent had a size B, the same survey said. But don’t lose hope. Researchers said breast size has been increasing in the Western world for the past 10 - 15 years.

Ironically, British women don’t appreciate their big breasts. Journalist Mike Adams reports in NewsTarget.com that a poll of 1,500 women there and in five other countries revealed that 22 percent of women would gladly have their breasts removed if that would help them prevent breast cancer! Ouch!

In Hong Kong, you can get a degree in Bra Studies from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University where they teach you how to design and build a bra. Recently, the students exhibited their designs at the ACE Style Institute of Intimate Apparel at the ITC Resource Centre.

If you have saggy breasts, don’t fret. Catch a plane to Iceland next year and join the alternative beauty contest in Isafjoerdur that celebrates body imperfections. The contest is open to both men and women aged 20 and above who have not undergone had cosmetic surgery. It hopes to change the Western world’s concept of beauty. The first pageant was held in April 18 this year.

Lastly, if you want to do something about your breasts but are afraid of surgery, try Clevastin - the safe and effective natural product that will give you the breasts you want. Clevastin will help improve your looks and make you a better person

10 must-know breast facts

Administrator — Sat, 26 May 2007 02:32:41 +0000

1 Most women overestimate their chance of getting breast cancer. In a survey by the Atlanta-based American Cancer Society, nearly half the respondents thought that American women have a 30-50 percent chance of getting breast cancer, and two-thirds thought that the risk was more than 20 percent. Cancer statistics experts say that among girls born in 2005, an estimated 13 percent will develop breast cancer at some time in their lives.

2 Eighty percent of breast lumps are not cancer. Many are simply fibrocystic changes: Sacs in your breast fill with too much fluid and become hard and may be painful. These changes are common among women of childbearing age, and often fluctuate during the menstrual cycle.

Fibroadenomas are benign tumors common among women in their 20s and 30s. There is usually no treatment for them if they do not grow; if they do, some doctors recommend removing them surgically. A malignant tumor tends to feel like a fixed, hard object and is more irregular in shape, says breast surgeon Gregory Senofsky, M.D., author of The Patient’s Guide to Outstanding Breast Cancer Care (Perigee, 2002). A benign lump is often more round and moves easily from side to side. All lumps, however, should be checked by your doctor.

3 Doing monthly breast self-exams is always a good idea. "Despite the fact that [research] doesn’t statistically show that breast self-exams save lives, I’ve seen cases where young women are the first ones to pick up a breast mass," says Marleen Meyers, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in oncology at New York University Medical Center in New York City, who encourages all her patients to perform regular self-exams. To see a short video clip about the best way to examine your breasts, visit komen.org/bse.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women 20 and older examine their own breasts every month and that women in their 20s and 30s have their breasts examined by their doctors every three years. Because risk rises with age, women 40 and older should have their breasts examined by a doctor annually and begin getting annual mammograms.

4 About 80 percent of women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors for it. The best way to deal with this is to do what you can to reduce your known risk factors and not worry about what you can’t control. Proven lifestyle factors that increase breast-cancer risk are drinking two to five alcoholic drinks per day, being overweight (particularly if the added weight was put on after age 20) and not exercising.

Risk factors that you can’t control include being a woman; being older than age 50; having a mother, sister or daughter diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age; being Caucasian; getting your first period before age 12; having one of the two breast-cancer genes; and not having children or having them after age 30. To calculate your own individual estimated risk, try the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool at bcra.nci.nih.gov/brc.

5 You can find out if you carry the breast-cancer gene. But should you? About 211,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, but only 5-10 percent of them are carrying one or more of the inherited altered genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2, according to the Bethesda, Md.-based National Cancer Institute. A woman with one of these altered genes has an 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer sometime in her life.

Getting this test can have repercussions: A positive result could be emotionally difficult for you and your family. You will need to talk to your doctor about more monitoring (e.g., more frequent mammograms) and cancer-prevention choices (taking the drug tamoxifen, for instance, has been shown nearly to halve the number of breast cancers in high-risk women). Plus, a negative result may give you a false sense of security. To learn more about genetic testing or to find a genetic counselor near you, visit the National Society of Genetic Counselors at nsgc.org.

6 Your breast-cancer risk factors should be considered when selecting birth control. Studies are mixed on whether use of oral contraceptives increases breast-cancer risk. (The two kinds of oral contraceptives available in the United States include a combination of estrogen and progesterone and the minipill, which contains the synthetic form of progesterone only.) "Although there is no hard evidence that women who use oral contraceptives have an increased risk of breast cancer, if my patient has a family history of breast cancer or a relative with the breast-cancer genes, I suggest that she find another birth-control method to avoid possibly compounding her risk," Meyers says.

7 Breast size has nothing to do with risk, but height and weight do. Excess weight, not breast size, is a risk factor, particularly in postmenopausal women–and not just for getting breast cancer, but for dying of it. Thirty to 50 percent of all cancer deaths among postmenopausal women in America may be attributed to being overweight, according to the American Cancer Society. Estrogen is stored in fat tissue, so heavier women produce more of the female hormone which can spur developing cancers. And, because breast tumors are harder to detect in obese women, cancer is often found at later stages.

way to breast health

Administrator — Sat, 26 May 2007 02:24:27 +0000

Physical activity not only burns calories, but can also help reduce the risk of breast cancer. A 2003 study from the Women’s Health Initiative reported that increased physical exercise reduced the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women by 18 percent or more. Even moderate exercise, like walking, is enough to provide a benefit. According to another study published May 25, 2005 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, walking even one hour a week increased survival following a breast cancer diagnosis.

"While definitive causes of breast cancer are still unknown, research like this continues to broaden our understanding of the disease," said Rebecca Garcia, Ph.D., vice president of health sciences for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. "The more we can learn about those things that either increase or reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer, the more we can empower women in their fight against a disease that often leaves them feeling powerless."

To start walking your way to health, make walking a part of your daily routine. All you need is moderate (where you break a sweat) activity–brisk walking for 30 minutes a day. After exercising, think about how good you feel about yourself and about your body. Use that feeling to motivate you the next time out. If you are already physically active, keep up the good work.

need a breast Pap?

Administrator — Sat, 26 May 2007 02:19:17 +0000

Maybe. It sounds promising: Draw some fluid from the nipple, along with cells that line the milk ducts (where most cancers are thought to arise), and examine it in a lab to assess whether a woman is at risk of breast cancer. But the breast Pap is not that simple. "It can’t identify early-stage cancer–only precancerous changes that may cause future tumors," says Victor G. Vogel, M.D., co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Biochemoprevention Program. "It’s not always reliable: Not all women even produce nipple fluid, and most with abnormal cells never develop breast cancer." Consider a Pap only if you have a strong family history. The test can help determine whether you need tamoxifen, a preventive medication for high-risk women

BREAST ENHANCEMENT SURGEY

Administrator — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:30:12 +0000

Breast enhancement surgery includes breast augmentation and breast implants. A few advantages of enhancement surgery are proven and predictable results. The surgery is one of the most expensive methods for breast enhancement and enlargement. The surgery generally consists of a surgical implantation of sacs filled with saline under the breast tissue.

Currently, all women undergoing the surgery receive saline filled implants consisting of a silicone shell filled with saltwater. A small incision is needed for this surgery. The incision can be made either within the armpit, underneath the breast or at the lower edge of the areola (pigmented skin surrounding the nipple).

The incision usually measures less than one inch. A pocket is then created either directly behind the breast tissue or under the pectoral muscle, which is located between the chest wall and breast tissue. Patients who decide to have breast enhancement surgery have the risk of asymmetry, visibility, palpability, rupture, deflation, infection and scarring.

Other materials used for enhancement surgery are silicone shells filled with silicone gel. Silicone shells are currently not available in America because the FDA is conducting trials on a new type of silicone gel that is believed to decrease the instances of leakage.

String Implants are a much less common type of implants, but they can help achieve the largest size of breasts possible. String implants continue to grow after surgery. Adult entertainers mostly favor this kind of surgery.

A new form of implant is in progress called the Tissue Engineered Implant. This type of implant works on the principle that cells are taken from the body of the patient and are then combined with the proper scaffold material to prepare the Tissue Engineered Breast Implants. There are no risks of leakage or rupture in this process. Also, the size of the implants remains stable.

BREAST ENHANCEMENT

Administrator — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:02:08 +0000

Breast enhancement, or augmentation mamoplasty, is a cosmetic surgery performed to enhance the size and shape of breasts. The chief objective in doing so is to increase the person\’s sex appeal.

Breast enhancement has been in the center of controversy for three decades. It is supposed to be a risky procedure, causing certain disorders in the anatomy of the person, and the debate is whether it is prudent to gamble with health for the sake of obtaining that elusive hourglass figure. That notwithstanding, it is the second-most common prosthetic procedure, and in the year 2003 itself there had been 280,401 breast implants in the US alone.

Though the debate over breast implants is a fairly contemporary phenomenon, the surgery itself is not that modern. Historical evidences show that Japanese women used to inject silicones directly into their breasts during the World War II.

Before the discovery of silicone as an implant material, other materials such as paraffin were used for breast implants. Thomas Cronin and Frank Gerow, two plastic surgeons from Houston, were the first to develop silicone as a transplant material with the Dow Corning Corporation in 1961 and the first transplant was done on a woman in 1962.

One of the chief objections in this cosmetic prosthesis is the use of silicone gel, which has been restricted as an implant material by the Food and Drug Administration in the US. Breast implants have been suspected of causing autoimmune disease, however there is no documentation to validate this fact. Known hazards of breast augmentation are asymmetry, visibility, palpability, rupture, deflation, infection, scarring, and hardening of the capsule of the implant.

The strongest objection against breast implants comes from feminist groups who view it as a subjugation of women to men to pander to their sexual desires. It is not unknown of starlets and media women who undergo such surgeries to boost their careers; and in the process, giving vent to the allocution that it is a man\’s world.