Breast exams are something that women need to do regularly. But how do you know if you are doing it correctly? The Breastlight is a product that lets you exam your breasts easily and accurately from home.
Breastlight
To use the Breastlight, you must first be in a dark room for it to be effective. Next, you can apply a water-based lubricant in order for the Breastlight lens to slide across the skin easily.
Breastlight works by shining a bright red light through the breast tissue. The light goes through the breast tissue and shows dark areas where blood is present. While it is normal to see veins, if you notice a dark cluster, then you may want to get that checked further by a doctor.
From the product page: “Breastlight is designed to give the maximum light transmission through the breast tissue. Even so, only a small fraction of the light will pass through completely – and this is what you will see when you use the product. That’s why it’s important to use Breastlight in a very dark room.
We use red light to give the best contrast and enable you to see the maximum detail. The light is completely harmless and has no invisible rays. You can use Breastlight as often as you like with no side effects.
When the light hits a blood vessel in your breast it is absorbed by haemoglobin. This makes the veins in your breast appear as dark lines.
Malignant lumps have an increased blood supply to feed them so any dense areas may indicate an abnormality. Fluid filled cysts, however, will not absorb the light.”
The Breastlight has four symbols on its display, which are the brightness setting, battery charge, temperature indicator and days of last use indicator. It comes with rechargeable batteries and retails for about $114.
This may be a great tool for women that are at high risk for breast cancer. It can definitely be used as another aid in checking for lumps or abnormalities. It seems like it is easy to use and may be a useful tool if you aren’t sure exactly how to examine yourself.