Know Your Nipples:
What Changes to
Look For
Using cascarones to crack open the conversation — here are the 6 nipple changes every person should know during their monthly self breast exam.
Self breast exams are your superpower. 💪
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide — but here's the empowering truth: early detection is one of the most powerful tools you have. Monthly self exams help you build a relationship with your normal, so you notice when something changes. Many cancers are first found by the patient themselves — not a provider.
This April, we're celebrating with cascarones — those beautiful confetti-filled eggs — as your colorful monthly reminder: on the 1st of every month, Feel It on the First. Check in. Know your normal. Report what's new.
Your areola and nipple bud appear just as they always have — no new changes. This is your happy baseline. Know it, love it!
Your nipple bud pulls in a new direction, causing a visible change in the shape of your areola that wasn't there before.
The nipple bud puckers or pulls inward in a way you haven't seen before. (Different from a nipple that has always been inverted!)
A laceration, scabbing, or open wound on the nipple bud — especially one that doesn't heal or appeared without an obvious cause like friction.
Scaly, dry, or flaky texture on your areola or nipple bud, sometimes with a rash. Can be a sign of Paget's disease of the breast.
Any new discharge from the nipple — bloody, milky, clear, yellow, or green — especially when not pregnant or nursing.
Your Step-by-Step Breast Self-Exam Guide
A complete walkthrough of how to do your monthly exam — when to do it, exactly what to feel for, and when to pick up the phone.
