HEALTH

Taking care of yourself is super important. While you definitely need to schedule routine visits with your doctor, you can also do your part at home to detect any health issues you may be having. Just follow the self-checks below (once a month!) and you'll be the picture of *perfect* health.

Breast Exam
Early detection in breast cancer is a big deal. Although it is not as common in teens, it is still good to get in the habit of doing routine breast exams.

Step 1: Start by standing naked from the waist up in front of a mirror. Put your hands on your hips, and look to see if your breasts are the same shape and color that they normally are. Check for any dimpling or bulging of the skin, inversion or position change of the nipples, redness, swelling or rash.

Step 2: Raise your arms above your head, and look for the same concerning signs you searched for in step one. As you lift your arms, check to see if your nipples release ny fluid (yellow, bloody, milky white).

Step 3: Lay down on your back, and using three fingers, feel for peculiar lumps (do this with a circular motion) on each breast.

Step 4: Perform the same procedure from step 3 while standing.

If you experience any of the problems listed above, talk to your mom and then consult a physician.

Melanoma Check
Everybody loves to get tan and achieve that summertime glow, but when suspicious moles or freckles creep into the picture, make sure you know how to spot them. Here is a simple ABCDE strategy to check up on those spots.

Asymmetry- When half of the spot is different than the other.
Border- When the edges are blurred, jagged, notched, or irregular.
Color- When it's more than one color, like black and brown or pink, red and blue.
Diameter- When it's bigger than 6mm in diameter or than the eraser head of a pencil.
Evolution- If it's changing in shape, size or color.

It is also worth consulting a doctor if you experience:

- A sore that won’t go away.
- Tenderness, itchiness, or pain in the area surrounding your mole.
- Spreading of the pigment to the surrounding skin.
- Redness or swelling around the mole.
- Change in the mole’s texture or bleeding.

Down-There Probs
Talking about certain problems with your doctor can sometimes feel awkward or embarrassing. But silently suffering isn’t much better. If you are experiencing any of these issues or symptoms, it might be time to talk to your doctor.

UTI (Urinary Tract Infection):
- Burning sensation during urination.
- Frequent urination.
- Pain in the lower abdomen or back.
- Bloody, dark, cloudy or pungent urine.
- Feeling tired or shaky.
- Fever or chills.

Yeast Infection:
- Thick, white, cottage-cheese-like discharge.
- Persistent, intense itching.
- Redness around the opening of the vagina.

Irregular Discharge:
Experiencing vaginal discharge is totally normal, but it is essential to know when your discharge might be abnormal. Consult a doctor if your discharge is:
- Chunky, thick and white.
- Thin and grayish.
- Yellow or green.
- Smelly.
- Foamy or frothy.

Do you do any self-checks already? Let us know in the comments!

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by Erin Farrugia | 6/21/2017