A mammogram, a type of x-ray that can screen for bust abnormalities, is a very important procedure to ensure proper breast health. After age of forty, a woman should be giving a mammogram every year. Breast cancer still remains the number two cause of cancer-related deaths for women but regular mammograms can detect tumors, cysts and calcifications. The doctor may investigate these abnormalities further, to determine their effect on your body. If they are not benign you need to properly address the problem. Mammograms can help detect lesions before either a doctor or you can feel them. Many find them very uncomfortable because the plates used are very cold and the compressions can be painful however they are the best way to detect abnormalities in the breasts. In addition, you should do regular self breast exams monthly to look out for any lumps or lesions.

If you have had breast reduction or enhancement surgery you should have a mammogram over age thirty five. You may want to have them earlier, especially if you have breast cancer in your family history. If you have breast implants, a mammogram may be less likely to reveal breast cancer because they can hide the image of a tumor. In addition, there is a risk that your implant may rupture during your mammogram. But, mammograms are still the best way to screen for breast cancer in women with implants. If you decide to get implants, you should get a mammogram from a technician who is used to doing examinations on enhanced busts. These technicians tailor the procedure to take into account the implants. In addition, they are used to analyzing images of breasts with implants. Furthermore if you have implants, you may also want to get additional imaging exam three years after you receive your implants and every two years thereafter to locate ruptures.

Many surgeons suggest that women should perform implant massages and compression exercises. With massages and exercises, the woman displaces the implant to the corners of the pocket for a few seconds at a time. The surgeon should show you how to perform these exercises. Most doctors suggest that you begin these exercises within a few weeks after the surgery. You will have to do these exercises regularly for the rest of your life to keep the pocket flexible and the scar capsule that normally forms loose and elastic.

Plastic surgeons recommend different techniques to maintain proper breast health because specialized techniques may depend on the texture of the busts and what the implant is filled with. Furthermore, maintenance techniques can depend on the size of the bust and the patient's body structure. The woman should ask the surgeon about the proper procedures that need to be followed after the medical procedures are completed.