Breast Cancer Awareness Month

“Power in Pink” with Unwind Linen

To all the beautiful ladies out there…

Unwind will dedicate the month of October 2022 to breast cancer awareness and we’ll focus on womanhood, being strong, inspiring and beautiful in pink!

The reason we chose to focus on breast cancer specifically:

Hi! I’m Stefanie (the founder of Unwind Linen) 😊.

Both my grandmothers are breast cancer survivors and that’s a big reason why I chose to do this limited “Power in Pink” range. I have so much respect for these women and their journeys through battling breast cancer. Their stories and strength have inspired me my whole life and now I would like to celebrate them and other women like them who have fought or who are bravely fighting breast cancer.

The idea behind this range is for all women to feel united as we create awareness and stand together in pink to support each other & those who are fighting breast cancer.

Shop our Breast Cancer Power in Pink range here.

The following information comes from trusted breast cancer information websites

• The Cancer Association of South Africa ‘CANSA’ website
• breastcancer.org

A few Symptoms of Breast Cancer & things to look out for:

• New lumps in the breast or underarm (armpit).
• Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
• Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.

Interesting things to know:

1. Early detection of the condition can lead to effective treatment and a positive prognosis.
2. Regular mammograms are key to early detection. Mammograms are low-dose x-rays of the breast. Doing annual mammograms can help find breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. A mammogram can often find breast changes that could be cancer years before physical symptoms develop.
3. It is important to do self-breast examinations at home. The best time to do a monthly self-breast exam is about 3 to 5 days after your period starts. Try doing it the same time every month. Your breasts are not as tender or lumpy at this time in your monthly cycle.

How to examine my breasts?

(This information is provided by Breastcancer.org)

Step 1:

Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.

Here’s what you should look for:

1. Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and colour.
2. Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling.

If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor’s attention:

• Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
• A nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)
• Redness
• Soreness, rash, or swelling

Step 2:

Now raise your arms and look for the same changes.

Step 3:

While you’re at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).

Step 4:

• Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast.
• Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together.
• Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter.
• Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.
• Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast.
• You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women.
• Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you’ve reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.

Step 5:

Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in step 4.