MODEL RELEASED. Breast self-examination. A woman stands at a mirror to visually inspect her breasts for underlying disease, cysts or tumours. Visual and manual inspection conducted regularly is recommended to women as a method of detecting early breast cancer. In visual inspection the change of shape in breast outline and surface tex- ture should be checked as the arms are held passively to the side, then on the hips, and above the head (as here). In this way abnormal changes in breast contour may reveal underlying pathology. Following this, careful palpation using the flat of a hand will test the tissue more closely. Early detection of abnormality is easier to treat.