I first saw the Breastlight in my local Boots Pharmacy. Intrigued I looked them up online as soon as I got back to my laptop and within days we had a Breastlight heading our way. The Breastlight people are quite keen to spread the word and with good reason - the later the stage of Breast Cancer at diagnosis, the lower the survival rate (up to a 79% difference 5 years after diagnosis).

My mother worked in a hospital most of my life, and one of her cousins died from breast cancer so I’m familiar with the need to be vigilant. Do I have any idea how to check for breast cancer myself? I wouldn’t have a clue and not all GP’s are comfortable doing it for you. Aside from not knowing what to look for, it’s scary – the thought of feeling my breasts and finding a lump! The thought alone puts me off looking.

The Breastlight slightly removes you from that. Rather than feeling up your own breasts, you instead stand in a darkened room, in front of a mirror and shine a powerful light through your breasts. It sounds a bit odd and indeed the first time I tried it was odd. It does say on the very informative DVD that it takes about 3 attempts to be comfortable with the Breastlight. That was true for me.

At my first attempt I didn’t press it against my skin properly and couldn’t see a thing. My second attempt was much more rewarding and my entire breast lit up. Obviously you’re aware that you have veins in there, my skin’s so pale I can see them without the light. To see them with the Breastlight however is another experience. I hadn’t realised how extensive the breast tissue was until I followed it around my chest, and under my arm with the light.

This first time however I got a fright. Searching around my left breast I found a dark patch, exactly how they were shown in the Breastlight DVD. My heart seemed to stop. Could this be a tumour? Luckily I remembered that I had sustained quite a bad bruise there a few weeks before. The external bruise was gone but underneath must still have remained. Indeed as the weeks have gone by I have watched that spot slowly disappear.

The Breastlight has attracted some criticism that it is causing unnecessary fear in younger women. I’ve been thinking about that while I’ve been trialling the Breastlight and don’t agree. I’m already afraid of breast cancer and part of that is the knowledge that younger women have a much lower survival rate than the over 50’s. Also there are a lot less resources available for younger women to have their breasts examined. The Breastlight for me would provide a lot more reassurance than relying on a partner to find a lump or my occasional trip to a GP.

Some more things you should know about the Breastlight:-

• It’s rechargeable
• It comes with a very informative DVD
• It comes with lubrication to make your breast exploration more comfortable
• It has four different brightness settings
• It’s touch sensitive, so the light dims as soon as you move it away from your skin
• There is a helpline if you find yourself having difficulties with the device
• It’s oddly heavy.

All in all I’m quite pleased with the Breastlight – both the concept and the device.

The Breastlight costs £84.99 and is available from larger branches of Boots; For more details, stockist information or to purcahse online visit www.breastlight.com. Information also available by telephoning: 0845 3011452