THE ESSENTIAL
- In 2020, more than 2.2 million cases of breast cancer were identified.
- Black women with breast cancer are 40% more likely to die than white patients.
- Screening bras show different symptoms, such as dimpling, lumps, and skin discoloration.
Over 2.2 million. This is the number of cases of breast cancer that were recorded in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the Canadian company Love & Nude, which specializes in inclusive lingerie, the mortality rate among black women with breast cancer is 40% higher than among white women.
“Nothing exists to help identify the signs on darker skin”
“Historically, black women are underdiagnosed. Today, nothing exists to help identify the signs on darker skin tones,” reports an awareness video posted on the brand’s Instagram account. “We don’t have a good representation of what changes to black women’s breasts and skin look like”added Mojola Omole, surgeon and oncologist.
That’s why the Love & Nude company decided to develop the first screening bra for black and mixed-race women. In collaboration with doctors, the company has launched a new range of lingerie, called “Stage Zero Collection”. The underwear designed to support the breasts is available in four colors.
Breast cancer: the three main symptoms in black women
On each of the bras, we find the three symptoms of breast cancer. “What most people look at first is appearance,” said Chantal Carter, creator of the Love and Nudes brand. This is why 3D printed sizes are located “exactly where you would find them on your own breast”. They are “hard as a pea and bumpy as a lime”.
Another apparent symptom: discoloration of the epidermis. “For darker skin, it’s not red. The changes are brownish,” explained Chantal Carter. In case of breast cancer, an orange skin can also appear. “It’s a marker of inflammatory breast cancer.”
A petition to lower the breast cancer screening age
The Love & Nude company does not want to stop there, it also wants to lower the age of screening for breast cancer, which is carried out from the age of 50 in Canada. “We should be concerned regarding lowering the age of screening because for some groups, like black women, the first signs can be as early as 40,” clarified Mojola Omole.
