When you're young like Cécilia, you feel untouchable, almost invincible. So you don't think about breast cancer. At least not right away. While it's true that breast cancer mainly affects women over the age of 50 (the average age of a breast cancer diagnosis is 63)*, that doesn't mean that young women are spared.

Nearly 3,000 women with breast cancer are under 40. Certain factors can of course increase the risk of breast cancer, such as genetic predisposition, smoking and/or alcohol consumption (more than 6 drinks a week) or obesity. ** But while breast cancer is a rare disease in women under 35, and even exceptional in those under 20, we mustn't forget that it does exist. That's why it's so important to do a self-check and seek medical advice if you have the slightest doubt.

*Source: Institut Curie
**Source: Ruban Rose

Whitney was 26 when she detected a lump in her breast and immediately thought it was cancer. Whitney made an appointment with her gynaecologist, who only performed an ultrasound: "At your age, it can't be breast cancer! Whitney left with her concerns and a contraceptive pill. The fact that the lump in her breast was painless reassured her for a whole year.

But the following year, that same lump began to bother her, and then to hurt. The simple touch of a bra became painful. She made an appointment with another doctor, who decided to carry out further tests. The lump in Whitney's breast, initially painless, was in fact a sign of breast cancer. A cancer that eventually required a mastectomy, 16 sessions of chemotherapy and 15 sessions of radiation. A suspicious lump in the breast is not necessarily painful; in fact, less than 7% of women report pain as a symptom of breast cancer*. That's why it's vital to make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible if you have any doubts, so that you can be screened and find out what's going on.

*Source: Evaluation and management of breast pain, Robin L. Smith, Sandhya Pruthi and Lorraine A. Fitzpatrick

Victor is 15 when he learns that his mother has breast cancer. The shock of the news was followed by a difficult period: in the midst of adolescence, Victor was also in the throes of construction, trying to cope as best he could with his sadness, his fears, his need for lightness and his modest love for his mother, but one crisis followed another.

It has to be said that, at the time, he knew very little about the disease. And it was even 10 years later, during our photo shoot, that he learned that breast cancer can also affect men. Admittedly, men only account for 1% of breast cancer cases*, but because they feel so little concerned, they don't think about it and are often diagnosed at a stage that is already far (too) advanced... That's why it's so important to remember: no, breast cancer is not just for women.

*Source: Ruban Rose

At the beginning of 2022, Yann-Estelle was 26 years old. On a day that could have looked like any other, she was taking a shower when everything changed: she felt a lump in her breast. But Yann-Estelle wasn't worried: after all, she was young and no one in her family had ever been affected by breast cancer.

A month later, Yann-Estelle felt a second lump in her breast and underwent further tests. The verdict was in: Yann-Estelle had HER2-positive breast cancer. Two years later, Yann-Estelle is adamant: "Following my cancer, my girlfriends have become more sensitive to what can happen to their breasts. It's a blessing in disguise... But if I had one piece of advice to give, it would be to do a self-breast examination once a month, after your period. It's quick and easy to do, and it can change everything". Self-cleansing may well be what saved Yann-Estelle's life. In fact, breast cancer detected early enough is curable in 9 out of 10 cases*.

*Source: Assurance Maladie website

When you become a mother, like Leila, questions about genes and transmission inevitably arise, sometimes underhandedly. When it comes to breast cancer, one thing is certain: yes, there are hereditary forms of the disease, but in reality they only account for 5 to 10% of breast cancers.

A so-called familial form is suspected when several people in the same family have or have had breast cancer. Very often, this is due to a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, which increases the risk of developing breast cancer in one's lifetime by 40 to 80%. * In the majority of cases, it is external factors that can increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a person's age, early puberty coupled with a late menopause, regular consumption of tobacco and/or alcohol, obesity** or physical inactivity.

*Source: Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale
**Source: Ruban Rose

Marielle was 50 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Before it struck her, she associated cancer with illness at its most extreme, with death. And yet she was to experience a rebirth, even though she had been told that her journey would be extremely difficult: 18 months of long and painful treatment. At the time, she was in the throes of burn-out and struggling to find her place, but it was her fight against breast cancer that finally gave her a sense of legitimacy. To press pause, to prioritise and to listen to herself. More than ever, she took care of herself, learning to love herself but also to say no.

She found comfort in discussion groups, valuable information in specialised media and help in alternative medicine: sophrology, homeopathy, reflexology and magnetism.

Marielle has since gone on to become a senior model and image consultant. Her aim? To reconcile women with their image, with a clear message: beauty can be found everywhere, even in adversity.