A woman should not use deodorant, powder, or lotions and should wear 2-piece clothing on the day of her mammogram. A specially trained radiology technologist will perform the X-ray. The radiology technologist will ask the woman to undress, put on a gown, and stand next to the X-ray machine. Two flat surfaces, or plates, are slowly squeezed together and compress each breast for a few seconds. This compression may be somewhat painful. But it is necessary to produce the best pictures using the lowest amount of radiation possible.