Dr KellyWhen we use a deodorant or antiperspirant we are hoping they will solve a sweat issue leaving us smelling fresh all through the day. But do we need to worry about it causing breast cancer?
Is there any relationship between deodorant and breast cancer ?
Because underarm antiperspirants or deodorants are applied near the breast and contain potentially harmful ingredients called aluminum people think it causes cancer. However, no scientific evidence links the use of these products to the development of breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer society, there is no clear link between cancer and the aluminum in antiperspirants because:
1. Breast cancer tissue doesn’t appear to have more aluminum than normal tissue.
2. Only a tiny amount of aluminum is absorbed (0.0012 percent).
In fact, a carefully designed epidemiologic study of this issue published in 2002 compared 813 women with breast cancer and 793 women without the disease. The researchers found no link between breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use, deodorant use, or underarm shaving.
A 2016 systemic review concluded that there’s no link between increased breast cancer risk and antiperspirant, but the study also suggested there’s a strong need for further research.
What to do if you’re still concerned about the ingredients in deodorant
1. Shower and reach the right spots: Your body’s scent has a lot to do with cleanliness, but genetics can also influence the way your body smells. How often you should shower depends on your skin type, activity level, and preference. Shower once a day and if you don’t want to, need to, or can’t, then opt for a sponge bath. If you do a quick cleanse, focus on the body parts with the most sweat glands, such as the: armpit, groin and butt.
2. What you eat can also affect the way you smell. For instance, there are foods that can cause an odour, like broccoli, garlic, onions, and fish.
3. Moisturize skin with scented lotions or creams: If the scent of your body lotion, cream or oil is all the fragrance you want, you can make the scent last by applying it to your skin right out of the shower (on wet skin) after patting off excess water. Scented lotion, or any scented product for that matter, will last longer when applied to a moist base.
4. Clean clothes: Washing your clothes regularly is the best way to keep them smelling fresh. There are a number of fragrance boosters available that can be added to the wash to take that fresh-from-the-laundry smell up a notch.
5. Natural deodorant: You can either make it yourself or buy it from a store.
Ingredients: Tea treeoil, Cornstarch and citrus.
READ ALSO: All you need to know about Pile
While there are rumors linking antiperspirants to cancer, research suggests that antiperspirants don’t cause cancer and studies also recommend that further research is needed to study the potential link between breast cancer and antiperspirants.
But to sum it up deodorants / antiperspirant doesn’t cause breast cancer but they contain Aluminum and other chemicals substances that can cause irritation, rash or bumps in the armpit and if this happens you can visit your health center for medical examination and further management
Thank you for reading
Dr Kelly
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