10 questions about deodorant and breast cancer

1. Does regular use of deodorant increase the risk of breast cancer?

Scientists have investigated the claim and found no link between breast cancer and deodorant. In one study (from 2002), 813 women with breast cancer and 793 without were asked about their deodorant use and armpit shaving: no differences were found.

2. Can ingredients from deodorant enter your newly shaved armpit and cause breast cancer?

Armpit shaving can cause skin wounds that may become slightly irritated if you use a deodorant immediately afterwards. However, it is very unlikely that carcinogenic substances from deodorant, if any, will enter your breast through wounds and cause cancer there.

3. Are deodorants with parabens to be avoided?

Parabens are chemical substances found in a lot of cosmetic products. Not only in some deodorants, but also in lipstick, day cream, mascara, fond de teint, shampoo, etc. Parabens are endocrine disruptors: they show very weak effects of female hormone estrogen. There is a link between estrogen and breast cancer. The longer women have been exposed to their own female hormone (through late menopause, for example), the greater their risk of breast cancer. This is why parabens are suspect.

Parabens can penetrate the skin. In 2004, traces of parabens were found in breast cancer samples. However, this does not mean that these parabens caused the breast cancer, nor that they came from deodorant. Other possible sources are lotion or shampoo. The estrogen-like effect of parabens is a hundred to a thousand times weaker than the female hormone estrogen, making the connection very unlikely.

4. Should I be concerned about aluminum in deodorants?

Aluminum particles in deodorant block access to sweat glands, which makes you sweat less. Some studies found that these aluminum particles can penetrate the skin, but to a very limited extent (0.012% of all aluminum from deodorant penetrates the skin). We get much more aluminum through food. Moreover, breast cancer tissue has been found to contain no more aluminum particles than healthy breast tissue. Thus, there is no cause for concern.

5. Can toxins accumulate in the armpit when you block sweating with a deodorant?

No, there is no connection between the lymph nodes in the axillary region and the sweat glands in the armpit. When you block sweating via use of a deodorant, toxins cannot accumulate in the nearby lymph nodes.

6. Do most breast cancers start with a lump near the armpit?

Yes. About half of all breast cancers are located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, which is the part closest to the armpit. This has nothing to do with deodorants, but rather the fact that this part of the breast contains the highest concentration of mammary gland tissue.

7. Do far fewer men get breast cancer because they don't shave their armpits?

No. Men are 100 times less likely to get breast cancer because they have much less breast tissue than women. They also have much less female hormone estrogen, which does play a role in breast cancer. This has nothing to do with armpit shaving.

8. Why is it best not to use deodorant on the day of your screening mammogram?

Some doctors advise against using deodorant on the day of your screening mammogram because some deodorants contain aluminum. Aluminum are tiny metal particles that show up as white specks on a mammogram and can thus distort the image. They can be mistaken for microscopic calcifications that can be a sign of breast cancer.

9. Where do the rumors about deodorants and breast cancer come from?

We do not know exactly where, by whom or why the rumors about a possible link between deodorant use and breast cancer were launched. We do know that these rumors have been persistently circulating on the Internet for decades and took on a life of their own on social media. They worry many women unnecessarily.

10. Are the rumors about deodorants only about sprays or also about rollers?

Roller or spray: it doesn't matter. Both forms of deodorant contain the same ingredients. Deodorant rollers are no milder than a spray. You choose what you like best.

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