Breastcancer >> FAQ's About Breast Cancer >> Can Breast Cancer Be Caused By Using Antiperspirants?
Can Breast Cancer Be Caused By Using Antiperspirants?
It is believed by many researchers that antiperspirants might have a connection with developing breast cancer. Many types of antiperspirants contain aluminum-based compounds. Antiperspirants stop you from sweating under the arm, because the compounds temporarily plug the pours. When antiperspirants are used regularly, it is believed the woman could have hormonal effects to the breast, which causes breast cells to grow more rapidly than normal.
It was also believed that shaving under your arms could cause tiny cuts that would allow cancer causing compounds to enter the through the skin into the lymph nodes and into the breast. It was largely believed that because the underarms are close to the breast area that using antiperspirants could cause breast cancer. There was also a belief that men didn’t have as high a risk for breast cancer because they didn’t shave under their arms before using antiperspirants.
There is a lot of misinformation about antiperspirants causing breast cancer. It is believed by some that antiperspirants prevent waste products “from the lymph glands” from coming out in the sweat. The lymph glands are not connected to the sweat glands. Sweat is released by the sweat glands as a way to keep the body cool. You could easily overheat if you did not sweat. Your lymph system carries off the bacteria and viruses out of the body to be filtered through the liver and kidneys. The lymph system acts something like a sewer system to keep the body free of wastes. There is no evidence that antiperspirants negatively affect the lymph nodes in any way.
The American Cancer Society indicates that there isn’t adequate evidence that there is a link between using antiperspirant and having breast cancer. There was a study done in 2003, where questionnaires were given to younger women and older women who had breast cancer. It was reported by the researcher that younger women diagnosed with breast cancer admitted they shaved their underarms and used antiperspirant at a young age. The older women in the study who were diagnosed with breast cancer stated they didn’t shave their underarms as often. The study indicated that the younger women got breast cancer because they shaved their underarms while using antiperspirant. The problem with this study is that there was no control group of women in the study who did not have cancer.
There is also misinformation that men don’t get breast cancer as much as women because men don’t shave under their arms. It is believed that the man’s underarm hair is a barrier between the antiperspirant and the skin. This isn’t true. Men are 100 times less likely to develop breast cancer than women because they have far less breast tissue than women. Breast cancer is more likely to develop in areas of the breast that have the most breast tissue. Women that have the most breast tissue in the upper and outer part of their breasts are more likely to develop cancer in those areas, which tends to lend credence that the use of antiperspirants has nothing to do with where breast cancer develops in a woman’s breasts.
Some women believe that antiperspirants are harmful because they are instructed not to wear it during a mammogram. The reason that you can’t wear antiperspirant during a mammogram is because the ingredients, such as aluminum and minerals can show up on the mammogram as calcifications. You would also not be able to wear talcum powder, for the same reason. The idea that antiperspirant causes breast cancer is a myth that has been circulating through emails, and on certain websites. Though there is no evidence that there is a connection between antiperspirants and breast cancer, there are researchers that are not convinced there is no connection. If you have a fear of using antiperspirant, why not just wear deodorant for your own peace of mind?