Cancer Myths Debunked- Deodorant/Antiperspirant Has No Link with Breast Cancer

deodorant breast cancer

October is the breast cancer awareness month which is celebrated every year to raise awareness and regard the brave women fighting with this deadly cancer. Talking about breasts is not easy in many societies and parts of the world. Many people find it immorally, unethical, or simply uninteresting which leads them to believe any popular myth regarding health, for example, an antiperspirant/deodorant can cause breast cancer.

Irrespective of how illogical does this sound, there are millions of women who believe this and other myths regarding women’s health. These rumors started a few years ago when a bunch of scientists said that deodorants might have some role in causing breast cancer because they are used very near to the breast. So if there is anything harmful in them, there are chances that it can lead to breast cancer. However, there is not a single research study that proves it or shows any link between these two.

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The misinformation regarding women’s health is common and it is mostly shared without even checking its validity. Not just breast cancer, the myths regarding women’s health are one of the most searched and talk about topics on search engines.

There is so much inaccurate information regarding breast cancer on mainstream social media that thousands of women still don’t use a deodorant or antiperspirant thinking that it will give them cancer. And not just this, there is so much misinformation regarding breast health, cancer examination, and mammography.

There are three most commonly heard and talked about myths regarding breast cancer. But every woman has to understand that deodorant has no link with breast cancer, breast pain is not a sign of breast cancer and one can still get cancer without a cancer history in the family.

Just like how there is no research on showing if deodorant can cause breast cancer, there are limited studies that show a link between breast pain and breast cancer. In 90% of the times, this pain is not caused by cancer, and the pain that is linked with this type of cancer is only felt in extreme stages along with other, more observant signs such as redness, inflammation, and discoloration in breasts. Without these drastic changes, there is no way that breast cancer and pain are connected.

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Most women who complain about breast pain are suffering from hormonal imbalance. It is mostly seen in late middle-aged women who are near to or crossed menopause. Many women never use deodorant for fearing cancer or they use a homemade variant of it, believing it is safe and only the market version of this antiperspirant product causes cancer.

There is absolutely no scientific evidence to prove this to be true and deodorants in all forms and variants are unable to cause cancer in users. This breast cancer myth along with many others can only be debunked by speaking about breast cancer and women’s health.

The American Cancer Society guidelines tell that women who cross 40 should start scheduling their annual mammograms and understand if their body is trying to give them a sign.

 

 

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