Now a days we all know someone who has gone through and survived or lost their battle with cancer. Cancer is caused by an out of control cell growth, but unfortunately that is not the only thing that will cause cancer. Some other things that cause cancer are smoking, infections, and even lack of exercise. However, now there is concern that some deodorants cause breast cancer. The reason why is because the certain substances can be absorbed into the skin or through nicks in your skin from shaving. In fact most antiperspirants are linked to breast cancer because deodorant is applied there frequently. Surprisingly scientists have not found concrete evidence that deodorants cause cancer.
Some scientists believe that from the aluminum based compounds in deodorants that are left on the skin cause hormonal effects. Estrogen can promote the growth of cancer cells, which is why if an accelerated rate of estrogen develops, then you are more likely to get breast cancer. Another thing that researchers have focused on are parabens. According to the article parabens are found in deodorants and antiperspirants that act like estrogen in the body’s cells. Even though these things are found in food, the FDA has said that deodorants do not contain parabens as well. However, the author of the study of the parabens did not study healthy breast tissue or breast tissue that has cancer.
There are many other factors that contribute to the cause of cancer. Smoking, gene mutations, family histories, and sunburns can cause cancer as well. Something like family history, which could act like a third variable, could also play a factor in getting breast cancer besides deodorants. Age also is a big factor because it takes years for cancer to develop. Gene mutation can be something you are born with or something that you get later in life from what you are exposed to. There are cells in genes that recognize when a mistake had been made so they can repair that mistake. Nevertheless, a mistake can be missed that causes cancer. This means that it does not have to be deodorant that causes cancer, it can be due to many other factors.
According to the American Cancer Society, there is no connection between breast cancer and deodorants. When it comes to applying deodorant after shaving, the only thing that might happen is infection, but more likely irritation. When it comes to the parabens, the American Cancer Society says that deodorants and antiperspirants do not contain them and if they did, paraben would be clearly stated on the label. But this does not mean that cancer is not still a threat to society. Having awareness towards this issue is the best defense we have against cancer. Knowing the signs and symptoms are the best way to know so you can catch it early. Keeping that in mind, hopefully after reading this blog post, you do not have to worry about your deodorant giving you cancer.
Sources:
Cancer picture found here.
Types of Cancer and Ribbons picture found here.
Pink Ribbon found here.
When I just saw the title, it shocked me. Because I always use deodorant. So actually there are many third factors or said that confounding variables making people think deodorant can cause cancer. Although we do not usually find that using deodorant increase the rate of getting caner, in nowadays world people use objects with a variety of chemical materials, which we can not know their risks of causing diseases, we need to be careful. So I hope that scientists can explore much and research much about this field.
I found this to be a really interesting topic since I have never heard of the theory that deodorant could potentially cause cancer. It’s relieving to know that many scientists believe this to be false and accept the null hypothesis that using deodorant does nothing to your risk of cancer. I agree that awareness is key in terms of society’s fight against cancer of all types. My aunt has battled breast cancer 3 times and is currently in remission with minor side effects from chemotherapy so the issue of breast cancer is especially close to my heart. In terms of family history affecting one’s risk of breast cancer, it is important for those with family members who have had or are at risk of any cancer to get tested annually in order to catch the disease early. Thanks to scientists and organizations like the American Cancer Society research is being done every day so we can one day live in a cancer-free world. Good post!