Deodorant

Hi Sussex,

Thanks for getting in touch and welcome back I see that you are on other groups. I hope you find this helpful. I’m Kate one of the Cancer Information Nurses Specialists here on the Macmillan Support Line.

I am sorry to hear that you are going through breast cancer treatment. I hope you are managing well with the treatments you are having. If there is a reason why you couldn’t wear deodorant when you were diagnosed. We would recommend discussing this with your breast team.

It is ok to wear deodorant when being diagnosed with breast cancer. There is no evidence to support that deodorants increase the risk of breast cancer.

If you were to have Surgery this is when you maybe advised not to use deodorant on the affected side as this may increase the risk of infection when healing. This is a good question to ask your breast care nurse when you can start using deodorant.

Wearing Deodorant whilst having chemotherapy is ok, however chemotherapy can affect your body and could dry out your skin and make it more sensitive. We would advise using an unperfumed, sensitive deodorant so it’s less likely to cause irritation.

I hope this information is useful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks* on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

Best wishes

Kate,

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

 Ref KE/DT