I was told not to wear deoderant after surgery till healed because of the open wound which i can underestand but i have not been told NEVER to wear deoderant but a buddy from same unit has been told never to wear it.
Im sure i heard recently on television that this is a myth that deoderant causes BC.
What are peoples thoughts/experiences on this? I really dont think i can stop wearing deoderant
Hi Clare - I was told deodorant that does not contain aluminium is ok. I get one from Holland & Barrett.
Val pp
I haven’t worn deodarant since I was diagnosed in April but the only reason for this is psychological. I found one without aluminium but still can’t bring myself to use it. I haven’t seen evidence that deodarant is a causative factor, although to be honest I haven’t looked!
My scar went right under my axilla and round to my back. The day after my surgery, the nurse who washed me happily put some roll-on deodorant on the part of my axilla that wasn’t covered by dressing.
An aerosol deodorant wouldn’t be advised as the spray can scatter.
Deodorants cannot be used during rads.
The jury is out on the “do anti-perspirants that contain alu cause cancer?” question. Research shows that (a) it does (b) it doesn’t, depending on which one you read.
Thanks for the responses, its one of them i guess, depends what your read and personal preference.
Val - i also ordered a couple of H&B ones to try while i was healing, non germ stuff and the like but neither of them worked for me at all.
I only use roll ons too
Im afraid i do sweat if i dont wear deoderant and am not going to refrain from doing so but i may look into non-aluminium ones to try if this seems to be the ingredient that is supposed to be harmful
Here’s quite a good summing of the evidence and also clarifies why the use of things like aluminum and parabens have been queried.:
cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/AP-Deo
Personally I’ve chosen not to wear an antiperspirant and used one of the non aluminum roll on deodorants which contain no parabens. I tried quite a few before I found one that I liked. The evidence isn’t conclusive at all but I think why take the risk? Elinda x
I must admit that I’ve been laundering with Ecover ever since Dx.
This thread is a timely reminder that I must seek out a new deodorant!
yes I use Dr Organics sold in Holland & Barrett - no aluminium or parabens etc - cost nearly £6 but a bit of piece of mind as its “so close” to the area
Been deodorant shopping.
Best range, but dearest, was the independent herbalist.
I couldn’t get the Lush ones on my skin without a lot of pressure = a no-no.
Holland & Barrett had a very narrow range of hard block salt crystals.
I got mine from Superdrug. Just £4.07 for one based on the rock salt but with added aloe vera and grapefruit.
Job done.
I finally found one I liked after a friend recommended it. It’s aluminium and parabens free and smells really nice. It’s called Bionson and it’s only about £3.50 from Boots.
I have never worn a deodorant since my surgery/RT. The mastectomy side doesn’t sweat at all and I just wipe the other with baby wipes when necessary.
I’ve started using PitRok (buy it at Boots) since my op and it works great, in my opinion better than my old roll-on deodorant so I’m happy to stick with it. Plus I’ve read that it lasts for ages which is an added bonus!
PitRok is the one I got from Superdrug.
I’ve been using Pitrok too and I don’t think I’d use anything else now. I don’t seem to sweat under my treatment side any more and not much on the other side either now, so I’m not worried about it not being an antiperspirant.
I bought mine nearly a year ago and it still looks like new! 
Thanks for all the info ladies.
I will buy bionsen and pitrok and see which i get on better with, guess its better to be safe than sorry and if they work its got to be better for you
Clare x
i will have a look at the pitrok one myself actually as I never heard of it.
Ninja - whats your review on Ecover as a clothes detergent - is it any good on stains and stuff?
Hi Libra Lady - yeah, it seems to work as well as anything else.
I do most of my washing at 30 deg and so I just tend to use extra stain-removing stuff on specific stains like cooking fat.
<sucking eggs=“” scenario=“”><br>
Of course, when being eco-friendly with 30 deg washes, always do a boil wash with towels once a month for the sake of your washing machine’s health.<br>
</sucking>
I’ve used PitRok all day with good results, BTW.