Will women who shave their armpit hair in the summer get breast cancer?

In the hot summer, people dress coolly. For the sake of beauty, many women often choose to shave their armpit hair to avoid being indecent. However, a rumor circulating online that "shaving armpit hair can easily lead to breast cancer" left them at a loss.

Posts circulating online claiming that "shaving armpit hair can easily lead to breast cancer" have left health-conscious women with lingering fears. This post says: The armpits are one of the main areas for the human body to eliminate toxins. The main way to eliminate toxins is to sweat, and armpit hair can help sweat flow out of the body. If you shave or pluck your armpit hair, you prevent toxins from being eliminated from your body through your armpits. These toxins are stored in the lymph nodes under the arms because they cannot be sweated out. Almost all breast cancers occur in the area above the outer side of the breast, where the lymph nodes are concentrated.

The reason why men are less likely to get breast cancer than women is that they never shave their armpit hair, and toxins are excreted from the body through their armpit hair.

So, is it true that many beauty-conscious women who often shave their armpit hair are more likely to develop breast cancer? What should they pay attention to?

Regarding the statement that "shaving armpit hair can easily lead to breast cancer", science writer and Guokr.com blogger "Zhu Lin Xiao Xiao" pointed out in his blog post: "Lymph nodes are responsible for eliminating bacteria or other pathogens in the body, and can also remove some substances that are harmful to health. However, the mechanism by which lymph nodes remove toxins is not sweating but immune-mediated. In fact, lymph nodes are not directly connected to sweat glands at all. Sweat glands exist in the skin, not in lymph nodes." Moreover, "Zhu Lin Xiao Xiao" pointed out that the detoxification effect of sweating is very limited, because more than 99% of sweat is water, and the remaining very small amount of solutes include minerals, lactic acid, urea and other trace metabolites.

"Zhu Lin Xiao Xiao" believes that shaving armpit hair will not affect the structure of sweat glands or hinder sweating. Shaving armpit hair only shaves off the surface of the hair and does not damage the deep structure of the hair follicles. Therefore, the effect on the secretion of sweat glands is very limited.

In response to the post's claim that "almost all breast cancers occur in the area above the outside of the breast because this is where the detoxifying lymph nodes are concentrated," the American Cancer Society explained, "This is most likely just because there is more breast tissue in this area, and has nothing to do with lymph nodes."

"Zhu Lin Xiao Xiao" pointed out that the occurrence of breast cancer is affected by many factors such as genetics, external environment, breast tissue content, and estrogen, and these factors affect both men and women. As for why men are less likely to get breast cancer than women, he believes that it is because the amount of breast tissue in men is far less than that in women.

As the weather gets hotter, young women are wearing less and less. Suspender skirts, sleeveless shirts, and racer-back vests, while bringing coolness, also bring embarrassment. Every move you make may expose your armpit hair. Some beauty-conscious women usually choose to shave their armpit hair or use depilatory cream.

Do you feel that shaving your armpit hair affects your perspiration? Ms. Wang, a white-collar worker in a company, laughed and said, "How could it have an impact? It is the sweat glands that produce perspiration, not the armpit hair." She believes that wearing sleeveless clothes in summer is indeed not very convenient. On the one hand, there is the embarrassment of showing your armpit hair, and on the other hand, sweating under your armpits also makes her uncomfortable. For this reason, she chooses to apply antiperspirant under her armpits.

"Whether you shave your armpits or apply antiperspirant, it's all for a beautiful summer," said Ms. Wang. "I've also seen some comments on Weibo about the bad effects of shaving armpits, but they're all speculations with little scientific evidence. I will continue to shave my armpits, as I think it's a dress code for girls."

Female college student Xiao Cui and her classmates have reached a consensus that they should not expose their armpit hair when dressing in the summer. "However, given the hassle of shaving my armpits regularly, I would rather wear clothes with sleeves to avoid the embarrassment."

In fact, shaving armpit hair is a very particular matter. If it is not done properly, although it will not be as alarmist as the rumors on the Internet say that it "may cause breast cancer", it may still cause some trouble.

"竹林晓晓" pointed out that if the armpit hair is not shaved properly, it may cause skin damage, easily lead to infection, clogged pores, and may have a certain impact on perspiration. Therefore, it is best to use clean and sharp shaving tools, fully moisten them before shaving, and use lubricating products appropriately to avoid scratching the skin. At the same time, remember not to share shaving tools with others to avoid cross infection.

Additionally, it is not recommended to use antiperspirant products immediately after shaving your armpits. Because you may accidentally scratch your skin when shaving your armpit hair, using antiperspirants on broken skin may cause some irritation. If you experience tingling, burning, or allergic reactions in your armpits after using antiperspirants or deodorants, stop using them immediately and wash your armpits.