We’ve Been Using Antiperspirant All Wrong, Cork’s Dr. Doireann shares what to do instead

There’s a lot of confusing information and quite a bit of scaremongering online about the use of antiperspirant.  With social media top heavy with self- professed medical experts it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.   An investigation by the Guardian newspaper showed that more than half of the top 100 mental health tik tok videos contained misinformation, which other studies have mirrored the finding,  echoing that taking your health information from influencers is not safe.

So what do you do?  Stick to the experts, professionals that are qualified and experienced.  One such person is Cork’s Dr. Doireann, who shares her trusted medical knowledge on health regularly on her instagram account where she has built up nearly a quarter of a million followers.  In an era of self proclaimed health experts, she acts as a great source of medical advice with 14 years in the field as a doctor. 

- Advertisement -

 Recently, Dr Doireann took to Instagram to bust one of the most persistent myths in the beauty aisle: the rumour that antiperspirants containing aluminium cause breast cancer.

The Cork mum of two explains that despite rumours to the contrary there’s no proven link between antiperspirants and breast cancer. This common misconception is widely believed and can deter people from using these products, despite a lack of scientific evidence. 

- Advertisement -

But let’s be honest, most of us are probably using antiperspirant all wrong. You hop out of the shower in the morning, give your underarms a quick swipe, throw on your clothes, and head out the door, right? But according to Dr Doireann, that’s not actually the most effective way to use it. 

Her top tip? Apply antiperspirant at night to “Clean dry skin” and “wash off in the morning” for best results. She encouraged her followers “You don’t need to use them every night for them to be effective”. The vast majority of people can get up to 3 day’s benefit from using antiperspirants. Following the medical guidance for best practice you should implement Dr. Doirrean’s routine and “Shave in the morning, apply at night”. This simple habit may help reduce the potential risk of increased aluminium absorption.

Dr. Doireann adds  “I don’t use antiperspirant deodorants with aluminium in them shortly after shaving my armpits”.  Shaving can cause  “micro-tears or breaks in the skin and can increase, potentially the absorption of aluminium”.

While antiperspirants are safe to use, some breast screening centres may ask you to not apply them before a mammogram “because aluminium in antiperspirants can show up in the mammogram scan, which can cause confusion with interpretation of results”, she says, before adding that ‘It’s best to double check with the clinic beforehand’.