Medical officer at Medifem Hospital, Suliat Oyawoye, has revealed that so far, research does not support claims that wearing of second-hand brassiers causes cancer.  

Women wear brassiers mainly to provide support for the breast. Most often, women also wear them to prevent their breasts from sagging as they age.

However, people have come to believe in myths and misconceptions about breast cancer, especially how it occurs. They often believe that wearing second-hand brassiers contributes greatly to the reasons many women suffer from breast cancer.

Speaking to KMJ on Prime Morning on Tuesday, Dr. Oyawoye explained that though many factors contribute to and play a huge role in why people get diagnosed with breast cancer, wearing second-head brassiers and brassiers in general is definitely not one of them. This is because, till date, there has been no proof that they cause breast cancer.

“There is no evidence to show that wearing or buying a second-hand bra from Kantamanto increases your chance of getting breast cancer. That’s not true. Wearing a bra doesn’t matter. It is what you are comfortable in that’s important. It has no link whatsoever to breast cancer,” she explained.

Dr. Oyawoye explained that although brassiers don’t cause breast cancer, there are precautions doctors advise people to take when wearing them to avoid getting infected by other diseases. She stated that wearing tight brassiers and keeping them on for a long time can cause pain in the breast. In some cases, the breast can swell and get infected.

“Women are advised to get a well-fitted bra. This is because when they wear very tight ones, they are prone to getting swelling and pain in their breasts,” she said.

She further explained that although hereditary is one of the factors that causes people to get cancer, it is not always so. According to her, research has proven that only 5–10% of breast cancers are inherited from family or bloodline. Meaning that 80% of breast cancer cases are not linked to hereditary.

“Studies that have been done show that only 5 to 10% of breast cancers picked up are actually hereditary. Not having a family history of breast cancer doesn’t make you safe from actually getting it,” she explained.

Dr. Suliat Oyawoye revealed that although living a healthy life can to some extent keep people from getting cancer, it is not always so. According to her, there are many people living very healthy lives who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of people focusing only on living healthy, they should make it a point to always visit the hospital for regular checkups so the cancer can be detected early.

She advised people to still prioritize healthy living mechanisms to fight other diseases. Smoking, drinking, and living flamboyantly exposes people to many dangerous diseases detrimental to their health.