Planning underarm laser removal. Am I at risk for breast cancer?

Where did you come about this idea that laser treatment could give you breast cancer? Although I do think laser treatment might be rather invasive on your delicate underarm skin, I don't think it would cause breast cancer. And I don't even know where you got that sort of idea.

I can tell you one thing. If you are worried about this, then don't get your hair removed and just use a razor. I don't see why you would go ahead with a procedure that you think might cause you serious health problems.

I recently found out that shaving and waxing your armpit hair could possibly increase the risk of breast cancer. Every time you wax or shave, you remove hairs and leave open follicles. Since almost everyone uses deodorant every day in this area, what you then do is introduce potentially carcinogenic chemicals to the area where breast cancer develops. 

I did some digging and have not come across scientifically convincing information about laser hair removal, but I did read that laser hair removal uses non-ionizing radiation, which is not associated with breast cancer or any other kind of cancer. So I would actually assume that, because laser hair removal means you no longer have to shave or wax your armpits, it might in fact reduce the risk of breast cancer. 

Hmmm... I think I've been hanging around on this forum for the past year or so? I can't count the number of things that supposedly cause cancer. I like my cosmetics and stuff so any time I heard that the first thing I think is "yeah right!" but then I do the old Google routine and usually find that yeah, there's someone or something that says that thing can cause cancer for real. Like suncreens. And yeah, shaving your armpits too. One thing I HAVE NOT been able to read about is that laser hair removal causes cancer. So either it's too early to tell 'cause it's a relatively new thing, or, get this, laser hair removal doesn't actually cause cancer. Too early to tell, that's for sure. 

Meanwhile, mmm... perhaps live a little? I mean of course if you're at increased risk of breast cancer 'cause you carry the BRCA gene or you have a family history, you're right to take anything like that seriously, but if not... there's more to life than getting beat up over so-called risks that might or might not exist.

I have not heard about a risk of breast cancer with laser hair removal. What I did hear about was a skin cancer risk. One thing to keep in mind is that the people carrying this procedure out are not physicians even though they tend to wear lab coats! So if your skin is showing the kinds of changes that indicate skin cancer they will probably not recognize them and will carry on with the procedure regardless, even when it is risky to you. I would have laser hair removal done by a qualified plastic surgeon I think, if I was interested in that.

No, I don't think underarm laser hair removes puts you at risk of breast cancer. I have done a quick search, out of general interest, and I did not come up with any information pointing to the idea that laser hair removal in any place puts you at risk of any kind of cancer at all. 

I do think that if you are worried that a cosmetic procedure you are considering will put your health at risk, you should not go ahead with it, just for the sake of your own mental health. At the very least, ask a doctor about this and the answer will probably reassure you.