Experts Explain When It's Okay (and Not Okay) to Use Antiperspirant (2024)

FAQs

Why shouldn't you use antiperspirant? ›

The most common concern about aluminum in antiperspirants and other topical products is that it's linked to breast cancers. There's little evidence that typical exposure to aluminum causes cancer or any other health condition, though.

“Since we make less sweat at night, they can more effectively form a plug within the sweat gland if you apply them before bed.” But if you don't sweat excessively, blocking sweat production with antiperspirant “is probably not a good idea,” said Dr.

Aluminum-based compounds are the active ingredients in antiperspirants. They block the sweat glands to keep sweat from getting to the skin's surface. Some researchers have theorized that these aluminum compounds might be absorbed by the skin and cause changes in estrogen receptors of breast cells.

Recent research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that frequent use of antiperspirants can cause aluminum to accumulate in breast tissue, but this doesn't prove that aluminum salts can cause breast cancer.

Since antiperspirants block your pores and keep your body from creating sweat, you risk increasing the bacteria, dirt, and toxins that can lead to acne. When you stop using antiperspirants, your body's natural sweat cycles will be renewed, which will open up your pores and get rid of the impurities that may cause acne.

Bedtime application "really is the best way to use an antiperspirant," says David Pariser, M.D., president of the American Academy of Dermatology. At night, when people perspire less, more of the antiperspirant's aluminum-based active ingredient is pulled into the sweat ducts.

Research has found that the salts in antiperspirants can cause an imbalance of bacteria. The aluminum compounds kill off the less smelly bacteria, giving the smellier bacteria more opportunity to thrive, causing more body odour.

What is antiperspirant? Antiperspirant is a skincare product that helps reduce underarm sweating. This is not to be confused with deodorant, which is only there to combat the bad odour. Antiperspirants work by blocking the pores on the outer layer of your skin, reducing the amount of sweat allowed to the surface.

Antiperspirants containing metallic salts such as aluminium-based compounds: React with mucopolysaccharides on the skin and within the sweat duct leading to damage of the surface epithelia, physical blockage of the sweat glands, and subsequent inability to secrete sweat.

You can use antiperspirants on any part of your body where you sweat. Most people use them in their armpits, but you can also use them on your feet or hairline as well.

How to stop underarm sweating permanently naturally? ›

Deodorants don't contain an aluminum active ingredient*, so they don't fight sweat, but they do protect against odor. If you're only looking for odor protection, grab a stick or spray that is aluminum free. Some deodorants simply cover up odor…you know the ones that smell like fragrance over stink.

Both antiperspirants and deodorants are approved as products safe for everyday use without posing the risk of harmful side effects. Still, with ingredients like aluminum and parabens, there has been a rise in offering more natural ingredient alternatives.

Antiperspirants reduce sweat release from the eccrine sweat glands, thereby limiting the amount of secretion in the armpit area. Aluminum salts and other metal salts, such as zirconium, are known to reduce sweating by causing mechanical obstruction of glandular ducts.

"The primary benefit of using antiperspirant is that you don't have to worry about excess sweat that can be visible through clothing," says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Jeannette Graf. It reduces odor. Damp underarms are ripe for odor-causing bacteria.