Nearly everyone uses either deodorant or antiperspirant daily, since everyone sweats.
But "excessive sweating" is a real medical condition with a name: hyperhidrosis.
It occurs when someone has too many, or overly active, sweat glands, whether the eccrine glands located nearly everywhere on the body that produce most perspiration, or the apocrine glands in the armpits, groin and around the breasts. Either way, the result is the same: excess wetness and odor.
Hyperhidrosis is much more serious than sweating when it's hot out, during a workout, when nervous, or after eating something too spicy. Those are all examples of normal perspiration, an important bodily reaction to physical stimuli or situations.
Sweat is released by the eccrine glands when the body's temperature gets too hot, allowing the skin to cool down as perspiration evaporates. Perspiration is also released by the apocrine glands during excitement or strong emotion. Both are natural bodily reactions.
Most people deal with that type of sweating by showering, or by applying deodorant or antiperspirant. Which of those latter options is the better choice depends on what's actually being solved for.
Those with hyperhidrosis, who sweat all the time, every day, fall into a different category. Roll-ons, sticks, aerosols and gels, wet, dry and crystal formulas, "extra-strength," "all-day" and "clinical strength" deodorants may work better than others, but none can be counted on to stop constant sweating, because deodorant isn't designed to stop sweating in the first place.
What Deodorant Does
The important word in deodorant is "odor." The product is designed to control the smell of body odor. It doesn't block the sweat that causes the odor, so no matter how much deodorant is used, sweating still happens.
Deodorant does two things scientifically: it puts substances, usually chemicals like triclosan, into the armpits to discourage odor-causing bacteria from growing, and it covers the smell of perspiration with natural or artificial fragrances. Thick deodorant may also temporarily clog sweat ducts for a while, but heavy applications can rub off onto clothing, causing those familiar white sweat marks.
Deodorant is usually more than enough for those who sweat "normally," since it covers the smell for a while. However, it does nothing to actually prevent sweating, and it's rarely effective for the excessive sweating caused by hyperhidrosis, which needs an antiperspirant instead.
What an Antiperspirant Does
The active ingredients in antiperspirants, usually aluminum salts or complexes like aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium or aluminum chlorohydrate, actually close off the body's sweat ducts. They work by penetrating the skin and reacting with sweat's natural electrolytes to plug up the ducts in sweat glands, meaning sweat can't escape into the armpit.
That's why deodorant doesn't always "work" for everyone. It can provide odor protection for a while, but it wasn't designed to stop excessive sweating. Antiperspirants work to do just that.
Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant: There's No Simple Answer
It might seem obvious: those who simply want to cover up or eliminate perspiration odor should use a deodorant, while those who actually want to stop sweating excessively are better served by an antiperspirant.
It's not that simple.
Many people, even those with hyperhidrosis, have a very real concern about the prominence of aluminum salts in antiperspirants. For years there have been allegations that aluminum can be absorbed through the skin's surface pores and eventually cause serious diseases such as breast cancer or Alzheimer's disease. Those rumors have been largely debunked, but a growing number of people still want their underarms to stay aluminum-free.
Issues of greater concern are the presence of other ingredients commonly seen in both over-the-counter deodorants and antiperspirants:
- Parabens, for example, are preservatives often used in skin care products to fight bacteria and have also been linked in some studies to a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.
- Synthetic fragrances are used to make many of these products smell good, but they can wreak havoc with sensitive skin.
- Some non-natural additives like alcohol that are used to deliver ingredients like aluminum can also cause skin irritation.
That's why all-natural deodorants and antiperspirants have been growing in popularity in recent years, even though it's not always easy for "heavy sweaters" to find the right answer for their excessive perspiration.
Some people successfully use baking soda as a natural alternative to deodorant, though getting the soda-water mix exactly right matters, since an imprecise mix can cause severe skin rashes. A deodorant that includes baking soda as one of its ingredients is a safer bet.
Antiperspirant vs. Deodorant: Why Not Both?
Largely through trial and error, a number of hyperhidrosis sufferers have come up with an unusual but effective solution: alternating between two different products.
One approach: an extra-strength antiperspirant deodorant without scents, alcohol or other harsh chemicals, paired with a moisturizer to soothe sensitive skin, closes up sweat glands to reduce perspiration while its antibacterial power fights body odor.
Unscented antiperspirant formulas can sometimes leave white sweat marks behind, though, which can make users self-conscious about odor even when they're clean underneath. That's why some switch to a product like Public Goods natural deodorant for a while.
This approach requires some patience, since it can take the body a few weeks to adjust when alternating between deodorant and antiperspirant, with some excess sweating and odor along the way. After the adjustment period, a state of equilibrium tends to set in, with both perspiration and odor declining substantially.
Whether this combination approach is the right choice comes down to personal preference and what works for a given body. Trying a number of deodorants and antiperspirants is often the best way to find the right fit.
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