Jessica is perspicacious about perspiration: Is there any danger in applying antiperspirant on large areas of the body? For example, on the under arms, back, hairline etc.?

The Right Brain responds with dry wit:

Where does sweat come from?

Jess, sounds like you might have a case of hyperhydrosis, a condition that causes your sweat glands to kick into overdrive. There two types of sweat glands on your body: eccrine glands and apocrine. Eccrine glands are found all over your body but most concentrated on the palms of hands, soles of feet, and the forehead. These glands produce sweat that is water and some salts and they are important in regulating body temperature. Sweat from eccrine glands doesn’t cause body odor.

Apocrine glands are not as widespread. They are always associated with hair follicles so they show up wherever there is body hair, like in your arm pits and…uh…other areas. Apocrine glands produce a milky sweat that contains fatty materials. Bacteria that feed on these fatty materials create the unique smell of sweat.

How do antiperspirants stop sweating?

The active ingredient in antiperspirants are aluminum salts. Aluminum ions from these salts are absorbed by the cells that line the eccrine gland ducts. When water mixes with the salt, the cells swell up and form a plug that closes the gland so more sweat can’t get out. A typical antiperspirant can decrease your sweat by at least 20 percent. Extra strength products, available by prescription, are even more effective. (Want to learn more? Read our post on how to avoid antiperspirant irritation.)

Can you use antiperspirant all over your body?

This question reminds us of the story of the actress in the James Bond film Goldfinger who supposedly died from asphyxiation after being covered with gold paint. Fortunately, this story turns out to be an urban myth – your body doesn’t “breath” through your skin so you can’t really suffocate. However, eccrine glands do help control body temperature and if you blocked all your sweat glands, your body would be in danger of over heating.

We couldn’t find any medical references that explained exactly how much antiperspirant it takes to really be dangerous. The best we could come up with is this reference from Unilever (makers of Degree) that warns antiperspirants are “…really only designed for reducing underarm sweat and they should never be sprayed all over your body as you may overheat if too many sweat glands are blocked.”

It seems like a reasonable caution to us but it’s not a very satisfying answer if you’re drenched in sweat. If hyperhydrosis is really a problem for you, we’d suggest checking with your doctor about using prescription strength antiperspirants or even more drastic measures like electrical treatments or Botox injections that can temporarily stun the sweat glands.

Similar Posts:

• What’s The Difference Between Antiperspirant And Deodorant?
• 4 Ways to Avoid Antiperspirant Irritation
• Are You Bothered By Boob Sweat?
• Do Mineral Crystal Deodorants Really Work?
• Beauty Q & A: How Do I Get Rid of Underarm Stains?