Sweating is the mechanism human bodies use to cool down and most of us apply deodorant or anti-perspirant at least once per day. Sweat itself has no odour; the familiar unpleasant smell is caused by bacteria that live on our skin and hair. Anthropologist Louis Leakey suspected the original function of body odour was to make humans repellent to animals who sought to eat us!
There are two types of sweat glands to cool off your body. Most of the sweat glands on the body are known as the eccrine glands. They are the glands on your forehead, on your hands and on your feet. The eccrine glands are active from birth and the sweat excreted contains only water and salt and have nothing to do with your troublesome body odour.
The apocrine glands are located in your arm pits and around the genital area. The apocrine glands usually end in hair follicles and become active during puberty. The sweat excreted by the apocrine glands contains proteins and fatty acids. Bacteria digest the proteins and fats from our apocrine sweat, thereby causing body odour.
Difference between deodorants and anti-perspirants
The fundamental differences between deodorants and anti-perspirants lie in the way these products work. They each use different chemical processes for minimising body odour:
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- Deodorants can’t keep you from sweating, but they do work to counteract the smell that is produced after the fats and proteins emitted from your cells migrate to the surface of your skin. Deodorant targets the bacteria around the armpits. Ingredients like triclosan in deodorants make the skin in your underarm too salty or acidic to support the bacteria that thrive there. Without any bacteria to feast on the proteins and fats delivered through your sweat, no smell is produced.
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- Anti-perspirants cut down on body odour using the opposite principle − they actually keep you from sweating. Without any sweat, the bacteria found in your underarms don’t have anything to feast on. Most anti-perspirants have some of the ingredients found in deodorants that kill bacteria as a failsafe, but their main function is to keep you from perspiring. They do this through ingredients like aluminum and zirconium, which plug the sweat glands found in your underarms.
Potential health risks
Certain studies indicate potential health risks associated with aluminum compounds found in many anti-perspirants, but similar studies find like-wise risks with parabens found in some deodorants. Manufacturers and various health agencies claim that such studies are flawed and concerns are unfounded. Despite assurances, many healthcare professionals recommend the use of deodorant over anti-perspirant, believing that obstructing pores and preventing perspiration may not be the healthiest choice.
Sources
http://www.controlyourimpact.com
http://health.howstuffworks.com
http://www.wisegeek.org/