Deodorants and Sweat Connection!

The deodorant spray, the next gen’s all too familiar “deo”, may be the cause of our excessive fatigue and exhaustion during hot summer days.

Deodorants, meant to tackle the bad body odour especially from the underarms, do so by two methods. One is by killing the germs that colonize in these warm moist sites and break down secretions into smelly substances. Almost all deos are therefore antiseptic agents of a sort, containing some form or other of spirit, natural oils and perfumes. They work to keep us feeling clean and fresh.

Many deos however are anti-perspirants as well, and work by blocking the secretion of sweat from the sweat- glands. This variety of sprays has become trendy as they make the skin look cool and dry even on sweaty days. They prevent the embarassing wet dark maps from appearing on the shirts, and make us stink less as there is less soaking of clothes with skin secretions.

While many use the terms deodorants and anti-perspirants interchangably, they are not the same. Anti-perspirants work to stop perspiration from occuring. Deodorants allow perspiration, and work to kill the bacteria that causes odor when we perspire.

While anti-perspirants keep the skin and armpits dry and clean, they block the body’s vital cooling mechanism, allowing it to get heated up. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion occur when the body’s temperature rises well above its normal of 37⁰C and it finds itself unable to dissipate heat into the atmosphere.

 From a purely natural standpoint, it makes more sense for us to use deodorants as it allows the natural process of sweating to continue, a mechanism by which the body keeps itself cool when the outside temperature rises.

If you feel unusually exhausted and tired by noon or evening, check your body spray and ensure that you are using the right one. Anti-perspirants could be bottling up your body heat and causing your symptoms.

Further, anti-perspirants contain aluminium, a chemical that has come under scrutiny for a variety of health problems. High aluminium levels have been linked to seizures, breast cancer, kidney disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. Although very small quantities of aluminium contained in anti-perspirant-sprays cross the skin and reach the inner tissues, there is speculation whether even these small amounts could accumulate and cause disease when used for several years.

Most human achievements have come with toil and the proverbial sweat. The deleterious effects of blocking this symbol of hard work can extend well beyound our bodies to our social perception of human effort too. 

As published in HT City( Hindustan Times) dated 3 June, 2012.