How Does Antiperspirant Work?
If you have ever wondered how using an antiperspirant works, no sweat! Read on and we will let you know.
There is a chemical called Eccrine in your body that produces the sweat on our skin.
One of the main places that this occurs is under the arms, in the armpits.
Sweating is a 100% natural thing that we all do, but it can be a problem for some people and can ruin their lives.
The bad smell that is given off by the sweat under our arms is not a pleasant thing, and most people use deodorants or antiperspirants to control the smell.
Where as deodorants are just a smelly spray that tries to cover up the bad smell of underarm sweat, an antiperspirant attempts to stop the sweat from coming out in the first place.
It does this by blocking the pores from where the sweat is normally excreted.
In all antiperspirants, there are many chemicals, but the main ingredient that is present to plug these pores is aluminum.
It is actually an aluminum based compound that is made from various different types of aluminum.
This could be Aluminum chloride or aluminum zirconium tricholorohydrex glycine.
The list of possible ingredients is quite large.
When you spray or rub the antiperspirant onto your skin, it quickly blocks the pores and stop sweat from being able to get out onto the skin.
The aluminum ingredients send a message to your body to start the process.
The cells in your armpits are told to swell up which then blocks the sweat from reaching your skin.
When the cells are swollen and the passages are constricted, you will sweat less and therefore smell fresher.
Over time, the cells will relax and the sweat will be allowed to come out as normal.
For some sprays, this can be around 24 hours later, but 8-12 hours is a normal time.
There have been some health scares over the use of Aluminum compounds in these types of sprays and products.
Scientists have attempted to prove links to cancer, Alzheimers and other major diseases.
As the aluminum is getting into your pores, it will also get into your body and it is this build up that scientists are worried about.
There is a chemical called Eccrine in your body that produces the sweat on our skin.
One of the main places that this occurs is under the arms, in the armpits.
Sweating is a 100% natural thing that we all do, but it can be a problem for some people and can ruin their lives.
The bad smell that is given off by the sweat under our arms is not a pleasant thing, and most people use deodorants or antiperspirants to control the smell.
Where as deodorants are just a smelly spray that tries to cover up the bad smell of underarm sweat, an antiperspirant attempts to stop the sweat from coming out in the first place.
It does this by blocking the pores from where the sweat is normally excreted.
In all antiperspirants, there are many chemicals, but the main ingredient that is present to plug these pores is aluminum.
It is actually an aluminum based compound that is made from various different types of aluminum.
This could be Aluminum chloride or aluminum zirconium tricholorohydrex glycine.
The list of possible ingredients is quite large.
When you spray or rub the antiperspirant onto your skin, it quickly blocks the pores and stop sweat from being able to get out onto the skin.
The aluminum ingredients send a message to your body to start the process.
The cells in your armpits are told to swell up which then blocks the sweat from reaching your skin.
When the cells are swollen and the passages are constricted, you will sweat less and therefore smell fresher.
Over time, the cells will relax and the sweat will be allowed to come out as normal.
For some sprays, this can be around 24 hours later, but 8-12 hours is a normal time.
There have been some health scares over the use of Aluminum compounds in these types of sprays and products.
Scientists have attempted to prove links to cancer, Alzheimers and other major diseases.
As the aluminum is getting into your pores, it will also get into your body and it is this build up that scientists are worried about.