Are Antiperspirants bad for you?

[Fez4PrezN2008]

Hey Doc - Is the prolonged use of an anti-perspiring trying to change what the body naturally wants to do, sweat? Is this bad for you and what about the aluminum and other junk in it - toxic? Does it really cause breast cancer? Is the just cover the smell deodorant any better for you? This all just seem horribly unnatural when you think about it (http://health.howstuffworks.com/question627.htm).

[Dr Steve]

Hey Doc - Is the prolonged use of an anti-perspiring trying to change what the body naturally wants to do, sweat? Is this bad for you and what about the aluminum and other junk in it - toxic? Does it really cause breast cancer? Is the just cover the smell deodorant any better for you? This all just seem horribly unnatural when you think about it (http://health.howstuffworks.com/question627.htm).


This is a damned interesting question in the end...at least the part about your body naturally "wanting" to sweat.

There are these people who have a problem called "hyperhidrosis", "hyper" meaning "a bug-fucking insane amount" and "hidrosis" meaning "sweating".
These people don't just sweat, they positively FLOW. If it's centered on your hands, you can't shake hands with someone without them thinking you're a disgusting wet-hand. Anyway...you can do surgery to correct this problem...so they go in, have the autonomic nerves to that area cut, and they stop sweating in their palms. All goes well for a few days until they realize that NOW THEY'RE SWEATING IN THEIR ARMPITS like crazy. For some reason, the body says "I gotta get rid of this poison" and starts the problem up somewhere else. So there is an imperative to sweat, and it's very powerful.

Now, when it comes to deodorants, the only ones worth anything are the aluminum chloride based "antiperspirants". these keep you from sweating into your pits, preventing the bacteria that live in there from making you stink.

The whole "aluminum causes alzheimer's" thing came from people getting aluminum toxicity from dialysis...these people got a form of dementia that was very similar to alzheimer's disease. Spreading an aluminum salt on your pits shouldn't increase your total body aluminum levels, but some studies have shown that it indeed does to a very small extent.

100,000,000 people use aluminum-containing antiperspirants in the US alone every day and so far no science has shown a conclusive problem with this stuff. There was a study in 1990 that showed a slight increased risk with deodorants, but weirdly, a DECREASED risk with people who took aluminum containing antacids (yes, if you take Mylanta, you're drinking aluminum salts). So most people think the study was full o' baloney. I'm always on the lookout for new, good studies like this so I'll update you if I find anything.

You can try to just cover sweat-stink with pure deodorants, but it really doesn't work very well if you're really fragrant. And who wants a big pit-stain on their shirt every day? I'm so addicted to aluminum antiperspirants that I just hate the feel of a sweaty armpit any more.

hope this helps,


your pal,



steve

[cougarjake13]

i have a somewhat similar problem


i dont sweat profusley but no matter how much i wash my armpits and use deodorant my pits still smell like i havent showered in 2 days

[Dr Steve]

i have a somewhat similar problem


i dont sweat profusley but no matter how much i wash my armpits and use deodorant my pits still smell like i havent showered in 2 days

do you use deodorants? or antiperspirants? I had a friend once that drenched himself in deodorants, but he still stunk to high heaven so bad that his coworkers complained about him. I recommended switching to an antiperspirant and his problems vanished along with his B.O.

[Fez4PrezN2008]

Doc, you are one of a kind, taking time out to answer an armpit stink-o question instead of curing cancer or doing boob jobs. A real volks-Artz! Thanks.

I often just go al' fresco in the pits and the other day, I walked at lunch and it was a good deal more humid than I figured so my shirt got kinda soaked in the back and pits area. Had no change, so just had to air-dry. Heard lady over cube way ask her friend if she smelled a sewer or bathroom smell. I think it might have been me. Well, since you say its ok, I'll start Al'ing it up. Guess if I catch old-timers disease because of it I probably won't realize it so what the heck. :happy:

[Radioguy]

The whole "aluminum causes alzheimer's" thing came from people getting aluminum toxicity from dialysis...these people got a form of dementia that was very similar to alzheimer's disease. Spreading an aluminum salt on your pits shouldn't increase your total body aluminum levels, but some studies have shown that it indeed does to a very small extent.

100,000,000 people use aluminum-containing antiperspirants in the US alone every day and so far no science has shown a conclusive problem with this stuff. There was a study in 1990 that showed a slight increased risk with deodorants, but weirdly, a DECREASED risk with people who took aluminum containing antacids (yes, if you take Mylanta, you're drinking aluminum salts). So most people think the study was full o' baloney. I'm always on the lookout for new, good studies like this so I'll update you if I find anything.

Thanks for addressing this specifically. It never stopped me from using them, but I always feel slightly anxious when applying antiperspirant that I'll pay for dry pits some day. :)

[Suspect Chin]

How would aluminum go from your armpit to your brain?

[Stuft]

Sweat glands. Isn't that what this thread is about?

[PapaBear]

How would aluminum go from your armpit to your brain?
Skin is a sponge.

[Radioguy]

Skin is a sponge.

and then it's in your blood. I guess it's able to pass the blood/brain barrier, or was thought to.