Summer is a welcome season, because it means some downtime from school for students and parents as well who don’t have to force themselves to get up early and fight the fog of sleepiness. Summer makes everything seem light, and for many, the season augurs fun and adventure. In a country like the Philippines, however, summer also means feverishly hot temperatures. Imagine, you’ve just hit the shower but the minute you step out of the bath, you start sweating, and in profuse proportions at that.
While sweating is the body’s natural reaction to cool down, excessive sweating can cause embarrassing situations since the buildup of bacteria in sweat can cause unpleasant odor especially in the underarms, which is why people resort to antiperspirants and deodorants. However, some disturbing reports have been coming out on the “stinky truth” about antiperspirants and deodorants.
In the March/April issue of Healthy Options Lifestyle News Digest – the official publication of Healthy Options that features a variety of articles and interesting reports as well as trends and updates on health and wellness – an article titled “The Stinky Truth on Antiperspirants” cites a report by real Clear Science that antiperspirants may lead to an even more foul-smelling sweat problem. Bacteria live in the armpits, and the reason sweat smells is because the bacteria break down the lipids and amino acids found in sweat into substances that have a distinct odor. Antiperspirants are used to kill bacteria with the use of antimicrobial agents and ingredients such as aluminum that block the sweat glands and prevent the flow of sweat.
However, several studies suggest that the use of antiperspirants (and deodorants) could do more harm than good, as it could increase the growth of Actinobacteria – the kind responsible for that foul-smelling armpit odor. In some of the studies, subjects who did not use antiperspirants saw their Actinobacteria eventually becoming virtually non-existent, which suggests that long-term use of antiperspirants may eventually cause the smell to become more pronounced, while quitting antiperspirants may eventually make the odor go mellow.
One other cause of concern is that aluminum-based antiperspirants may put the user at risk of cancer. “Aluminum salts can mimic estrogen, and previous research has shown that aluminum is absorbed and deposited into breast tissue,” the article noted. Estrogen promotes the growth of cancer cells, and frequent application of aluminum-based deodorants puts one under more risk of breast cancer.
The same is also true with parabens, another common ingredient in antiperspirants and deodorants, which have been implicated in breast cancer. Parabens are chemicals that act as preservatives in cosmetics and other beauty products, and previous studies have shown that parabens have estrogenic activity in human breast cancer, the article said.
Scientific studies have shown that the body’s microbiome – meaning the organisms that live in a particular environment including the body or certain parts of the body – plays a major role in one’s health, by promoting or warding off skin diseases or preventing body odor. In the end, it is in our best interest to work with our body’s microbiome than against it, to avoid the absorption of chemical toxins found in cosmetics and other products that people use on their bodies. But if the use of deodorants or antiperspirants is something that people think they can do without, then they should examine the chemical contents of products and stay away from those that are suspected of being harmful, like aluminum or parabens.
For more features and articles on health and wellness, check out the latest copy of Healthy Options Lifestyle News Digest, available in Healthy Options stores, or log on to healthyoptions.com.ph.