Most people have at one time or another felt embarrassed by the sweat produced by their body, whether it’s darkened underarms or the odor that emanates from it causing others to wince. Sweat, according to the NIH Medline Plus page is actually nothing more than a salty liquid the body produces to cool itself.
People have sweat glands in virtually every area of their skin though they tend to sweat more in some areas than others. Armpits, for example and feet are notorious for producing sweat. The thing is though, not all sweat glands are alike, which is why some types of sweat smells more strongly than others. Understanding these differences is key to understanding how to deal most effectively with sweat odors.
According to Amanda Greene in a post on Woman’s Day magazine (see ref), some sweat is produced by what are known as apocrine sweat glands, which are generally located around hair follicles, and produce stronger smelling sweat due to the presence of hormonal substances. Interestingly, more often than not, the amount of sweat produced by these glands is actually less than that ones that produce just water and salt.
In either case, the odor from sweat is not in the sweat itself but is a byproduct of bacteria that feeds on it. This is why sweat smells worse the longer it stays on your body. Unfortunately, stressful activities tend to increase the production of the hormone type of sweat which of course increases the amount of odor. To combat this problem experts suggest using antiperspirants rather than deodorants because they actually block the sweat passageways, preventing sweat from making its way to the skin surface. Also most dermatologist suggest using antiperspirants at night rather than after a bath or shower as it works best when applied to a very dry surface, and will not be washed away in the morning. Also, working on techniques to reduce stress can help as well.
To best deal with sweat that soaks armpits, most dermatologists suggest using antiperspirants and shields that are placed in clothes to absorb moisture before it can reach your clothes. For extreme cases, shots of Botox given by a doctor can help.
Also, something most people may not know is that regular salt and water type sweat does not stain clothes, it’s the kind that has hormones in it that does so, but even worse are some of the chemicals put into antiperspirants and deodorants in an attempt to make them adhere to skin better. Thus, if you’re having problems with sweat stains, you might consider switching products; some are likely to stain less than others.