Why do I sweat ?

Sweating is the bodys way of controlling your temperature (thermoregulation). Sweat refers to the excretions (mostly water) from the sweat glands. The human body has two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine sweat glands.

• Eccrine sweat glands can be found all over the body but can be more concentrated on the hands, feet, and forehead. The eccrine glands produce sweat that is 99 per cent water.
  • You sweat from your eccrine gland when you get hot e.g. playing sport or being in a hot climate.
• Apocrine sweat glands are located in hair follicles and are localized primarily in the armpit, pubic area, and the ear canal. They produce sweat comprised of lipids, proteins, and steroids or nutrients for bacteria. These nutrients plus the water of the eccrine glands can lead to bacterial growth and the production of odour.
  • You sweat from your apocrine glands when your hormones start pumping e.g. when youre nervous, stressed or excited.

Why do I get body odour ?

Body odour is created when bacteria, normally found in the underarm, multiplies and consumes the nutrients found on the skin surface when you sweat. The amount and intensity of malodour varies from person to person.
Water (encrine gland) + Nutrients (apocrine gland) + Bacteria = ODOUR

How do I combat sweat and body odour?

Antiperspirants reduce the amount of sweat produced by the eccrine sweat glands. Since the eccrine glands are on the skins surface, the antiperspirant actives are able to reach the ducts and help control the wetness experienced as you heat up, like when you play sport. However, since the apocrine glands are found beneath the skin, in the hair follicle, sweat produced by these glands can not be reached by current antiperspirants. So wetness can be diminished with an antiperspirant but body odour can still be problematic. The secretions from apocrine glands contribute very little to underarm wetness but they are the key contributors to underarm malodour

So, how do I combat body odour in this case ?

As said above, the main contributor to body odour is the sweat from the apocrine gland produced when youre stressed which provides nutrients which in turn increases the odour causing bacteria. Traditional deodorants struggle to combat body odour completely because it is generated primarily by the sweat produced in the apocrine gland, down in the hair follicle, where it cant be reached by the deodorant.

• Some deodorants/ body sprays just use fragrance to mask the body odour, but over time the body odour can overpower these products.
• Most anti-perspirants combine an active ingredient to combat sweat from the eccrine gland (the one on the skins surface), and use a fragrance to help mask the odour generated from the sweat from the apocrine gland.
• Some of the better anti-perspirants also have another technology which works to slowly release fragrance over time. These work better, but still have a risk of failure as the day goes on.
• However, Gillette Deodorants are different. 5 years of research have led to the creation of the first antiperspirant/deodorant to use an intelligent response system using a natural molecule called Betacyclodextrin (BCD). This system can do 2 very interesting things:
  • Unlike traditional deodorants, that can fade over time, the Gillette technology activates and reactivates every time your body heats up so its more efficient.
  • The BCD molecule actually absorbs and helps to neutralise odour and puts bursts of freshness in its place so combating the body odour caused by the sweat from the apocrine gland.

So, the Gillette Responsive Deodorant can combat the sweat from the Eccrine gland as well as the odour from the sweat caused by the apocrine gland and it responds to your body by working harder when you need it to.

Sweating and body odour myths explained

• Human skin will begin to sweat at 37C and the hotter your skin gets the more youll sweat.
• Apocrine sweat glands activate at puberty, which is why teenage boys are stereotypically sweaty and smelly.
• Babies dont get body odour because their apocrine glands dont function yet.
• Armpits combine all elements of the odour formula, making it a hot bed for Body Odour and the smelliest part of the body.
• Everyone has different smelling body odour due to a genetically determined odour-type.
• Hairy men smell more because hair provides surface area from which apocrine gland smells can diffuse the more hair, the more smell is diffused.
• Your sense of smell is better in the evening than in the morning.
• Women have a more sensitive sense of smell than men, so the best way to get the girl is to eliminate the bad odour instead of masking it with fragrance!
• Sweating makes you more likely to fail lie detector tests. A lie detector works by measuring changes in skin conductance on the basis of sweating.

What makes Gillette deodorants different?

Gillette deodorants, not only contain the principle active ingredients found in most antiperspirants, but they also contain Betacyclodextrin technology. This is a technology which absorbs and helps to neutralise odours rather than mask them, as traditional deodorants do.

How do they work ?

Gillette Deodorant is Gillettes first responsive high performance deodorant with an intelligent dynamic response system. This system uses unique Betacyclodextrin (BCD) technology to capture bad odours created by sweating and releases fresh odours, whilst the original Gillette deodorant technology helps keeps you dry at the same time. The product activates and reactivates every time your body heats up to help eliminate odour, keep you dry and provide incredible freshness all day long.

Antiperspirants/deodorant myths explained

 

Are contact forms more effective than sprays?

Some people prefer contact forms (i.e. applied directly to the skin). Some people prefer sprays. Generally speaking, the more deodorant you apply, the more effective it will be. Gillette has proven its deodorant/ antiperspirant products to work for over 24 hours, so whatever your preference, there is a Gillette product that will cover your needs.

Will Gillette antiperspirant/ deodorants clog pores if it is so effective at dealing with sweating?

 
Antiperspirants work by plugging the sweat ducts in the underarm with a superficial plug that is easily washed off and removed by the skins natural turnover. This also only occurs in those sweat ducts that are actively producing sweat and so, since not all sweat at the same time, there is no concern about clogging all pores.

 

 

Does the aluminium in antiperspirants cause cancer?

There is no safety data that suggests that aluminium presents a cancer threat when included in antiperspirants.