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This Is How Deodorants Actually Work

Ever wondered how deodorant works and what it does to your skin? Time for some revelation!

By Sneha A

Today no matter in what part of the world one lives in, deodorant is something that hardly anyone leaves their homes without. Before putting on our clothes, the first thing that our hand reaches to is the bottle of Deo, whether it's a spray or a roll on, and it has become a must-wear thing.

Whether it is a hot summer day or a stressful situation where we cannot stop sweating profusely, it is with the help of a deodorant only that we continue to smell absolutely daisy fresh.

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However, what we all do not know is that the product which might have saved your day quite a number of times may be quite dangerous. Read here to know how it actually works on the body and what it does in controlling sweat.

how does deodrant work

1. The human body has millions of sweat glands and it produces about 1 liter of sweat every day. However, sweat does not smell in itself. It is when the bacteria feed on it when the problem of body odour begins.

how does deodrant work

2. When we talk about a deodorant, what people generally get themselves confused between are two different products, i.e., a deodorant and an antiperspirant. There are a number of products available in the market, one that are just deodorant and another that come with the combined effect of deodorant and antiperspirant.

how does deodrant work

3. Even though both the products claim to give you the same results, they are very different from each other. What a deodorant does is it kills these bacteria and as it is contains perfumes, it is able to cover up the smell which still gets produced.

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4. Some new products come with small and micro-spheres, which break open when come in contact with sweat. Smaller ones break quickly while the larger ones do so sometime after. This is how the fragrance stays for a longer duration.

how does deodrant work

5. On the other hand, an antiperspirant reduces the production of sweat from the skin by plugging the pores of the skin with aluminum compound. Thus, preventing the bacteria to feed and reach the armpits.

how does deodrant work

6. Antiperspirants contain aluminium salts, which on application dissolve with sweat to produce a gel-like substance to cover the sweat glands. The thin coating of this gel is what reduces the production of sweat.

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7. A recent study claims that people who regularly used a deodorant definitely had reduced number of bacteria in their underarms; however, those who were not so regular developed more bacteria later on.

how does deodrant work

8. The bacteria that live on our body are not the disease-causing or the harmful type. These are non-pathogenic bacteria which thrive on the human skin, just like those which are present in our guts and saliva and play a very important role in our overall health of the human body.

how does deodrant work

9. As we are aware of the fact that overuse of antibiotics disturbs the number of microbium, which live inside the body, and they are very vital in acting as a natural defense structure. Imbalance in these can cause one to suffer from health issues like Crohn's disease.

how does deodrant work

10. Similarly, scientists say that there is a possibility that by doing this, we may be getting ourselves more susceptible to harmful viruses and bacteria. Messing the balance of nature doesn't usually lead to good consequences and comes with a price to be paid. However, in this case, researches are still being conducted to come to a final verdict.

Story first published: Friday, October 14, 2016, 18:11 [IST]
Read more about: deodorant antibiotic