Should I Be Worried About Wearing Deodorant? (2024)

FAQs

Is wearing deodorant enough? ›

"It really depends on personal preference," says Dr. Graf. If you're trying to stay dry and control sweat, you'll need an antiperspirant with aluminum salts to target your sweat glands. If odor is your only concern, deodorant will offer odor protection.

“If you stop wearing deodorant or antiperspirant, you can develop a stronger odor over time,” Doyle said. “When you stop using (such products) and sweat more, this creates a breeding ground for bacterial and fungal overgrowth, which can cause odor to become stronger.”

Use one or two swipes of deodorant each application, as a general rule of thumb. This is plenty to cover you enough without clogging your pores.

"Deodorant is essentially a masking fragrance, and does nothing to stop bacterial growth or sweat production," says Austin-based dermatologist Dr. Ted Lain. "The body odor is related to bacteria by-products, so with no masking fragrance, this odor is unleashed."

Generally, two or three swipes should be enough. Start at the center of the armpit — on clean, dry skin — and work your way outwards. Be careful not to put too much, as this may lead to irritation and discomfort. The best time to use deodorant is at night before going to bed.

In short, antiperspirant can make you smell worse because it alters the composition of bacteria in your armpits. And if you're a heavy sweater but only use deodorant, you may find yourself still sweating, which can make you smell worse.

You should expect your armpits to smell a little pungent for the first couple of weeks. This is because your sweat glands are purging and getting rid of all of the built-up bacteria and chemicals that have been trapped whilst you've been using antiperspirants.

For most kids, body odor is part of growing up. Kids start to have body odor around the time puberty starts and hormones change. Usually, this happens when females are 8–13 years old, and males are 9–14.

Go take a shower, watch TV, read a book for a while. Then, collect the clothes and give them the sniff test, especially around the pit area and anywhere you sweat profusely. If you find an odor that is unpleasant, that might be an indicator that you have a body odor problem that is leaching into your clothing.

Why do some people's armpits not smell? ›

If the ABCC11 gene is non-functional, sweat molecules are unable to cross the membrane barrier to reach the armpit. This starves bacteria on the other side of the skin surface, as they are unable to access or metabolize the organic compounds in the sweat. As a result, odorant substances are not produced.

According to Lipner, nighttime is the ideal time to apply an antiperspirant deodorant. “We sweat less at night, so the antiperspirant can come into closer contact with sweat glands and decrease sweating," Lipner explains.

I'd tell her as simply and nicely as you can. She might get in a huff, but don't worry about that. Just say something like “Honey, I love you, but could you please wear some deodorant?” This will be honest and hopefully effective. If she gets mad, let her deal with it.

Dr. Zenovia, spokesperson for Ban Deodorant, tells me that if the bacteria on your skin changes, then your odor changes, and what worked for you previously may no longer work. "So some people find that their deodorant stops working, but in fact, it was their body that changed.”

Though stopping antiperspirant or deodorant use altogether hasn't been thoroughly studied, Dr. Zeichner says your underarm odor will likely return if you stop wearing it (so beware). However, that doesn't mean you can't improve your scent without it.

Although we can indeed smell our own odors — a quick sniff of the underarm will bear this out — over time, we become desensitized to our particular scent, said Hiroaki Matsunami, a molecular neurobiologist at Duke University.

Treatments. Good hygiene can help prevent smelly armpits by getting rid of the bacteria that cause the odor. People should shower or bathe once a day and after exercise. They should also wear clean clothes every day and change their clothes after exercising.

Limit Your Swipes

‌Stick:‌ You only need two to three swipes of stick deodorant for sufficient underarm coverage, Dr. Garshick says.

This will vary from person to person, but generally we say about 3 months. Given that we don't use filler ingredients, and you only need 1 – 2 swipes per application, you may find it lasts you even longer. That's what we call bang for your buck!

Since deodorant doesn't absorb into your body, there is no limit to how often you can use it to mask odor or to provide a pleasant scent.

How do you tell if you smell? ›

Smell your armpits, feet, and groin area.

If you think you have body odor but you're not sure, take a whiff of your underarms, your feet, and your genitals. If you smell something, then chances are, you probably have B.O. Try doing a sniff test toward the end of the day, or whenever you feel the sweatiest.

Under certain conditions, Dr. Lenzy says that bacteria can be enhanced. An example of that is the studies that have shown that for some people, the use of antiperspirant can lead to an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, causing an odor. So for some, going without brings about the best results.

Even if you're using deodorant, you might still experience smelly armpits. This could be due to various factors such as diet, stress, hormonal changes, or even the type of bacteria present in your underarms.

Your environment, the things you eat, medications you take, shifts in hormone levels, or underlying disorders may all be behind a sudden change in body odor. Changes in body odor can be a normal part of development, such as when an adolescent is going through puberty.

According to Dr. Baxt, "Studies have been done that show when you use something to decrease the bacteria in the armpit, such as use a deodorant, the ratio of different bacteria change. It is possible that bacteria could develop resistance to one of the chemicals being used to decrease them."

But if you're one of the lucky few who possess a gene called ABCC11, you don't even have to worry about deodorant. According to the website LiveScience, the presence of the gene means that your armpits lack a chemical that, when combined with sweat, bacteria feeds on to produce smelly body odor.