Antiperspirants

Antiperspirants are the first line of treatment for excessive sweating of the armpits, as well as palms, feet, and, sometimes, faces. They are called first line treatments, because they are the least invasive, traumatic, and the doctors, therefore, can recommend them to you first of all, before deciding on any other treatment. It is possible that you have already tried to use different antiperspirants and even has some experience with many of them. Antiperspirants are applied to the surface of the skin and, therefore, they are called surface or topical treatments for excessive sweating. They work by blocking ("caulking") the ducts of the sweat glands with micro-probes and thereby reducing the amount of sweat that reaches the surface of the skin. Antiperspirants can be a level of perfume products or more specialized, requiring advice and advice from a physician, when starting to use them. The most commonly used ingredients of antiperspirants are metal salts. The most effective antiperspirants are antiperspirants containing alumino-chloride-hexahydrate. Alumino-chloride-hexahydrate in the concentration of 10-15% is used with excessive sweating of the armpits. With excessive sweating of the palms and feet, it makes sense to use higher concentrations - 20-40%. Antiperspirants can also be used with face sweating, but due to the possible irritating effect of antiperspirants, it is necessary to use very carefully the treatment of increased sweating of the delicate skin of the face. The same applies to other delicate areas of the body (perineum, area under the mammary glands, neck). In addition to irritating effects on the skin, antiperspirants, especially those containing high concentrations of alumino-chloride hexahydrate, can damage tissues. Therefore, be careful when wearing expensive clothes, pajamas, underwear while using antiperspirants. Some antiperspirants also contain deodorants. Deodorants by themselves do not affect the production of sweat, but they can reduce the smell of sweat, suppressing the growth of bacteria that produce odor (sweat itself does not have a smell).

How to effectively use antiperspirants

You may be surprised, but even ordinary antiperspirants that you can buy at a perfume store can become much more effective when used correctly. A secret lies in the correct use of antiperspirant. Studies by Procter & Gamble Beauty (manufacturer of Women's Winner Secretaries) showed that the use of antiperspirant in the morning and evening, or only in the evening, is more effective than antiperspirant morning use.

Researchers have proven that using antiperspirant only in the evening is more effective than using an antiperspirant in the morning.

To minimize the risk of skin irritation, apply antiperspirant only to fully dried skin and completely wash it off after 6-8 hours.

How to effectively use medical antiperspirants

The first rule is to follow the doctor's recommendations. Recommendations may vary depending on your characteristics and the characteristics of the recommended antiperspirant. As a rule, you will recommend that the antiperspirant containing alumino chloride stay on the skin for 6-8 hours, be applied before bedtime, when the sweating is minimal. Make sure that the skin is dry before applying antiperspirant. You can use even a hair dryer (with cool air), if necessary. Wash the skin immediately before application is not recommended and can even intensify irritation. If you take a shower for the night, wait 30-40 minutes until the skin has finally calmed down, "cool down" and only then apply antiperspirant. If you shave your armpits, wait 24-48 hours after shaving before applying antiperspirant. If irritation occurs, treat with topical creams with hydrocortisone (after discussion with your doctor). Use antiperspirant every evening until sweating stops. After you have noted the appearance of the effect, reduce the frequency of application of antiperspirant to the number of times per week, sufficient for you. The frequency of antiperspirant use can vary from night to night, to once a week.

There is a so-called "occlusive" antiperspirant application technique, which is considered to be more effective. The essence of it lies in the additional wrapping of the treated surface (for example, cephalo), which, as it were, increases the time of contact of the antiperspirant with the skin. Some patients use this technique. It should be noted that there is no scientific confirmation of the greater effectiveness of this technique, compared to the usual application. Occlusal technique slightly increases the risk of skin irritation. If you want to use an occlusive technique, discuss everything in advance with your doctor.