Sweat & Body Odour

Sweat & Body Odour

Perspiration plays a vital role in controlling body temperature and a minor but important role in excreting unwanted minerals and waste products.

However, sweat becomes a major problem when it turns into unwanted body odour.

In understanding BO, we must first know about the two different types of sweat glands in the skin:

The eccrine glands (also known as merocrine glands), which are found innumerous quantity almost all over the body, but especially in the armpits, on the forehead and on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands.

The sweat they secrete is predominantly composed of water and salt, along with other organic materials.

These glands are active throughout our lives (including duringchildhood), and predominantly act to keep us cool during hot weather or whenwe’re nervous or excited. They also excrete water, electrolytes (eg. salt), and toxicmetabolites (by-products of alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs, for example).

In contrast, the apocrine glands are located only in the hair follicles of the armpits,groin and nipples. They begin functioning during puberty, and in comparison to the watery sweat excreted by the eccrine glands, the sweat they excrete is relativelythick, sticky, viscous and cloudy. This type of sweat contains pheromones, and isone of the physiological mechanisms involved in attracting potential partners.

The action of bacteria on the skin of sweat from the apocrine glands causes the unpleasant smell we refer to as body odour.

Antiperspirants are often used to counteract body odour. They contain analuminium-based active ingredient that is absorbed into the hair follicle along withwater, causing the cells to swell and close, and thus temporarily preventing them from excreting sweat. When the effect wears off, sweat production reverts to its original levels and the antiperspirant needs to be applied again.

This is an effective means of controlling odour, but also interferes withone of the body’s natural processes of waste removal. In most forms of natural therapy, the inhibition of any of the body’s methods of excretionis considered detrimental to health, as without efficient mechanisms for removing wastes, toxins may accumulate in the tissues.

Additionally, only aluminium-containing compounds (such as aluminium chloride, aluminium chlorohydrate and aluminium hydroxybromide) are known to have these effects on the sweat glands. Many people prefer not to use aluminium-based products until possible links between Alzheimer’s disease and aluminium exposure are clarified.

An alternative to using aluminium-containing antiperspirants is to use natural deodorants based on essential oils that prevent bacterial build-up while

supporting the body’s temperature controlling and detoxification mechanisms ie. they do not disrupt the body’s natural functions. Weleda deodorants purify and refresh – they never mask or block. Choose Weleda Citrus Deodorant for a fresh, invigorating fragrance with uplifting properties and Weleda Sage Deodorant for an earthy scent backed up by the antibacterial power of tea tree oil.

Article contributed by Weleda Australia

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