What Makes Underarm Sweat Different?
We all sweat in different parts of our body since it is a natural process that helps us cool down and protect our bodies from overheating. However, puzzling is how our armpit sweat differs from the sweat in other parts of our body. Sweaty armpits feel cold, clammy, and uncomfortable, especially when it shows through your shirt. Underarm sweat causes embarrassment since many people see 'baskil’ as unhygienic.
Why is underarm sweat different?
Our body has two to five million sweat glands, and the majority of these are called eccrine sweat glands. These are usually found in the soles of our feet, forehead, cheeks, palms, and the armpits. However, there are only approximately 25,000 of these glands in our underarms, a meager 1% of the total number of eccrine glands found in the body. The sweat from these glands is an odorless, clear fluid designed to help the body regulate its temperature by heat loss through evaporation.
The other type of sweat gland is called the apocrine gland, with the highest concentration found in the armpit region. These glands produce a thick liquid composed of lipids, amino acids, and proteins that bacteria in the underarms love to eat then produce what we smell as ‘body odor’ or ‘anghit’.
It isn’t just warm environments that make us sweat, but also several stimuli, including physical activity or exercise, emotions like anxiety or fear, hormones, and—yes—eating!
Some may even experience excessive armpit sweating, or hyperhidrosis, which occurs when someone sweats without the triggers of heat or physical activity. This is thought to occur as a result of overactive sweat glands, but the exact cause is unknown. Think of it as having these glands in a constantly ‘on’ position, causing extremely sweaty armpits.
Fortunately, you can manage underarm sweating by following a simple underarm sweat treatment. Read on to find out.
- Limit your intake of spicy, fatty, and salty food
Ingestion of food in general can increase your body’s metabolism, leading to an elevated body temperature and thermal sweating. When combined with spicy food that contains capsaicin, which stimulates your warmth sensors, you tend to sweat more.
- Hydration is important
The most straightforward and inexpensive underarm sweet prevention is hydration. The International Hyperhidrosis Society recommends staying hydrated by drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day or going beyond it if possible. Having more than enough water in your body cools down your temperature, reduces sweating, and keeps the internal air conditioning system working properly. It would also help to stay away from drinking coffee as these can elevate your heart rate temporarily, causing you to sweat.
- Wear breathable clothing
What can be more comfortable than wearing breathable clothing? It is especially true during the hot season when you are prone to sweat more than usual. Choose clothes that are not too tight and are made of cotton and linen. Specifically, wool and cotton are natural fibers that allow better thermoregulation, improving microclimate conditions at the surface of the skin when you are thermally stressed. As a result, you experience late onset of sweating and lower skin and core temperatures.
- Use a good antiperspirant
Antiperspirants are different from deodorants because the former forms a gel at the top of the sweat gland to prevent sweat passage, while the latter only covers the smell of bad odor, which we term ‘asimpawis’. The gel formed by antiperspirants can be washed away when you take a shower.
An antiperspirant is what you need for your sweaty armpits not only to keep you dry but also to make you feel more confident.
Rexona anti-perspirants protect you from sweating through its effective formula designed to work every time you move so you feel fresh and dry all day long. Rexona also has the extra protection of Motionsense which are unique fragrance microcapsules that reacts directly to movement and release a burst of fragrance so that you can do more while staying fresh all day.
Shower freshness partnered with your Rexona anti-perspirants will give you 48hr sweat and odor protection and effective protection from odour causing bacteria.