Don’t Be Afraid of Your Deodorant

Most sweat preventers (antiperspirants) contain aluminum. Two-in-one products (both deodorant and antiperspirant) also contain aluminum. Sweat preventers help you sweat less by blocking pores. Antiperspirants contain many ingredients, including aluminum salts. Aluminum salts dissolve on the skin and melt in the pores. This blocks your pores, and some of your sweat cannot be released. Research was conducted on whether aluminum from antiperspirants would accumulate in our bodies. It was concluded that we are probably more likely to take in aluminum from other sources, such as medications. However, no clear evidence was found directly linking aluminum in deodorant to cancers or other health conditions. Still, some of this research has led experts to say that using antiperspirants is not a good idea for everyone, especially people with severe kidney disease. If you have a kidney condition, always check the ingredients in your products before purchasing or using them. Advocates of aluminum-free products claim that aluminum prevents you from eliminating toxins that could potentially cause cancer. However, these toxins are not eliminated from the body solely through the axillary (armpit) lymph nodes. Other areas of the skin, the kidneys, and the liver help eliminate these toxins from the body, and they are also eliminated through urine and stool.