The cause of your sweaty armpits could be lurking in your bathroom cupboard.
As the UK basks in some much-needed sunshine, many are quickly recalling the less enjoyable aspect of warmer weather: excessive sweating. This not only leads to unpleasant body odour but also necessitates frequent showers, doubling our usual hygiene efforts.
But what if your daily grooming routine is actually exacerbating your perspiration problem?
A dermatologist has revealed that a common product we use as part of our morning ritual is ironically contributing to our stench despite its promises to do the opposite.
Dr Adel, a skin expert who shares advice on TikTok under the handle @aamnaadel, suggests that to tackle sweaty and smelly underarms, you should start by binning your deodorant.
She elaborated: “Your deodorant needs to go in the bin. Okay, I said it. Deodorants do absolutely nothing to stop you from sweating. They are literally just fragrance which covers up the smell of your sweat. Honestly, the thought of sweat mixing with fragrance is just so gross to me.”
Instead, Dr Adel advises switching to an antiperspirant, which actively works to reduce sweating. Moreover, she highlights the optimal time of day for its application.
She emphasised: “The key here is that you need to put your antiperspirant on at night. I know it seems weird and it feels weird, but honestly trust me when I tell you that is what’s going to make your antiperspirant work the best.
“When you’re asleep, your little sweat glands are also sleeping, so they are going to absorb the antiperspirant so much better and be way more effective.”
In another part of her video, Dr Adel suggested for those battling with underarm odour to use a product named PanOxyl for cleansing their armpits. In the UK, a similar product called Acnecide, which has the same active ingredients, is available in shops like Boots.
“It doesn’t matter what percentage you use,” she said, “You can use 10%, you can use 4%. You’re going to lather that up and you’re going to wash your pits with it, but leave it on for two minutes so that it has the chance to work.
“Not only is that going to help kill the bacteria which make your sweat smell, but it can also help to reduce the number of ingrown hairs. So it’s a two-in-one job.”
However, the dermatologist did caution in the comments that PanOxyl may bleach towels, hence she advised “using a separate towel” for those considering giving the product a go.
