Why Do My Armpits Sweat So Much Even with Deodorant?

Do you wear deodorant on a daily, but have you noticed your armpits still smell even after using it? Not only can it cause a stain on your clothing, but also gives off a formidable odor, which might not be the greatest thing if you’re out in public.

Why do my armpits sweat so much even with deodorant? The answer can vary; it can be because the deodorant you’re wearing is not sweat-proof, because of your genetics, hormones, a medical condition, hot weather, or an increase in physical activity that produces more sweat than the deodorant can cover up.

Stay with us to find out the cause behind your armpits sweating profusely even after the use of deodorant, and what you can do to keep it under control and prevent the excessive amount of sweat accumulation.

How do Armpits Produce Sweat

Armpits, like the rest of your body, produce sweat. This may be due to a handful of routine reasons, such as a change in weather, standing under the sun for too long, doing a lot of physical activity, and the sorts. It may also be due to seemingly unusual reasons as well, like eating too many spicy foods, the emotional stress caused by exams or assignments, and fevers. 

As humans, we know sweating to be a natural part of life, yet not many know just how the body produces sweat and the purpose of sweating. Sweat is a bodily function and is produced by the dermis glands. Your hypothalamus, an important area of your brain tells your sweat glands to start producing sweat whenever your internal body temperature rises.

Although these glands are present all over our body, their most apparent presence is at the places our body sweats the most; the palms, forehead, and armpits (or yes, even your private parts). If you’re curious about what exactly is sweat, it is made up of the following naturally occurring components:

• Water
• Ammonia
• Urea
• Uric acid
• Electrolytes
• Fatty acids
• Lactic acids

These components altogether help our body in a lot of ways, for example, they help maintain the temperature of our body by cooling down our skin as the water in sweat evaporates. It also helps rehydrate the skin and gets rid of all the impurities in your pores, thus helping detox your body.

Another fact you might not know is that sweat helps your palms grip things better, and can help your performance in exercises like pull-ups or weight lifting.

Why Do My Armpits Sweat so Much Even After Deodorant?

Although sweat is a naturally occurring bodily function, it might be alarming if your body starts sweating profusely. If you’re a religious deodorant user, you might also be wondering why your armpits keep sweating even after deodorant use, if the deodorant is even working in the first place, or if there’s something wrong with your body.

Here are 10 perfectly logical reasons as to why you feel that your body might be sweating more than normal:

1. Wearing deodorant that’s not an antiperspirant – a simple reason would be that your deodorant is not an antiperspirant – it does not block or prevent sweating, rather, it just masks it with a better scent.
2. Seasonal changes and hot temperatures – if the weather gets too hot, your body temperature naturally increases, inducing more sweat than normal.
3. Increase in physical activity – if you’ve been doing more yoga than normal, or have been working out more days, you might’ve noticed an increase in the release of bodily toxins in the form of sweat.
4. Emotional stress/fear/anxiety – your apocrine glands (located near armpit hair follicles) release more sweat when your body is under stressful or anxiety-inducing conditions. 
5. Hormones or genetics – some people are genetically more prone to sweating more because of an inherited trait. While others may be sweating more because of a spike in hormones, such as in pregnancies, puberty, menstruation, or menopause.
6. Eating sweat-inducing foods – despite common beliefs, there actually are foods that cause increased sweating, such as; foods with low fiber (making your body work overtime to digest it), salty foods (increases urea content in sweat), fatty or spicy foods (raises your internal temperature).
7. A spike in adrenaline – due to drinking coffee or alcohol, your body comes into a state of hyper-focused adrenaline, which stimulates your sweat glands into producing more sweat.
8. Fevers – fevers spike your body temperature; thus your body starts producing more sweat to cool your external temperature.
9. Medical conditions and reasons – hyperhidrosis disorder can cause patients to sweat profusely without any known causes. Other medical conditions causing excessive sweating are diabetes, heart conditions, thyroid, and cancer. Any medication you may have been taking recently may also have sweating listed as a side effect.
10. Wearing clothing that doesn’t absorb sweat – if you’ve been wearing clothes made of moisture-repelling fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and rayon, you may have noticed more sweat accumulation under your armpits.

Side Effects of Excessive Armpit Sweating

As you may have guessed already, profuse sweating causes some side effects as well, both biological and sociological. For example, people who sweat more are more prone to skin infections and have more acne on their faces or backs. Socially, sweating more can make you very self-conscious in public, making you check under your arms for sweat stains, or wipe your hands, again and again, to get rid of the sweat. 

What Can I Do to Keep Sweat Under Control?

Now that you know the underlying reasons for excessive sweating, it’s about time you find out how to manage your body sweat and prevent it from getting you into embarrassing social situations. Here are 5 ways you can use to start keeping your armpit and body sweat under control:

• Use antiperspirants – did you know that deodorants specialize in not only killing the odor underneath your arms but also blocking your sweat glands? Indeed, these antiperspirant deodorants not only kill the bacteria under your arms, but the aluminum chloride present within also actively blocks your sweat glands, resulting in less socially awkward situations, and more comfort.
• Seek medical consultancy – if the above method does not work, we also recommend seeking medical attention for a better diagnosis of what exactly is causing the profuse sweating you have to go through on a daily basis. A doctor or dermatologist can better help you diagnose the reason, and give you solutions for dealing with the problem.
• Get rid of body hair – body hair holds a lot of moisture, so one way you could reduce the accumulation of sweat under your arms is to shave your armpit hair.
• Avoid sweat-producing foods and drinks – as aforementioned, foods with less fiber and more salt or fat content make you sweat more. Similarly, alcohol and caffeine induce more sweat production. In accordance with that, eliminate these products from your diet altogether. It won’t be easy, but it will certainly help you lead a better and healthier lifestyle.
• Increase water intake – since sweating is mainly caused by a rise in body temperature, it’s important to remain hydrated to cool down that body temperature. Fruits or foods with a high water or fiber content can also help calm down your sweat glands and regulate your body temperature, some of which include: dairy products, cheese, sweet potatoes, almonds, oats, olive oil, watermelons, grapes, celery, and broccoli. 

Final Thoughts

Armpit sweat can no doubt be an inconvenience to handle, especially if you’re in a public setting and cannot immediately rectify the situation. It’s even more convenient if you’re sweating more than normal.

We hope this article helps you identify why your body is sweating so profusely and helps you understand how to prevent, reduce, and manage body sweat so you not only maintain your bodily hygiene but also thrive in your social life. 

FAQs

Why Do I Sweat so Much Under my Arms Even With Deodorant?

One main reason for this is that your deodorant is not an antiperspirant, which means that your deodorant only masks the scent of sweat-produced bacteria, it does not block sweating. You could also be eating a lot of sweat-inducing foods. Another reason for excessive sweating could be hyperhidrosis disorder, thyroid, diabetes, heart disease, or side effects of recently taken medication.

How Do I Stop Excessive Armpit Sweat?

To stop excessive armpit sweat, not only must you shower regularly, but you should also use antiperspirant deodorant to block your sweat glands, cut out any medication that causes more sweating as a side effect, increase your fluid intake, avoid foods and drinks that cause excessive sweating, and get rid of armpit hair. 

What Deodorant Should I Use If I Sweat a Lot?

It would be best if you used antiperspirant deodorant that not only kills odor-producing bacteria present under your arms but also blocks your sweat glands so that they can’t produce a lot of sweat. If you sweat more than average, look for an antiperspirant deodorant that has a high quantity (more than 10 percent) of aluminum chloride present in it.

Why Do My Armpits Keep Sweating When I’m Not Hot?

This could be because of emotional stress or anxiety, also known as nervous system irregularities, and also if you face fearsome circumstances. A major reason for armpits sweating even when you’re not hot could be because of hyperhidrosis disorder, which can be caused by thyroid, diabetes, heart diseases, and spinal injuries.

References

• https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-sweating-armpits#treatment-options
• https://www.sweatblock.com/why-do-my-armpits-sweat-so-much/#:~:text=Contrary%20to%20popular%20belief%2C%20deodorant,designed%20to%20stop%20the%20sweat.
• https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/sweat
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperhidrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20367152