Via practica 4/2016

Health aspects of antiperspirants

Antiperspirants as a common part of axillary hygiene significantly reduce sweat secretion by the apocrine glands, thus affecting body odour. In man, perspiration has major importance in terms of thermoregulation. The history of using axillary hygiene goes back a long time; however, the development of true antiperspirants, whose main active ingredients are aluminium or zirconium compounds, started in the early 20th century. In addition to the positive effect of reducing undesirable sweating and the associated risk of body malodour, antiperspirants can also affect human health in a negative way. An indirect negative effect is the effect of freons, contained in antiperspirants, on reducing the amount of ozone in the atmosphere. A larger amount of harmful UV radiation thus falls on the Earth's surface with all the well-known effects on the skin, the most serious of which is the development of skin cancer. Moreover, substances in antiperspirants can negatively affect human health directly. The potential effect of the substances absorbed on various organs is discussed; adverse skin reactions, particularly irritant dermatitis, contact allergic eczema, granuloma formation, or aerosol burns, have been well documented. A possible link of antiperspirants to breast cancer is the most important issue. A meta-analysis of papers published in the years 1950 to 2012 has shown that only two of these studies include a control group of women and a risk estimate. Neither of these studies showed an effect of antiperspirant use on the development of breast cancer; however, further studies are required concerning this issue.

Keywords: antiperspirant, deodorant, perspiration, aluminium, parabens, breast cancer