American Fitness Professionals & Associates

By Jack Brooks

Today, the most comforting slang phrase we hear is, “No sweat!” These two words describe a complex physical and psychological process around which a multi-million dollar industry has grown and is also pivotal to an effective skincare program. Perspiration, as sweating is formally known, has come to be associated with stress, effort, heat, anger, fear, passion, disease, anxiety, relief, and, in Thomas Edison’s oft-repeated quote, “Genius, is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,” even achievement. There are a variety of bodily functions that have become indelibly associated with our civilization; perspiring certainly ranks among the foremost of them. While it seems as if we are just reacting to a particular emotion or environmental condition, the stimulus/response mechanism and associated organs involved are following a path laid down long ago by evolution. Demystifying what fashion society thinks of as merely a problem will give an important perspective on the role of sweating and its relevance in your overall skincare regimen.

Staying Cool, Calm, and Collected

The basic biological purpose of perspiring is to cool the body when the temperature is elevated; the rub is that our “fevered” brain, when reacting to elevated emotional stress, triggers the “perspiration engine” in the same fashion and sets off some or all of the approximately 2.6 million sweat glands that share space with hair follicles and nerve endings in the dermis level of our skin. Composed of cells in a coiled base feeding a long hollow tube that opens to the surface of our skin, these sweat glands are triggered by the sympathetic nervous system and surprisingly, deal with perspiration even when it isn’t appearing on our skin! There are two types of perspiration with differing properties:

• In the “resting” state of even temperature and no neural stimulation, cells in the straight duct can reabsorb most of the sodium, chlorine and some of the potassium in the primary secretion of the gland because there’s enough time for this reabsorption. The water carrier is absorbed by osmosis and recycled in the bloodstream.
• During exercise, outside heat, or emotional stress, the liquid output increases and there’s no time for very much reabsorption. The sweat rises to the surface and this liquid, while lower in sodium and chlorine, has a higher potassium content.
• The “other” sweat gland, which is located the armpits and lower personal regions, secrets a liquid that also contains fat and proteins. This gives it the color that causes armpit stains and “ring around the collar” on clothing. This perspiration, while having no odor of its own, is affected by bacteria which produces the disagreeable aroma that we spend so much on products to ameliorate.

The Skin Effect

We use an antiperspirant product so we won’t offend people when the “other” perspiration becomes odiferous, as is noted above. The product’s aluminum-based active ingredient chemically causes the sweat gland cells to swell, temporarily sealing off the transporting of perspiration to the skin. While this is the basic principle in its action, there are some important considerations for our skin’s health in choosing and using antiperspirants. Here’s some factors to be aware of:

• What degree of perspiration control works for you? There are deodorant-type products that have fragrance ingredients rather than more aggressive chemicals-if you are in an environment where you won’t perspire heavily, perhaps this more passive method may be satisfactory and prove better for your skin.
• Per the FDA’s testing standards, the more powerful antiperspirants touting “extra strength” or “maximum strength,” have shown at best a 30 percent sweat reduction rate in most people. So don’t expect 100% elimination of perspiration from anything.
• Keep a careful watch on the effect of any antiperspirant on the area of application. You may have to try more benign antiperspirants, such as natural deodorant products using flower essences.
• There are antiperspirant products that are a natural mineral rock containing aluminum sulfate and others that buffer the aluminum in conjunction with skin-soothing ingredients. Remember, the blocking of perspiration must be done with moderation; perspiring is a natural means of our bodies regulating internal temperature.

If all else fails, consult a reputable dermatologist for a prescription antiperspirant that can be safely tailored to your unique requirements. No amount of accommodating social mores is worth damaging your skin! — www.skinhealthpro.com