Does it merely clog up the sweat pores in your armpits?
(Emphasis added by me. See link for full text)
…Because most body odor is caused by the action of bacteria on the skin (perspiration is nearly odorless), many deodorants contain antiseptics that destroy bacteria; the antiseptic hexachlorophene is no longer used in deodorants because it has been shown to cause brain damage. An antiperspirant component of deodorant preparations, usually an aluminum salt, blocks the pores through which perspiration is secreted.
*Source: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0815189.html *
That was easy. Thanks.
It doesn’t seem like it would be a good idea to clog up sweat pores. Does it?
(Emphasis added by me…see link for full text)
Antiperspirants are astringents that chemically pucker up the opening to the sebaceous glands in the arm pit. It does not stop the secretion of the sebum so it builds up in the gland until the antiperspirant is gone for at least a few hours. If it is not allowed to EVER get out of the gland, it is likely to cause a cyst full of sebum and that frequently gets infected. Eventually, this can permanently damage the duct and then the only solution to the painful lumps is surgical removal. Once the condition is to this stage, it is too late to resolve it by stopping the antiperspirant.
*Source: http://bcn.net/~stoll/archives/antiper.html *
I also learned some other interesting things about body odor.
Kids don’t have it. BO starts at puberty.
BO is not caused by sweat (which is mostly odorless) but by bacteria that eat sweat. BO is bacteria poop.
Deodorants work by killing bacteria that cause BO. The perfume in deodorant is just a bonus (and extends the life of the deodorant by masking smell for a bit after the bacteria start growing again).