A Message From Sweat- "Stop The Rumors"

Hi, it’s your friend Sweat here. I know, I know…I don’t have the best reputation out there and some of you may even consider me your enemy.

I’ve been the subject of an abundance of negative (and I would say unfair) press out there. You’ve probably seen commercials depicting me as the “bad guy” and I've been represented as something to be feared, avoided, and cured. The common advice is to cover me up… plug your pores and keep me locked in. Yeah, I’ve been given a pretty bad image for quite some time. Well I’m here to stand my ground and change your mind. Not only for myself, but for your health. So, sit back, relax, and revisit those mixed emotions about me... I’m nothin’ but good.

When you think of me, the first thing that probably comes to mind is “odor”. Well did you know, I actually am not even the cause of odor?

Yes, it’s true. I Sweat, do NOT stink, I am odorless. I’ve just gotten a bad rap because of my arch-nemesis, Bacteria. When he comes at me, our mojo doesn’t mix and we create a pretty foul smell together. To explain myself, let’s get a little more technical..

Your body consists of an average of 3 million sweat glands.

There are two different types: eccrine and apocrine. Each play an important role and function to the health & wellness of your body. The eccrine sweat glands are active over most of the human body and in charge of regulating body temperature. When your internal temperature accelerates, your friendly eccrine glands secrete water to the surface of the skin, thus helping us remove heat by evaporation. This process produces a lightweight, odorless sweat. These glands are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system and are your primary thermoregulatory instruments.

Next, let’s talk about underarms and hair follicles; this particular area is surrounded by apocrine glands. These glands release a fatty secretion to the outer layer of the skin, where local bacteria are broken down into “odorous” fatty acids at the epidermis. That nasty smell that I’m blamed for actually comes from apocrine sweat broken down and mixed with, you guessed it.. Bacteria. Scientists may not admit this, but they don’t really know that much about the full purpose of the apocrine glands yet. These glands have a lot of important functions that could have an impact on breast and hormone health as well as pheremone expression. Yep, I’m talking about those little numbers that make you all attracted to each other. Apocrine glands are that majority of what you’re plugging when you slather aluminum and other toxic things under your arms. Just picture that for a minute… if those glands are harmlessly trying to fulfill their role in keeping you healthy, and you not only brutally shut them out day after day, but you do it with toxic substances... what will they look like after years of such abuse??

What I’m saying here is that I am a necessary part of your physical makeup that helps regulate body temperature and releases toxins. The only thing you should fear about me is what can happen if you interfere with my work. If you don’t let me do my job you could be causing a domino effect on your health that you may not even discover until a much later doctor visit. If you’re smart, you’ll make the choice to embrace me rather than avoid me. Keep your pores clear and let me do my thing.

Before I go, I want to give a shout out to my partner in health, Lone Deodorant.

This October, Lone is focusing on breast cancer awareness in a different way. They’re not only already giving you a deodorant that completely eliminates the odor (I’m not really responsible for), but they’re also raising awareness to the possible negative impact using pore-clogging-sweat-stopping antiperspirants could have on breast health. They want more research to get rid of the myth that I need to be shut out with nasty chemicals, and I fully support them in that. So, if you want to be good to me and your body without having to put up with any odor, Lone deodorant is where it’s at. Take it from me, I’ve been up close and personal with it for longer than anyone.

Words by: Alexis Gonzales 

Photo by: Henri Meilhac via Unsplash