Posts Tagged ‘allergic reaction’

My armpits clearly were telling me something. Something I didn’t want to hear and ignored for a long time.

Last winter while talking with a group of  girlfriends, one of them started making monkey noises and scratching at her armpits. I looked at her in confusion and she said, “You are always scratching your pits!” I wasn’t offended. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it, I itch my pits so often. I appreciate and encourage others to be honest with me.

“Because they always itch!” I responded. She asked me why and I didn’t know. But – I had an idea.

I know that you can develop allergies to long-term use products. In late 2008, after removing make up from my eyes the same way I always did, with Vaseline, since I began using makeup, I had a nasty reaction that lasted 4 days. (Please note that I only wear make-up about 10 times a year. Too lazy!) Swollen, puffy, crusty, painful, bloodshot eyes. I couldn’t wear my contacts. I just had to deal. I bought all new make up, nice stuff from Clinique & MAC. Nope, didn’t work. Same reaction.  So I bought new make up again. Lancome. Prescriptives.  Same reaction. I bought several different types of make up removers, from hypo-allergenic to the more expensive department store brands. Nothing worked. So now I have to pick and choose my occasions wisely. To wear make-up and deal with the aftermath or not?

I knew that my itchy pits were most likely an allergic reaction of whatever was in the anti-perspirant/deodorant. I consulted my doctor this past fall, who agreed that it did indeed sound like an allergy, and he offered to refer me to an allergist. No thanks, what are they gonna do, put me on meds so I can wear Secret? Whatever.

Do you know how deo/antiperspirant works? Your sweat isn’t what smells, it’s bacteria that feeds on your sweat, in the perfect place for it to breed, the dark, moist and warm confines of your armpits, that create that musky aroma. Sexy!

Deo/anti-perspirants work by plugging up the sweat glands to reduce sweat, therefore reducing odor.  The main ingredient that does that is aluminum salts. There is so much controversy about aluminum salts.  You have researchers saying it’s an urban legend rampant on the web, and that there is no truth whatsoever in any claim that there could be  a link between an increase in breast cancer as well as an increase in Alzheimer’s disease.

But cancer researcher Philippa Darbre, PhD, of the University of Reading in England, doesn’t see it that way.  She believes  the evidence is mounting that the aluminum-based active ingredient in antiperspirants can mimic estrogen in the body.

“Lifetime exposure to estrogen is the risk factor which is tied most strongly to breast cancer,” Darbre tells WebMD. “If the aluminum salts in antiperspirants enter the body and mimic estrogen it stands to reason that constant exposure over many years may pose a risk.”

Doctors and researchers always have to say “may pose a risk” or “could possibly…” They cannot speak in absolutes until all research is done and considered conclusive. Until everyone agrees. And not everyone is going to agree, naturally. It isn’t in ‘everyone’s’ best financial interest to agree.  I’m not talking conspiracy theory here, people.  But let’s be honest. We know how Big Pharma works.

I would love to see a study done on women who have never worn deo/antiperspirant in their lives (they exist, right?) and women who have. See the differences.

So I stopped wearing deo/antiperspirant cold turkey in early September. It was a big decision, now I had to figure out what I was going to do, so that I did not offend.

Within 2 days my armpits stopped itching, what a relief that was! I didn’t even realize how awful my pits had felt until I realized how good my pits felts not using anything! Whew!

But right away you notice other differences. I’ve been using deo/anti-perspiant since I was 14. So I wasn’t used to the feeling of wetness there. I am not an overly sweaty girl, but I do run, work hard in my yard – you get the picture. It isn’t feminine or pretty to have that sweaty half-moon out there for all to see.

And then there was the smell. I am not an overly smelly chick (in my own opinion) but I do run and work in the yard and blah blah blah, you get the point. A sweaty odoriferous half-moon is truly unattractive, and I am an expressive woman that waves her arms around to get my point across.  Waving my stink in all directions. I could certainly smell myself. My 8 year old daughter went to give me a hug that landed her squarely in Pittsville.  “Phoo! What’s that smell mommy?”

*Sigh* That would be me.

Please join me for my next post, where I discuss the good, the bad, and the smelly adventures of finding a greener solution to my armpit issue. Sounds big!