Mass vs. weight. Soda vs. pop. Antiperspirant vs. deodorant. It’s all the identical thing, right? Not quite. While we won’t get into the soda or pop debate, we are able to shed a bit light on the antiperspirant vs. deodorant debacle. (Actually, real quick: Mass is a measurement of matter, weight is gravitational force.)

Back to your armpits. There may be a difference between antiperspirant and deodorant, but in the event you’ve ever gotten lost within the drug store aisles, it is probably not immediately clear. Simply put: one covers up body odor and the opposite stops sweating and body odor.

You might think the selection is clear (higher to kill more birds with one stone, right?) but there’s a bit more nuance than that. Not all armpits are created equal. That’s why we asked dermatologists to interrupt down the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant, the professionals and cons of every, and which you must reach for when things get steamy.

• Jeannette GrafMD, is a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Latest York City.
• Anar Mikailov, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founding father of Ski intensive.
• Corey L. HartmanMD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder and medical director of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama.
• Sheila FarhangMD, is a board certified dermatologist and founding father of Avant Dermatology in Tucson and Beverly Hills.

• What’s antiperspirant?
• What are the advantages of using antiperspirant?
• Are there any risks to antiperspirants?
• What to search for in an antiperspirant
• What’s deodorant?
• What are the advantages of deodorant?
• Are there any risks to deodorant?
• What to search for in a deodorant
• Key differences
• Should I get each deodorant and antiperspirant?

Because the name suggests, antiperspirants block that sweat due to a trusty lively ingredient called aluminum. (Yep, it’s the identical stuff your kitchen foil and soda cans are fabricated from.) “Aluminum helps block the ducts that cause sweat, which helps reduce wetness under the arms,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Corey Hartman. “It could actually also help reduce bacteria found on the skin that results in underarm odor.”

Your armpits are home to eccrine glands, which activate and secrete sweat if you’re nervous (cortical sweating), eating spicy food (medullary sweating), or are overheated (hypothalamic sweating). Generally, sweating is your body’s way of regulating your temperature, so while it will probably be annoying, it is a obligatory a part of life.

Antiperspirant pulls double-duty on sweat glands, making it a well-liked selection in the event you’re liable to heavy sweating or live in an excellent hot climate. Essentially, it comes right down to this.