ARMING THE UNDERARM

If you were to inspect the contents of medicine cabinets in your town, you would most likely find deodorants or antiperspirants in all of them. These products usually contain numerous ingredients that can cause itching, skin rashes, and other reactions. The bumpy, itchy rash that may appear in the underarm area is usually due to the product’s fragrance, but the added parabens and lanolin may be culprits as well. Patch testing, performed using the offending product, can confirm if that is the cause of the reaction. Topical medication may be prescribed for the underarm skin. If the case is severe, oral or injected medication may be recommended. Going forward, a hypoallergenic deodorant or antiperspirant may be introduced.

 

P.S.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified deodorants as cosmetic agents and antiperspirants as drugs.

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