Armpit sweating is hardly one of the most favored bodily functions. Excessive armpit sweating can be unsightly and downright smelly. Even with ample antiperspirant and deodorant, armpit sweat can be foul. In the worst case, problems with armpit sweating can lead to insecurity, alienation, and loss of self-esteem. Underarm sweating problem can even lead to a loss of productivity at work and a failure to find a significant other. All that said it is important for people to find a remedy to prevent underarm sweating. In fact, both those suffering from excessive armpit sweating and those who have a normal degree of underarm sweating require a dependable solution.

The first step to controlling excessive armpit sweating is using a good antiperspirant. Unfortunately, antiperspirants don’t work equally for all cases of underarm sweating. The active ingredient in the typical antiperspirant is an aluminum-based compound. You’ll find four or so different types of compounds—such as aluminum chloride or aluminum chlorohydrate—so if one antiperspirant doesn’t work, this does not necessarily mean that every antiperspirant will not work for your underarm sweating case. Armpit sweating may be controlled by one brand or type and not another, so it is important to test the market.

Most aluminum compound antiperspirants attack armpit sweating in the same way. The body absorbs the aluminum ions in antiperspirant into the cells of the armpit sweat gland. As the body begins to perspire, the cells swell up, closing off the “doorway” to the cells so the armpit sweat can’t escape. Contrary to popular belief, antiperspirants do not control how much you sweat, just how much is released while underarm sweating. So if you have a particular bad problem with excessive armpit sweating, the cells can fill up very quickly.

This is why if you put on antiperspirant and play sports, you will still get sweaty armpit. Antiperspirant is normally used to control armpit sweating during more low-impact times, when the sweat glands won’t be going overboard. Unfortunately, for some heavy sweaters even antiperspirant is not enough. People with excessive armpit sweating may try antiperspirants with very high aluminum potency—as high as 25%--and even this proves to be ineffective.

If this is the case, surgery may have to be performed to prevent excessive armpit sweating. Cutting the Kuntz nerves under the arms can have a more widespread effect than the most potent antiperspirant. The process is similar. Instead of stopping armpit sweating entirely, surgery will stop the sweat from being released via perspiration. If you have exhausted the pharmacy antiperspirant aisle, surgery is a popular alternative for underarm sweating.