Sweat is what your body produces to help control your internal body temperature. As your body temperature rises, sweat glands in your skin move moisture to the surface of the skin, where heat is released through evaporation. Unfortunately, your body can sweat to a point where it becomes noticeable, especially in the armpits. To deal with this problem, antiperspirants are often one of the first choices for treatment. With recent concerns about the aluminum content of antiperspirants, however, many people are looking for alternative ways to control sweat.
Natural Deodarants
Alternatives to antiperspirants have become common on the market since a 1998 study in Molecular Medicine Today and a 2007 study in the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry on the potential dangers of aluminum in relation to Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer, For example, natural deodorants that are aluminum-free can be found in most health supply stores, and even many general supermarket chains. Although these products may not control sweat as well as an antiperspirant, they still help reduce the body odor associated with sweat production.
Iontophoresis
Iontophoresis is more commonly used on the hands and feet but can also be used to treat sweating in the armpits. Iontophoresis involves placing battery-powered devices hooked to wool pads under the armpits. The devices deliver an electrical current that alters the structure of the epidermis, reducing the amount of sweat that is able to reach the surface of the treated skin. Regular treatments are necessary, as the results of the procedure are only temporary, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Oral Prescriptions
Your doctor can recommend oral prescriptions as an alternative to antiperspirants. For example, topiramate, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, the anti-hypertensive medication Clonidine, and the anti-cholinergic glycopyrrolate have all been used off-label to reduce the output of sweat from the sweat glands.
Botox
Botox can also be used as an alternative to antiperspirant. Botox is a potent neurotoxin derived from botulinum toxin. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004, Botox can be injected into the skin around the sweat glands. Once injected the toxin interferes with the abilities of chemical neurotransmitters, known as acetylcholine, to active the sweat glands.
Surgery
For a permanent alternative to antiperspirants, surgical removal of the sweat glands may be an option. This is typically reserved for only the most severe cases of hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating. During this procedure small incisions are made into the skin, allowing the surgeon to remove sweat glands from the armpits. Without sweat glands, the skin in the treatment area will no longer sweat, but compensatory sweating may occur on other areas of the body, according to the International Hyperhidrosis Society.
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