A deodorant rash is a red, often itchy swelling of the skin that occurs at the deodorant application site. The vast majority of deodorant rashes are caused by skin sensitivity and allergic reactions. Friction and medical conditions like blocked sweat ducts can also contribute to deodorant rashes. People who suffer from frequent or recurring armpit rashes often switch to all natural or hypoallergenic products, although rashes that don't go away with time or new products generally need to be treated by a doctor.
Deodorants are products designed to mask the odor of body odor emanating from the armpits. They are often combined with antiperspirants, which actually stop the flow of sweat in the first place. Both deodorants and antiperspirants contain various chemical compounds. They often contain fragrances, too. Perfumes and chemical additives are the main culprits of a deodorant rash, particularly in people with sensitive skin.
Almost all deodorant products on the market have undergone intensive testing to ensure that they are safe for contact with human skin. However, these tests generally only consider normal, healthy individuals. Sensitive skin and dry skin are not always taken into account.
People with sensitive skin often find that they react negatively to one or more of the ingredients in their deodorant. More often than not, this sensitivity manifests as a skin rash. Switching to a product specially made for sensitive skin often clears up the problem.
Allergies can also be at the root of a deodorant reaction. With allergies, the skin reacts not because it is irritated, but because its histamine triggers have been activated by some ingredient or additive in the deodorant. Histamines are part of the body's immune response to foreign substances. People with allergies suffer from histamine triggers when exposed to one or more generally harmless substances.
Treating an allergy-induced deodorant rash is very similar to treating skin sensitivity. Most of the time, finding a new deodorant, one that does not contain the allergen, is the best option. Hypoallergenic deodorants will generally do the trick, although the only sure way for a person to discover the cause of allergies is to visit an allergy specialist.
A deodorant rash can also be caused by application to broken skin. This most commonly occurs when people apply deodorant immediately after shaving their armpits, particularly if the shaving somehow cut into the skin. In this case, the rash is caused because the ingredients of the deodorant have penetrated the body, causing irritation. These breakouts can usually be cleared up with a topical itch or rash treatment cream, and the sufferer generally does not need to switch deodorants.
In rarer cases, a deodorant rash can be attributed to excess sweating, which can cause friction, or insufficient sweating, which can cause a heat rash. Both are sweat gland problems that are biologically based. Deodorant application exacerbates the rash but is not usually the actual cause of it.