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To Shave or Not to Shave Is Not the Question
A couple of myths have been making the rounds in hyperhidrosis circles lately related to underarm (or axillary) hair. Eradicate it, say the whisperers, and armpit odor will disappear. Shave under your arms, say others, and Botox will be more effective in treating hyperhidrosis.
In fact, according to several dermatologists, neither statement is true.
The Botox and underarm hair connection "is one of the wives' tales that's out there," says Dr. David J. Goldberg, a dermatologist who has treated hundreds of excess sweating patients, including celebrities, in his Manhattan, New Jersey and Florida offices. "People ask about it all the time, when, in fact, whether people shave or not makes no difference at all to me."
Dr. David Pariser, who is president of the International Hyperhidrosis Society (IHHS) and 2008 president-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology, says he prefers patients not shave three to four days pre-Botox. "Even more (time without shaving) is better because then I can clearly see the hair-bearing area of the axilla which is usually where most of the sweat glands are," says Pariser, who is a professor of dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.
As for the effects of underarm hair on odor, rumor suggests that hair acts as a trap for bacteria that mixes with sweat to cause body odor. Yet, says practicing dermatologist and founding IHHS board member, Dr. Nowell Solish, bacteria doesn't disappear just because there's no hair.
"The hair on the area has little impact on sweating from the gland under the skin," says Dr. Solish, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Toronto. "Odor itself is related to wetness. Odor that people get from sweating in the underarms is more related to pheromones and hormones excreted. I've never seen a study that showed that shaved underarms smelled better. If someone had odor in the underarms, the first treatment would be controlling the sweating, then we'd look at at diet, hygiene, using antibacterial soaps, and deodorant."
Instead of hair being bad, there is some thinking that underarm hair might actually help sweat evaporate, although this hypothesis hasn't been substantiated either. The only thing we know for sure about underarm hair is that it begins growing around puberty and is considered a secondary sexual characteristic. People who study the human body and its evolution believe armpit hair has no modern physiological purpose, but that it originally developed as a means of reducing friction between the upper arm and the body during intense physical activity.
What does this all mean for hyperhidrosis sufferers? Not much, says Goldberg (who got up close and personal with underarm hair as he was writing his 2000 book called Laser Hair Removal, published by Informa Healthcare), "whether somebody shaves or not has nothing to do with it."
To shave or not to shave remains a personal decision and you can rest easy that whichever side of the razor you find yourself on, your body odor (or lack thereof) won't be significantly affected, just remember to ask your dermatologist his or her preference in terms of when and if you shave before Botox treatment.
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Find a doctor who treats excessive sweating. |
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