You’ve had enough of the wetness, and you are wondering what’s the best antiperspirant for excessive sweating? Is it something you can purchase over-the-counter, or do you need a prescription? And will it stop the odor as well? Let’s take a look.

Antiperspirant Versus Deodorant

Although a lot of antiperspirants also have a deodorant included, they serve two different (albeit complimentary) functions. And those functions are to stop (or at least reduce) wetness and then to prevent odor.

Abnormal sweating (also called hyperhidrosis) under the arms causes wetness, and that moisture allows bacteria to grow and multiply. It’s the bacteria that cause the odor, so logically, you’d want to limit the wetness to help contain the associated smell.

A deodorant is the formulation that helps to prevent odor, even when wetness is present. By itself, however, it doesn’t prevent sweat from forming, so it’s used in combination with an antiperspirant.

And here is an interesting piece of trivia - a deodorant is classified as a cosmetic, while an antiperspirant is classified as a drug, according to the FDA. The ideal antiperspirant for abnormal sweating will usually also have a deodorant in the formula.

OTC and Prescription Antiperspirant

You can purchase an antiperspirant/deodorant in any drugstore or grocery store, but there are so many brands! There are spray-ons, rub-ons; there are gels, lotions and creams. Is there one that can be called the best antiperspirant for excessive sweating?

The ideal antiperspirant for excessive sweating will have aluminum salts present, often as aluminum chlorhydrate, aluminum chloride or aluminum zirconium. For those people who can’t tolerate (or want to stay away from) aluminum, there are forms of potassium that can help with the wetness and odor.

In general, solids, creams or gels are the ideal antiperspirant for excessive sweating formulations. They tend to cover the sweat glands superior than does an aerosol. In the United Says, solid sticks and gels are the most popular types.

But what if you have tried just about every drugstore antiperspirant for sweating and nothing helps for very long - do you’ve any options? Yes, but you’ll need a prescription.

OTC formulations can only have a certain amount of the active ingredients (remember, the FDA considers them a drug), so to get the best antiperspirant for excessive sweating, your physician will have to write you a script for it. They have the ability to be anywhere from 20% to 24% aluminum chloride.

Hyperhidrosis, Antiperspirants and You

If you suffer from excessive sweating, you might first want to try a few different brands of OTC deodorant/antiperspirant combinations. Different brands use different aluminum salts, and one type may work better for your sweating than another. In general, gels and creams give the most coverage to sweat glands.

The ideal antiperspirant for excessive sweating - for your body - is out there, even if it takes a prescription to find it.