Is trendy "all-body" deodorant necessary? Dermatologists weigh in.

You whitethorn person seen it successful nan drugstore deodorant aisle aliases successful ads populating your societal media feeds — a caller type of deodorant that goes beyond your armpits and is meant for your full body. The database of brands capitalizing connected nan inclination keeps increasing and already includes Lume, Secret, Dove, Old Spice and Native. Ads declare nan products tin beryllium utilized from "head to toe" and moreover from "pits to bits."

But should you scope for all-body deodorants? 

"It's not basal astatine all," says Dr. Karan Lal, a double committee certified dermatologist and personnel of nan Society for Pediatric Dermatology, based successful Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Afton Cobb, a dermatologist pinch Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery successful Jackson, Wyoming, says she doesn't urge utilizing deodorants each complete your body. Instead, if you person immoderate areas extracurricular your armpits you want to target, you tin effort — pinch caution, she advises.

"That's a small spot much due than conscionable for illustration each complete nan body," she says, acknowledging group whitethorn want a deodorant for feet aliases groin, for example. "I don't work together pinch conscionable for illustration spraying a deodorant each complete your full body. But successful those circumstantial areas, I deliberation location is immoderate merit."

Dr. Samer Jaber, a board-certified dermatologist astatine Washington Square Dermatology, successful New York, agrees location is "certainly nary request to usage deodorants successful areas wherever you don't person odor," explaining that deodorants are fundamentally perfumes that are sprayed connected nan assemblage to disguise assemblage odor.

In statements to CBS News, Dove and Secret said they saw a request for a full-body product.

"While immoderate whitethorn position full assemblage deodorants arsenic unnecessary, we astatine Dove cognize location is request for this product. Unilever investigation recovered that 15% of Americans were looking for a full-body solution," said Pranav Chandan, U.S. caput of deodorants astatine Unilever. "Our investigation recovered that little than 1% of nan sweat that our bodies nutrient comes from nan underarm, truthful why not create a solution designed for usage connected each nan different assemblage parts that nutrient sweat?"

"We asked astir 4000 group astir their assemblage odor and we recovered that: 50-60% of group are concerned astir groin odor, 20-30% are concerned astir thorax aliases underbreast odor and 30-50% of group are concerned astir ft odor," said Dr. Maiysha Jones, main intelligence for North America individual attraction astatine Procter & Gamble. "Secret Whole Body Deodorant consulted pinch hundreds of gynecologists and dermatologists to reappraisal our formulas and information research, and we learned that 4 retired of 5 of each specialty would urge full assemblage deodorant."

CBS News has besides reached retired to Lume, which offers a scope of whole-body deodorants, for comment. 

Is whole-body deodorant safe?

Dermatologists said to beryllium alert of a fewer things erstwhile it comes to these products — first, fragrance. 

"Generally deodorants are very safe," Jaber says. "The biggest rumor perchance pinch deodorants is, if you person delicate skin, fragrance tin consequence successful redness, itch and irritation."

Lal says it's not conscionable tegument reactivity from fragrances, but besides imaginable neurological reactivity, for illustration migraines and headaches. 

"There's a batch of fragrance successful these things and... a batch of group are much fragrance delicate than you imagine," he says. "So you person to beryllium very observant astir utilizing these types of products astir definite group aliases yourself if you're personification that whitethorn beryllium perchance fragrance sensitive." 

Other concerns see wherever it's being used, peculiarly successful nan groin area. 

"For women, for example, if you're utilizing things astir nan vaginal area, you perchance tally nan consequence of messing up nan microbiome successful nan vagina," Lal says. "You person to beryllium very observant pinch that, that you're not putting it excessively adjacent and getting inside, which judge it aliases not, I'm judge group are doing."

With immoderate skincare merchandise that you use to an area that has that fine, delicate tegument and is taxable to moisture, Cobb says you "run a higher consequence of getting an irritant interaction dermatitis," or dry, itchy, irritated areas connected nan skin.

Secret, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, says it included gynecologists and dermatologists successful information testing to guarantee its postulation tin beryllium utilized connected nan tegument astir your "most delicate areas," but notes it's "for outer usage only."

Why does my sweat smell?

It's really a misconception that our sweat is what smells, dermatologists say. 

"Our sweat does not smell erstwhile it leaves nan body, for nan astir part. Unless you're eating definite foods aliases spices, it does not smell," Lal explains. "When sweat comes retired of your glands, there's definite germs connected nan tegument that break nan sweat down, which produces that type of odor."

How to make armpits smell better

So, what are nan champion ways to alteration odor successful armpits and elsewhere? There are 3 options, Jaber says:

1. Decrease sweat accumulation — antiperspirants (not to beryllium confused pinch deodorant) activity by utilizing mineral salts (aluminum salts, for example) to artifact nan sweat glands and alteration sweat production, he explains.
2. Decrease nan germs that breaks down sweat and causes odor — Antibacterial products tin thief pinch this, Jaber says, noting immoderate whole-body deodorant brands purpose for this by including definite acids. 
3. Mask nan odor pinch a fragrance — basically, really deodorant works

Dermatologists opportunity you tin combat odor astatine nan root by decreasing bacteria. 

"For patients of excavation pinch important assemblage odor, I urge utilizing (over-the-counter) antibacterial cleaning washes for illustration Hibiclens aliases low-potency benzoyl peroxide washes successful nan shower, which tin beryllium very effective to alteration odor," Jaber says. 

Lal says you tin besides combat assemblage odor successful delicate areas for illustration nan armpits, groin, buttock and feet by utilizing bodywashes pinch salicylic acerb aliases glycolic acid.

"That will, complete time, trim nan magnitude of germs connected nan tegument truthful you don't make that assemblage odor," he explains. 

Topical antibiotics aliases medicines for definite malodorous conditions aliases excessive sweating tin besides beryllium prescribed, Cobb says.

Beyond that, wide behavioral measures tin besides help. 

"Try to ablution and rinse off. Try to really pad nan areas barren and fto them aerial retired a batch truthful that you're minimizing that moist, occlusive environment. Changing retired your shoes, changing retired your socks, changing retired your clothes, those kinds of things," Cobb suggests.

Dove says its whole-body deodorants are "optimized to tackle odor astatine its root alternatively of conscionable covering it up."

"Our merchandise targets odor astatine its root utilizing a proprietary deodorizing supplier to negociate bacteria," Chandan said. "Additionally, our creams and sticks thief sorb unwanted moisture from sweat, further reducing nan opportunity for odor to create and helping to extremity chafe."

Secret says its whole-body deodorant was besides designed to forestall odor astatine nan source. "Each shape (spray, cream, stick) is made pinch a unsocial constituent that fights odor-causing germs complete clip while being gentle connected delicate skin. The different forms springiness group elasticity successful really and wherever to protect against assemblage odor," Jones said. 

Still dealing pinch odor?

Cobb recommends determining wherever nan odor is coming from, arsenic it mightiness not beryllium a consequence of sweating.

For groin smell, for example, is it really coming from nan surrounding skin? 

"If you did person odor coming much vaginally, that mightiness beryllium a motion that you want to spot a gynecologist to make judge there's thing other going on," she says, informing that you "wouldn't want to usage an all-body deodorant successful nan pussy aliases vaginal mucosa."

You could besides beryllium dealing pinch a different dermatological information that causes odor, Lal explains, for illustration hidradenitis suppurativa, wherever group get boils successful their groin, armpits and nether their breasts.

Other aesculapian conditions tin besides beryllium associated pinch definite odors, specified arsenic diabetes, liver illness and kidney disease, Cobb says, encouraging patients to activity master thief for a due test and curen plan.