New York, Aug 20 (IANS): Deodorants and antiperspirants are being more widely used and advertised than ever before, but did you know that they may actually make you smell worse in the long run?

According to a study, using antiperspirants causes actinobacteria - the microbes responsible for bad odour - to increase in our armpits.

To reach this conclusion, the study from University of Ghent in Belgium made eight participants stop using deodorant or antiperspirant for a month.

A control group that did not use deodorant regularly was asked to use it for a month.

The researchers analysed the diversity and abundance of subjects' armpit bacteria at various times before, during and for a few weeks after resuming the use of antiperspirant.

The researchers found a clear increase of actinobacteria, in the subjects using antiperspirants, said a report on realclearscience website.

"The measures we utilise today do not take away the initial source: the odour causing bacteria," lead researcher Chris Callewaert was quoted as saying.

Deodorants only mask unpleasant odours.

"We are now working on 'armpit bacterial transplantation' where we take away the bad bacteria from the armpit and replace it with the good bacteria of his/her relative who does not have a bad odour," Callewaert explained.