Why do I have smelly armpits?! -- Contributed by @gidionline

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Having smelly armpits might make you very self-conscious, although, this is one problem which a lot of persons have dealt with before now. Popularly known as body odour (BO) and in medical language as bromhidrosis, smelly armpits are usually no serious cause for concern. There are steps one could take in order to reduce and also prevent armpit odour, this would reduce any form of anxiety which has been previously associated with the condition.

What are the causes smelly armpits?!

The human body is covered with sweat glands due to the fact that sweating is a vital function which aids us cooling down. There are basically two main kinds of sweat glands namely; The eccrine and the apocrine.

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While the eccrine glands cover most part of the of the human body and open directly on the skin’s surface, the apocrine glands are only in areas which contain a lot of hair follicles, such as the armpit and groin. Rather than opening up to the surface of the skin, apocrine glands empty into the hair follicle and then open up to the surface. The moment the body gets heated up, eccrine glands begin to release sweat which cools off the body. This is typically odourless until the bacteria on the skin begins to break it down. Some certain foods and drinks and certain kind of medication which we have consumed could also make the eccrine sweat to smell.

Apocrine glands work basically when one is under stress, thus secreting an odourless fluid. This fluid starts to develop an odour when it comes into close contact with the bacteria on the skin. These eccrine and the apocrine glands do not work, not until the stage of puberty, that is essentially why at that stage, we begin to notice our body odour.

Although this is perfectly normal, a good number of persons happen to sweat a lot more than usual. Hyperhidrosis is what this condition is called. Persons living with hyperhidrosis sweat excessively, especially at points like their hands, feet, and armpits; I know someone with this condition. However, if you happen to suspect that you have this condition, you should carry out some tests to confirm a diagnosis, just to ensure that it gets properly treated.

Treating smelly armpits

Treatment of smelly armpits usually depends on its severity and also the underlying causes of the body odour. Smelly armpit odour is mostly a result of poor hygiene or not making use of the right products. There also might just be an underlying medical condition.

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The use of an over-the-counter antiperspirant or deodorant and even a combination of antiperspirant-deodorant daily, immediately after having your shower, could help remedy the condition. At some points, you might need to try out some different kind to see which would work best for you. If OTC deodorants are not effective for you, then you would need to talk to your doctor. Botox is also quite a popular one, for smoothing facial wrinkles, but it has quite a lot of several other applications. When Botox is injected into sweat glands, it reduces both sweating and odour itself. It's a popular treatment for personnel who have hyperhidrosis, this might not serve as a permanent solution, as these injections would last just some few months, as such it needs to be repeated as often as necessary.

Some Preventive Measures

• There are some things which one could do to prevent the odor from developing in the first place, this includes; Showering on a daily basis with soap, as well as showering immediately after some strenuous activity such as working out or playing football, this helps in getting rid of the bacteria and also the sweat which causes the odors.

• You can wear loose-fitting fabrics such as cotton, linen, moisture-wicking blends etc. Doing these would allow your body to stay and remain cool, much better than constricting clothes

• Also there are some additional DIY hacks you could try out at home. Check them out at here -- Just find out what's works best for you

If you have used up different kinds of antiperspirants or deodorants but nothing works out to reduce your underarm odour, you should talk to your doctor.

Thank you for reading.

Blog contributor: @gidionline

Editor: @pangoli, for the community!

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