Overview
When actor Matthew McConaughey told reporters he didn’t douse his pits with antiperspirant or deodorant, a popular men’s deodorant company sent him a year’s supply of its product, according to a May 2009 CNN news report–as well as a note instructing him why he may want to consider using it. “Apocrine bromhidrosis” is the medical term given to armpit odor that’s particularly offensive, says the Merck Manual, and it’s often the result of poor personal hygiene.
Identification
Body odor is more problematic in certain parts of the body, such as the armpits, because of the type of sweat the skin secretes. Integrative physician Dr. Andrew Weil explains that there are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands are distributed all over your body, says the Merck Manual, and secrete almost 100 percent water. But aprocine glands, located in body parts where hair is present–the armpits, scalp and groin–secrete a sweat dense in lipids (fats). This sweat in itself is odorless, says Weil. However, apocrine sweat kicks up a stink when it comes into contact with the bacteria on the skin’s surface and starts to break it down. The smell of this decomposing bacteria is, in essence, what is typically referred to as body odor.
Considerations
What you put in your mouth can contribute to body odor. Excessive caffeine intake can trigger the sweat glands and make you perspire more than usual. Your perspiration may also have a distinct smell due to what you eat, says the Mayo Clinic. Strong-smelling, spicy foods, such as those that contain garlic and onion, may be the culprit.
Hyperhidrosis
People with hyperhidrosis often have a more difficult time getting body odor under control, says Weil. Hyperhidrosis is a condition that may have an underlying medical cause, but the Mayo Clinic says that some people simply sweat more than others. Sweat that’s noticeably excessive may be secreted under the arms–but on the palms, face and feet as well. If your shirts soon become saturated with perspiration or sweat drips from your face and palms, absent strenuous physical activity, you could have hyperhidrosis.
Prevention/Solution
Armpit odor is readily remedied with good hygiene. Daily bathing, which reduces the number of bacteria around your armpits, is an obvious solution posed by the Mayo Clinic. Antiperspirant, which contains aluminum-based compounds, is the best remedy for armpit odor; it blocks pores temporarily so sweat can’t reach the skin’s surface. Deodorant works a bit differently. It doesn’t reduce sweat, but the alcohol in these products makes your skin less hospitable to bacteria–and less attractive to appocrine sweat. Many deodorants may mask body odor with strong fragrances.
Expert Insight
People with hyperhidrosis may have to resort to medical treatment if antiperspirant is ineffective, says the Mayo Clinic. Other remedies for hyperhidrosis include use of prescription antiperspirant, Botox injections and, rarely, surgery to remove or disable the apocrine glands.
Olfactory Reference Syndrome
According to the “Dermatology Journal Online,” Vol. 14, No. 6, a small number of patients suffer from a delusion that they have body odor. This condition is called olfactory reference syndrome (ORS). Just as those with strong armpit odor may be totally oblivious to their condition, people with ORS are preoccupied with a perceived body, oral or vaginal disorder.
About this Author
Lisa Sefcik has been writing professionally since 1987. Her subject matter includes pet care, travel, consumer reviews, classical music and entertainment. She’s worked as a policy analyst, news reporter and freelance writer/columnist for Cox Publications and numerous national print publications. Sefcik holds a paralegal certification as well as degrees in journalism and piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin.
