You walk into a packed train at the end of a busy working day, and tried to raise your arms for grabbing that rod above for support. Soon you see that people nearby are giving frowns at you with their nose twitched up. Well, you know it; it is your age old problem which you dread like anything. It is the smelly armpit odor which is irritating not only for you but for others as well.
Generally it has been seen that the onset of smelly armpits is at the time a child hits puberty. It is irrespective of the gender and is found to be present in men as well as women equally.
Before you start complaining yet again, have you ever tried to find that what exactly is the armpit or underarm odor?
Image 1 : Smelly Armpit odor
source : ehow.com
What is armpit odor ?
A common but most irritating form of body odor is armpit odor. The stale perspiration under your arms is strongly linked with the armpit odor. Initially the perspiration does not stink but after some time when it gets exposed to the atmosphere, the active bacteria rapidly get multiplied. The bacterial breakdown of proteins into acids during this process actually generates the odor. The perspiration itself doesn’t have any smell.
Every person has sweat glands, which are responsible for perspiration and an average person has over 4 million sweat glands in the body. The following are the two major sweat glands:
- Eccrine Glands: Most of the perspiration gets deposited here as these glands are the major source. Eccrine glands secrete water and salts through coiled tubes or ducts that reach skin. This procedure takes place when the body heat is sensed by the nervous system. On the other hand, Eccrine glands control the body temperature. The bacteria cannot break down the protein easily due to the sweat produced by these Eccrine glands are higher in salt.
- Apocrine Glands: These glands are present inside the armpits in large numbers through the hair follicles. Apocrine glands are responsible for secreting sweat through hairs of armpits. Apocrine glands contain sebum, a fatty substance through which the sweat is secreted. Sebum is an organic substance which is deposited in Apocrine glands. Here, the bacteria find it easy to break the proteins, which are present in the sweat secreted by these glands unlike in Eccrine glands. When the protein breaks down in sweat by bacteria, the armpit emits odor which is its result. The armpit body odor is created by the apocrine glands and these glands are responsible for the armpit sweat and armpit odor.
Image 2 : Sweat glands : Eccrine and Apocrine
source : Mayoclinic Education and Research
Note: When the gland produces sweat, it gets mixed with the bacteria present on the skin or hair follicles and a chemical named 3-methyl-2-hexeonic acid is produced.
Armpit Odor Causes
Interestingly not many are aware of the fact that the sweat produced from our sweat glands is actually a colorless and odorless fluid, just like water! Yes, surprising it may sound but it is the truth that sweat does not stink. Then what causes armpit odor? The main culprit is the bacteria which resides on the skin and is exposed to the sweat. The Apocrine gland secretes a more viscous fluid which is kind of milky from the hair follicles while the Eccrine gland secretes water like fluid.
As mentioned earlier that when the body surface doesn’t have access to enough oxygen then the anaerobic bacteria flourishes on the skin. This bacterium when coms in contact with the sweat secreted begins to thrive more. As a result you get armpit body odor. The odor can be due to waste products which get accumulated in our body if the digestive process is not proper. We consume a variety of food and the majority of it is utilized in our body while the other is reduced as waste products or toxins. These toxins are ultimately eliminated by the effective functioning of the kidney, liver and GI tract.
Due to certain reasons like constipation, if the digestive system of the body is not functioning properly then these toxins tend to remain in the body. People consuming a lot of meat, eggs, fish and legumes particularly have offensive body odor. These foods consist of a lot of choline which is not readily metabolized by many. Drinking excessive coffee or caffeinated beverages and eating spicy curries consisting of onions and garlic is potential cause of body as well as armpit odor in women and men.
Other causes of armpit odor are due to kidney and liver ailments, hypoglycemia and fungal contagions.
Armpit odor Treatment
Nonetheless, having smelly armpit odor is very embarrassing in public. It can actually ruin your confidence to meet people. Well, you don’t have to be disheartened though as there are solutions to eliminate armpit odor.
- If you sweat profusely try to a solution of hydrogen peroxide 3% in concentration for washing the underarms. This is readily available in any pharmacy.
- Use of good deodorants and antiperspirants can be made. Deodorants make the skin acidic and this does not allow the bacterium to be active. On the other hand antiperspirants block the sweat glands so that they do not produce much sweat. However, prolonged use of these can lead to cancer so try to limit their use.
Since the deodorants and antiperspirants can be detrimental to your health in long run so it is better to try some home remedies for armpit odor. These are natural, safe and easy o follow to.
- Daily bathing is a must. Focus on the cleaning of armpits and groin area more, so as to reduce the thriving of bacteria there.
- Try to wear cotton fabric as much as possible and loose fitting clothes must be worn during summer especially. This will allow the sweat to get evaporated and the bacteria won’t be able to come in contact with it.
- The best way to stop armpit odor is to stop the intake of food rich in choline. Your sweat is produced from your body and what you consume has profound effect on it. Eliminate onions, garlic, spices, meat, caffeinated drinks and legumes from your diet.
- Stop abusing tobacco if you want to get rid of body odor. It affects both your skin and lungs by mixing with certain body elements and can cause smelly armpits.
How to get rid of armpit odor
Still wondering how to eliminate of armpit odor? Try these;
- Wipe your underarms with witch hazel in replacement to deodorants.
- Same is the effect with apple cedar vinegar and white vinegar as they alleviate the skin pH and fight against odor.
- Lime juice is an excellent remedy for smelling armpits.
- Baby wipes can be used to soak excess perspiration from the genital and underarms area.
The aforesaid mentioned natural remedies will definitely leave you smelling good all day long.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweat_gland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweat
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by on 13. Aug, 2010 in Diseases and Conditions
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