If you are concerned about foul odor and wonder why do my armpits smell so bad, then don’t worry, we are here to tell you about the different types of body odors and causes behind them and how you can prevent your armpit to smell so bad.
Why are my armpits so smelly?
Sweat is the cause of smelly arms but indirectly. As you know, sweat is a natural body function when your body gets hot or, you are in a stressful situation. Let me tell you that sweat is not a smelly substance. If someone feels sudden body odor coming from feet, armpits, or behind ears, it is due to different reasons.
Sweat itself is odorless, the bacteria naturally present on our body break down the dried sweat that smells bad.
There are two types of sweat glands in our body.
Eccrine: This gland is found in almost all parts of the body and releases a clean and odorless fluid that evaporates and causes no smell.
Apocrine: This gland is found or those parts of the body where there is an excess of hair follicles like on pits and groin. They release fluid containing fats. Bacteria break down this fat-containing sweat and cause a foul smell. Hair present at armpits and groin holds bacteria.
Sweat smell is a natural process and is not a cause of concern. This smell tells you that you need to take shower and get rid of nasty hair that carries bacteria. But if you feel that there is a sudden change in smell, and sweat smells like onions, then there may be a different reason for this.
Why do armpits smell like onions?
When you feel a sudden body odor from underarms that is not normal, it means you have changed your diet. Food containing sulfur-like onion, garlic, cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, etc. have sulfur in them. When you consume this food, the sweat gland releases the volatile compounds contains sulfur. That is why you feel sweat smells different than usual.
Some people also from a dermatologist that why does one armpit smell worse than the other?
If you feel that the right arm is smellier than the left one, it means you are using your right arm more often as compared to the left hand. A right-arm produces more sweat and causes a smelly armpit.
It is also observed that some people say that armpits still smell after washing. If you feel armpits smell after a shower, it means you have developed any medical condition like
Trimethylaminuria stops the body from breaking down some compounds found in fish, cruciferous vegetables, or soy. That is why your body starts producing a pungent smell like fish.
If you are concerned that why is my body odor so bad? It may be due to certain medication you used or you have diabetes, kidney failure, or liver disease. These diseases produce a certain smell coming out of your sweat, urine, and stool.
Ways to prevent smelly arms
The first thing you need to get rid of smelly
armpits is to get rid of unwanted hair grown from armpits. Then keep that area washed whenever you feel that you have sweat. In the summer season, take bath twice a day.
When you are at work, obviously you cannot go to take shower. If you want yourself not to be embarrassed in front of your colleagues due to smelly arms, then you can mask that sweat odor with the help of deodorant, body spray, or perfume.
Some people experience and ask why do my armpits smell so bad even with deodorant? The simple answer is, deodorant does not stop sweat. It masks the smell. However, some antiperspirants can make this smell worse by changing the composition of bacteria in your underarms.
- You can also use talcum powder containing aluminum chloride in all folding parts of the body to stop the smell.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Don’t eat food that causes a certain pungent smell.
- Maintain good hygiene.
- Despite having good hygiene, or using deodorant, still, your armpits get smelly? You must consult with a doctor to find out the reason that why your armpits smell so bad.
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