Abstinence

Q&AAbstinence
Leo asked 2 years ago

Hello Dr. Calleweart. I am Male age 24 with wet type earwax. Southeast Asian.  
Will gradual abstinence of deodorant work in fully restoring a healthy underarm microbiome? I am planning to quit using deodorant alltogether but since I am always on the go, I only have a few days in a week to abstain from it. It\'s very difficult to be smelly while doing daily tasks in public setting so I have no choice but to keep using product to control odor. It\'s a vicious cycle.  
For the past 6 months I have been maintaining 2-3 days abstinence each week. but I\'m planning to move up to 4-5 days, so-on and forth until I stop depending on product. I know this isn\'t an overnight thing but I am willing to do whatever it takes to have a long term solution.  
By the way, I have been using fragrance-free natural deodorant and natural non-antibacterial mild soap, along with daily use of pure cotton shirts/undergarments for almost 2 years now and my armpits are in better shape than when I was using the big brand AP+Deo products and anti-bac soaps in the past. 
I can actually go for 2-3 days without any product on before I start noticing a mild-moderate (close proximity) odor the next day. I also notice my B.O has a fruity, and slightly oniony smell. But I want to take this a step further. When I was using very antibacterial products, my armpits would smell so strongly after only a day of non-application.   
Hoping for some insights soon and I really appreciate all the work you have done to help us Bromhidrosis sufferers. Please don\'t stop pursuing this endeavor.

1 Answers
drarmpit Staff answered 2 years ago

Hi Leo, thanks for reaching out. I am happy to see that you have found improvement in reducing the use of underarm products. Underarm cosmetics that contain antimicrobial ingredients that disrupt the natural balance of the underarm microbiome. It's like throwing an atomic bomb on it, and hoping that the day after it will be a field full of flowers. 
The best is still to stop it altogether. That gives the chance for the microbiome to re-establish and to hopefully kick out the unwanted smelly taxa. For at least a week you should not use anything, so that the microbiome can recover and the good ones can produce molecules that will suppress the bad ones, also in the deeper skin layers. This is a process that takes time. 
Antimicrobial ingredients can still be of use to remove bacteria, but the daily use is not advisable. 
You know what to do next time you go on holiday! Best, Chris