Hi, my name is Laura and I am from Brazil, so excuse my english. I have been suffering with bromhidrosys for almost 8 years. It started after high school. I remember a guy from my class in high school that used to have really bad body odor and he was taking accutane (the strong medicine for acne). I was also taking accutane and six months after the acne treatment I started having bromhidrosys. I remember thinking really bad things about the boy. I thought he didn't shower, I had kind of a mean attitude toward him, I didn't know that B.O. was a condition and not the lack of hygiene. Who knew that six months later I would have the same problem. That was carma :( I tried all deodorants and antiperspirants on the market, I did botox, I had laser to remove the hair and diminish bacteria, I had some of my glands burned by a old hair removal method, I even used a crazy machine that would diminish the eccrine sweat (my dad insisted, but I knew that the eccrine sweat was not the real cause of the problem, actually the sweat of eccrine glands on my armpits was less intense than a normal person). Plus, I already had 4 surgeries: 2 superficial "liposuctions" and 2 apocrine glands removal (each procedure by a different doctor). The apocrine glands removal was the most successful procedure, but the most invasive. I was thinking about taking a little piece of skin so I wont' produce apocrine sweat anymore, because I've noticed that some glands regenerate and some start working harder to compensate the removal. I just recovered from the last gland removal and I still have bad odor. I was a little mad because I wanted to remove a part of the skin too, but the doctor thought that it would not be necessary. This problem is delaying my life in all areas, I am 25 years old and I failed a lot of subjects in college because I would skip a lot of classes because I felt really bad about the problem. I graduated last year and I wont start to work in a office until I get this problem solved. I know I won't work properly if I have this problem. Please help me! The worst thing about this problem is that nobody really understands me or the condition. I am glad that you are studying it. Even if you don't have a solution, just hearing from you would be great. Maybe you have a good suggestion and maybe I might help by telling you my experience. Kinds regards, Laura
1 Answers
Dear Laura, thank you for your question, and apologies for the late reply. I recognize the problem. Having a body odor is a frustrating and distressing issue. It is certainly not (always) caused by bad hygiene, but due to the bacterial species living on/in your armpit skin. The 'food' sources come from the apocrine sweat glands (not the eccrine glands), which consists of lipid-rich fluids. The apocrine glands become active with puberty (so it generally starts in high school). They do not open up immidiately on the skin surface (like eccrine glands do), but in the hair shaft. So it is very difficult to block that typical sweat production. Antiperspirants can only block the eccrine sweat glands, not the apocrine sweat glands, unfortunately. Please try to find a way to worry less about the body odor. Know that everybody has a complex in life. Everybody has something to worry about. You may try antibacterial substances in your armpits (try citric acid, or other things you may find in the pharmacy). We are trying to find solutions against it. We have some promising results, but we need further research. Thanks for sharing your story with us. Best, Chris
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