Body Odor and congested areas aren't friends at all, and people will do anything to ensure that they do not have any body odor. I was with a friend yesterday and in the middle of our chat, she mentioned someone who smelled like garlic and she kept on saying different things that I would say are not supported by science, such as saying that everyone armpit smells, saying that we need to sweat so we can be able to detox, and so on. In this post, I will be discussing everything we need to know about sweat and body odor.
First, it is important that I state that sweat isn't smelly, so if anyone tells you that your sweat is smelly just as all sweats are smelly, then tell them that all sweats are not smelly. Sweat can come from two glands, one being the Eccrine Gland, which is found everywhere in the body, allowing us to sweat so as to help with thermal regulation, and the other being the Apocrine Gland which are sweat glands found in the chest, pubic regions such as the groins, and the underarm.
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The sweat from the apocrine gland is what is often associated with smelly but in reality, it sweat isn't smelly. Although sweat doesn't smell, the bacteria in the areas of the body causes it to smell as they use the sweat as food releasing byproducts that smells. There are thousands of microbiomes in the body and they are responsible for the odor. Talking about the everyone having a smelly armpit word, that isn't true. This is because there are a set of people who have a particular type of gene mutation known as the ABCC11 gene, and they do not have body odor.
Because someone have a specific scent doesn't mean that their scents cannot change. Just as we have changes in our hormones, and microfloral, as well as diet, so do our physical characteristics change and they can affect our scents. That said, let me talk about the detoxing aspect of sweat. It is completely wrong to say that we detox through sweat. In reality, the only way we detox is through the Kidneys and the Liver but while sweat doen't detox, it doesn't mean it doesn't have other functions such as maintaining body temperature, and regulating other hemeostatic functions.
Some people sweat a lot and then you wonder what is happening. It is normal to sweat when the environment is hot and dry but then it can also be associated with a medical condition known as Hyperhidrosis.
Understanding sweat and body odor requires debunking widespread myths and appreciating the complex biological functions at play. Remember, sweat itself isn’t the enemy; it's a natural and essential bodily function. However, maintaining hygiene and being mindful of factors that can influence our body odor are key to staying comfortable and confident, especially in crowded, close-quarter environments.
Reference
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482278/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6773238/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7215946/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459227/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20081888/
https://asm.org/articles/2021/december/microbial-origins-of-body-odor
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3593650/