Recurrence rate of body odor removal

In the summer, the temperature is good and the weather is hot and humid. When you go out and come back, you will smell of sweat. This is a situation that all of us will encounter. However, some people not only have a smell of sweat, but also a bad smell. This smell may seem a bit disgusting to others, especially when the smell of sweat and the bad smell are combined together, which is even more unbearable to the nose. This kind of bad smell is called body odor in medicine. Having body odor can be very embarrassing, so many people resort to circumcision to remove it. So is the recurrence rate of body odor removal high?

If you want to completely cure body odor, surgical treatment is recommended. The surgery must completely remove the apocrine sweat glands under the armpits, and generally there will be no recurrence. If the removal is not complete, odor may still occur. It is recommended to go to a professional medical institution for surgery.

Body odor, medically known as body odor, refers to the secretion of sweat with a special odor or the sweat producing an odor after decomposition. Bromhidrosis is more common in areas where sweating is excessive, sweat is difficult to evaporate, and where apocrine sweat glands are located, such as the armpits, groin, feet, perianal area, vulva, navel, and under the breasts of women. Bromhidrosis of the feet and armpits is the most common. It is a disease that causes a special bad odor from the armpits. The name of the disease comes from "Zou Hou Jiu Zu Fang", which is also called axillary odor or body odor. It mainly refers to the special odor (body odor) emitted by the products of the reaction between the sweat gland secretions in the armpit area and microorganisms, which is closely related to armpit hair. It is caused by damp heat stagnation in the skin and sweat pores, or it may be inherited. Armpit odor is more obvious when it is hot and you sweat a lot, and it often leaves a light yellow mark on light-colored clothing. Because of its special smell, it is easy to distinguish it from ordinary sweat odor.

Causes:

Body odor is a hereditary disease that mostly occurs during adolescence and is affected by emotions and hormones. Generally speaking, it is related to the sweat glands on the body. The scientific name bromidrosis refers to the fact that the sweat discharged from the human body has a special odor. It is mostly hereditary and mainly occurs in the armpits, soles, perineum and other parts. The sweat secreted by the patient's apocrine glands in the armpits is decomposed by bacteria on the skin surface, mainly staphylococci, to produce unsaturated fatty acids that emit a foul odor. According to surveys, 80% of people whose parents both have body odor will inherit the trait. If only one of the parents has body odor, the chance of inheritance is 50%.

Endocrine factors (35%):

The apocrine glands are affected by the endocrine system and only begin to secrete actively during puberty. Therefore, bromhidrosis caused by the apocrine glands often occurs during puberty and may be alleviated or disappear in old age.

Bacterial factors (30%):

The formation of a special odor is caused by the reaction between bacteria and the secretions of the apocrine sweat glands to produce unsaturated fatty acids. Bacteria are a type of prokaryotic microorganisms, which are a type of prokaryotic organisms with a short and thin shape and a simple structure.

Genetic factors (20%):

Conditions such as paranoia and schizophrenia can also cause bromhidrosis. The occurrence of underarm odor may be related to genetics.

General treatment

(1) Pay attention to cleanliness, shower regularly, and change clothes frequently.

(2) Keep the skin dry and keep the armpits, breasts and other areas clean.

(3) Wash with soapy water several times a day, and even shave your armpit hair to prevent bacteria from hiding.

(4) During treatment, you should maintain a cheerful mood and avoid strenuous activities.

(5) Quit smoking and drinking, eat less stimulating foods, and avoid oily foods. When the human body consumes too much fat, some of the oil will flow through the blood throughout the body and will be excreted through the oil glands connected to the sweat glands. It will then be decomposed by bacteria and form body odor. Therefore, it is advisable to eat less greasy food.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that body odor is mostly related to congenital endowment. It is inherited from the congenital foul air under the arms of parents, which is fumigated outside and comes out from the armpits; or it is caused by eating too much spicy and greasy food, which leads to internal accumulation of dampness and heat; or it is caused by wearing thick clothes in hot weather and not bathing for a long time, which prevents body fluids from flowing smoothly, causing dampness and heat to fall out and fumigate outside the skin.

Surgery

Performing surgery to remove the apocrine glands is the way to say goodbye to body odor once and for all. The common surgical method is to make one or two cuts in the area where the armpit hair grows, remove the apocrine glands located in the subcutaneous tissue, and then suture the skin back to its original position. This method is generally effective, but the disadvantage is that the wound is difficult to care for and it will leave one or two scars under the armpit.

In recent years, with the use of thoracoscopic sympathetic nerve surgery, more than 95% of patients have stopped sweating under their armpits, and the odor they had in the past has been significantly improved. Because thoracoscopic surgery is less invasive to the human body and the recovery time is very fast, it has gradually replaced the trend of traditional surgery.

If the armpits have body odor even without sweating, and thoracoscopic sympathetic nerve surgery is not effective, it is recommended that you seek help from a plastic surgeon or general surgeon for traditional body odor surgery to remove the armpit apocrine glands.