Body odor is a term for describing noticeable or unpleasant smells that arise from one or more areas of your body. Frequently, body odor originates in your underarms, or armpits. In these cases, odor typically stems from the interaction of bacteria and secretions produced by sweat glands in your armpits called apocrine glands.
The Basics
Your sweat glands perform a major role in the regulation of your body temperature, according to Medline Plus. Depending on individual circumstances, you may have between 2 and 4 million sweat glands on your body, concentrated in your underarms, the palms of your hands and your feet. Although women actually have more sweat glands than men, men typically produce more sweat than women. In addition to body temperature regulation after physical activity or heat exposure, you may sweat as a result of emotional stressors, such as fear, anger or embarrassment, Medline Plus notes.
Apocrine Glands
When you're physically active, your body regulates your temperature through sweat glands called eccrine glands, according to the Mayo Clinic. These glands, which open directly onto the surface of your skin, produce sweat that contains mostly water and salt, in addition to small amounts of urea and other substances. Typically, eccrine sweat does not produce excessive body odor. However, when you sweat as a result of emotional stress, glands in your armpits, called apocrine glands, produce sweat that contains high amounts of fat. When this fatty sweat reaches the surface of your armpits, it gets broken down by bacteria. It is this combination of fatty sweat and bacteria that causes underarm odor.
Hyperhidrosis
In some cases, your body odor may be amplified by excessive sweating, a condition called hyperhidrosis, Medline Plus reports. Unlike normal sweating, the sweating associated with hyperhidrosis occurs in the absence of physical or emotional triggers. If you develop excessive sweating in your underarms, hands or feet, you have a version of the condition called focal, or primary, hyperhidrosis. Although it appears this condition runs in families, it commonly has no known underlying cause. You can also develop secondary hyperhidrosis, which occurs as a side effect of ailments such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and stroke.
Underarm Odor Treatments
The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library lists several methods of eliminating or controlling underarm odor. Begin by improving your general body hygiene and washing your clothes more frequently. You may also gain relief through the use of antibacterial products that contain erythromycin or clindamycin or through the use of antiseptic soaps. In addition, you may combine antiseptic and antibacterial products. If necessary, you may also shave your underarm hair.
Hyperhidrosis Treatments
Medline Plus lists methods of controlling hyperhidrosis that include use of prescription antiperspirants and anticholinergic medications that reduce sweat gland activity. If you have severe underarm hyperhidrosis, your doctor may recommend injections of Botox, which blocks the activity of your sweat gland nerves. In some rare cases, your doctor may also recommend a surgical procedure called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy, although this procedure is more for patients whose palms sweat, as it is not as effective on excessive armpit sweating.
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