this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2024
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235
YSK there is a condition that makes your armpits smell worse called trichobacteriosis that is common and easy to treat (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by hamid@lemmy.world to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world
50 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I was talking about hygiene with my partner who is a nurse and they were telling me that a lot of people remark that their armpits are smelling worse than normal and they are using more and more deodorant and people just think it is normal.

Trichobacteriosis looks like a yellowish coating on some of your armpit or groin hair and you need to shave and wash the area every day for 2 weeks. It is more common in men than women in the US only because it is more common for women to keep their armpits shaved. Most of the patients who are affected by it think that its actually residue from the increasing amounts of deodorant they end up using.

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 129 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Yo that's funny. Maybe twice in my 20s I had a bout where I was like "damn my pits stank"

I basically unscientifically concluded that I had soaked my armpit hair in smelly armpit sweat, and every time e the armpit hair got sweaty it was releasing a stale stench. Like the hairs themselves were the problem, I figured.

So I trimmed my armpit hair.

Problem solved, both times.

Then in my 30s, a bandmate was like "yo my armpits stank" and I was like "homie it sounds odd but just trim your pits." Worked for him too.

So, my unscientific alternative, faster solution is to just shave your pits.

[–] hi_its_me@lemmy.world 35 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I recently read an actual scientific study that found a direct correlation between smell and the length of armpit hair. So your unscientific hypothesis is actually backed by science. I’m too lazy to look up the source though.

[–] Infynis@midwest.social 21 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's what armpit hair is supposed to do. Pubes as well. They're pheromone transmitters

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Crazy to think that stench is supposed to be alluring. Is that the takeaway here? It's more like a repellent in my mind.

[–] BlackAura@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Pretty sure I read about a study where they found people that smell bad are genetically close to you, like relatives and people you shouldn't procreate with.

People who smell nice are genetically diverse.

[–] Bigfish@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 7 months ago

Eh.. best lit review I could find only found that smell predicted preferences among non-birthcontrol-using fertile women. So... Smell nice around them maybe? Lit review

[–] n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I went to school with an inbred family, they all stank bad. Natures way of saying don't fuck that

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Maybe not a product of being inbred in and of itself, but more like an intelligence indicator maybe? Correlation ≠ causation etc.

[–] n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Fair enough, sounded good at the time

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Still though. Don't fuck with inbreds. 👌

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Maybe you were a long lost bruncle?

[–] s38b35M5@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

My GF would definitely disagree with you there. On my worst days, she stuffs her face into my pits and is practically intoxicated by it. Turns her on.

Sidenote: my pet cat (female) also goes nuts for it. She'll root her nose into my pits and get all lovey. If she finds a soiled shirt out of the basket, she goes crazy, and her brother had better steer clear when she's "high on pits."

ETA: I agree with you, however

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

lol

I find myself stinky at rare times, but when I let my wife smell me she says it's not bad at all. I guess it's somewhat of a similar sitch. Minus the arousal, sadly for me...

I do smell exactly like my dad. It's crazy to me. My wife doesn't know that by her nose, she just knows because I've told her. But it's kind of freaky to me personally.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Yeah there’s a great middle ground between clean and rank. When my partners work out they smell intoxicating

[–] wellee@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

If I have a particular stinky few days, I will soap the heck out of my pits in the shower, then let it sit there while I do the rest of my body. That works for me (:

[–] elbarto777@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

In other words, you make sure you clean your body well.

Edit: but to add to your point, what I do is wash my armpits, then smell them. Is there still a teeny tiny smell left? Rinse and repeat. As many times as needed. Three, four even five times. Until they smell undoubtedly clean.

[–] VirtualOdour@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 months ago

Lemmy really is the place to learn!

[–] MyNamesNotRobert@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Huh, I'm going to try shaving my armpits. I'm a smelly guy and I seem to need to use a lot of deodorant to keep it under control.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Just use a beard trimmer, you do t gotta go all the way.

Ingrown hairs in your armpit are bad news

[–] hamid@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

You actually do to get rid of this unless its mild and goes away with alcohol/antiseptic soap, it colonizes the follicle. I've shaved my armpits for like 20 years and never once had an ingrown hair as does like most women in the US

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

That's because you've shave that hair for 20 years.

Hair that isn't normally shaved poses a greater risk for ingrown hairs.

To reiterate, in grown hair in your armpit is awful. It will get infected unless you wear tank tops all the time, and an infection near all the nerve endings in your arm put causes for a seriously painful time. It can all be avoided by just trimming without going down to the skin.

If you do go down to the skin on an area you've never shaved before, you'd be wise to do so using conditioner on your armpits instead of shaving cream. You'd also be wise to apply aftershave afterwards.

But you're right. Just as most men don't get in grown hairs in their face from shaving after the first 3 or 4 shaves, you are fine, given that hair in your armpit is basically expecting to be shaved.

[–] wellee@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

All the women I know get ingrown hairs lol

[–] hamid@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Use a sharp razor

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Just start by trimming them short and using an antibacterial roll on deodorant.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 30 points 7 months ago (2 children)

When I avoided bathing due to depression, my crotch smelled terrible. Dunno if it was this, but wow. Glad to feel better.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 36 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Hey, glad you’re feeling better!! Depression sucks! I go through the same battles of not being motivated to shower every day. I got a bidet, which helps, and splash water on my head and face. It’s not the same, but better than nothing.

[–] KingJalopy@lemm.ee 51 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Dude those are for your butt

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 59 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Hey. Don’t judge me. You use your bidet your way, and I’ll use mine in my way. Besides, it makes for a great water pik when I’m brushing.

[–] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (1 children)

How do I unread that last sentence

[–] Worx@lemmynsfw.com 24 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

.gnihsurb m'I nehw kip retaw taerg a rof sekam ti ,sediseB

Hope this helps!

[–] ZeffSyde@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

The bidet is the Swiss army knife of the bathroom.

[–] mojo_raisin@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Napoleon would've thought it was hot. Glad you feel better :)

[–] vorpuni@jlai.lu 24 points 7 months ago (3 children)

You don't need to shave, using the antiseptic they cover you in before surgery is enough in my experience, and won't cause itching and cuts like shaving does.

[–] GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

In a pinch, hand sanitizer or isopropyl alcohol will do wonders. They'll dry out your skin, so you might want to use some kind of moisturizer afterwards when you have the chance.

If I'm camping or traveling for a long time, hand sanitizer is clutch.

[–] vorpuni@jlai.lu 5 points 7 months ago

On me it barely works to use alcohol, I don't know how they make the stuff for surgeries but it is the right viscosity and concentration of iodine and other stuff to really remove anything alive without using a lot.

I have yet to find something that works as well for cotton with gunky deodorant residue, old t-shirts need a hot wash with a lot of soap and vinegar from time to time, sometimes two washes in a row.

[–] The_Hideous_Orgalorg@sh.itjust.works 8 points 7 months ago

Thank you. I'm going to try this.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 23 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Anecdotal, but the few times I’ve had that I’ve wiped under my arms with alcohol and it cleaned it right up.

[–] hamid@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah I don't doubt it, its just superficial bacteria that can be sticky. I think some people have it worse than others and that like the 2 week thing is the sure fire nuclear option that will basically always work. I actually posted this because I'm pretty sure I had this too in my 20s when I was going to the gym all the time but I started shaving and keeping it that way around then and talking about it was like a memory unlocked moment.

[–] other_cat@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Hey thanks for posting this--both the original post and your own anecdote. I think personal hygiene is something that should be more comfortably chatted about. It's weird cause most people are like "ew TMI" and yeah it can wind up in that space, but at the same time, I think there's a lot of stuff people are lacking in knowledge in just cause it's kind of embarrassing to talk about!

Anyway I think I also had this in my early 20s; at least I hope so. I remember scrubbing harder and harder under my pits and one day seeing something slough off and until recently I've always assumed I killed a bunch of skin and it all came off. But given the symptoms I had been having at the time, I think this might have been it.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 12 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Hm. I don’t have any yellowish coating that I can recognize, but my stank smells different than it used to; it’s a bread-like smell. Could this still be what you’re describing or something different?

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 24 points 7 months ago

You should look at yeast infections of skin.

[–] prayer@sh.itjust.works 9 points 7 months ago

Bready smells are typical of yeast, this post is talking about bacteria.

[–] scytale@lemm.ee 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Aside from trimming, you can also wipe with an anti-bacterial wet wipe when you notice you stink worse than usual. It resets the biome on your skin by wiping out the bacteria. Don’t do this everyday though. Just whenever you feel the smell is getting worse.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 2 points 7 months ago

It's crazy that we have so many good, symbiotic critters living in and on us.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago

Ah, always shaved my armpits and crotch, explains why I never had that issue. Good to know though!

[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

a yellowish coating

people just think it is normal

no, man. what

[–] hamid@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

That is what my partner is a nurse said about the patients that have it. They either don't notice it or don't think its a problem. It isn't that gross, if you google it you can see pictures of it, looks like deodorant coated pithairs

[–] impudentmortal@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Apocrine sweat gland!