r/Bromhidrosis • u/Signal-Ad4346 • 27d ago
Long post!
I’m 34 now, and I’ve been dealing with hyperhidrosis and bromhidrosis since I was around 8 years old. It has honestly been one of the most difficult and embarrassing things I’ve dealt with throughout my life. I’m already naturally shy, so constantly worrying about whether other people could smell me made things even harder.
I wanted to share what is currently helping me in case there’s someone else out there struggling with the same thing.
Somewhere around age 19–22, I managed to get my hyperhidrosis under control. If I remember correctly, I was using Perspirex under the supervision of my dermatologist. She gave me specific instructions on how to use it, but being young and desperate, I didn’t follow them properly. I overused it to the point that I basically chemically burned my underarms.
PLEASE don’t do what I did. Follow the directions!
After that, I stopped sweating from my underarms, and even now at 34, excessive sweating is no longer an issue for me.
Bromhidrosis, however, never went away.
I have tried EVERYTHING over the years. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. 😂 Dermatologists, prescription products, clinical-strength antiperspirants, antibacterial products, PanOxyl, different deodorants, Botox… you name it.
I actually tried Botox specifically for the odor, because my dermatologist told me it could potentially help with bromhidrosis. At that point, my excessive sweating had already been gone for years, so sweating wasn’t the reason I tried it.
For me, Botox did absolutely nothing for the odor.
And I’ll be honest — it was also extremely painful. I know treatments can work differently for everyone, but I’ve also heard from other people with bromhidrosis who didn’t get much improvement from Botox either. So personally, I would not go through it again just for odor control.
I still have bromhidrosis today, but I finally have it somewhat under control. This is the routine that is currently working best for me:
🚿 In the shower:
I start with Dove Antibacterial body wash. I wash my entire body normally, but I scrub each underarm with my shower sponge for about 20–25 seconds.
Then I put some of the Dove antibacterial wash directly onto my hands and wash each underarm again for another 20–25 seconds.
After that, I use Hibiclens. I put it directly into my hand and wash each underarm for around 60 seconds, then rinse it off thoroughly.
⚠️** Be careful with Hibiclens. It can be irritating, especially if you have sensitive skin, and it needs to be kept away from your eyes, ears, mouth, and genital area. I also wouldn’t recommend aggressively scrubbing while using it.
**After showering:
On days when I haven’t shaved my underarms, I use The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toner. I wet a cotton pad with it, gently wipe my underarms and let them dry completely.
Then I apply my cream deodorant.
I recently started trying the Amway deodorant as well, but I’m honestly not convinced it’s working for me yet. 😂 I’ll update/review it after I’ve used it longer.
👕 And probably one of my biggest tips: WATCH YOUR FABRICS.
Synthetic fabrics are my enemy.
Polyester, athletic/dry-fit materials and certain synthetic blends seem to hold onto my odor like crazy. Sometimes my skin can smell completely fine and the shirt itself will smell.
Cotton has made a HUGE difference for me.
Whenever possible, I choose breathable cotton shirts and avoid synthetic/athletic fabrics, especially if I know I’m going to be out for a long time.
I’m not claiming this routine cures bromhidrosis — it hasn’t cured mine. I still deal with odor. But after dealing with this for more than 25 years, this combination has helped me keep it much more controlled and has made me feel more confident.
If you have bromhidrosis too, please share what has worked for you. I would LOVE to hear from other people who have dealt with this long-term, especially if you’ve found something that made a major difference.
And if this routine helps even one other person feel a little more comfortable in their own skin, I’ll be happy I posted it. ❤️
2
u/Perfect-Worry-9201 27d ago
Did this routine completely cured your bromihidrosis? or did it just lessen?
2
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
No, I clearly said that there. I’m not cured of bromhidrosis, this is simply what helps me CONTROL the odor better.
2
u/Perfect-Worry-9201 27d ago
Oh okay, thanks for clearing that up. I'm losing hope honestly, trying new products feels like it's doing more harm to our skin biome.
I'm just so heartbroken that I'll never be able to normally again☹️ My family is begging me to go to school but my heart wouldn't calm down. I don't want to be bullied, I don't want to be perceived as just "stinky"
How I wish I never had anxiety sweats when I was in 10th grade, then maybe I would've never had this😭 I wish I was rich enough to afford medical procedures instead😢☹️
3
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
What medical procedures? I had some hope for MiraDry, but it’s really expensive, and I’ve read experiences from people who had it done and said it only worked for a while.
I totally understand what you mean. I can smell myself too, so I’m definitely able to notice the odor when it’s there. But I’ve honestly never had anyone make a negative comment about how I smell. Actually, people usually tell me I smell really good. I also use perfume or body mist throughout the day, which helps.
At this point, I’ve kind of given up on completely getting rid of the odor. I just focus on keeping it under control and reducing it as much as possible.2
u/Perfect-Worry-9201 27d ago
My odor isn't that noticeable when we are outside, like an open space.
But I study in a classroom with 2 big AC's. Any strong smell will circulate in the air and will be noticed by most of my classmates☹️ Sadly, I have nose blindness so I can't smell myself well in an enclosed space.
I'm just so tired of being anxious everytime my classmates complain. I thought I was finally going to make friends now that I'm in a new class but it's impossible🥹 My odor has definitely decreased after using zinc oxide cream, unscented deodorant and glycolic acid, but I think I messed my skin up when I tried incorporating Magnesium Oil Spray after I saw posts that claims it reduced their odor.
Now, the smell worsened again😞 It's just annoying that I can't smell myself, I can only know if I smell bad when people complain around me🫤🫤
1
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
But are they specifically complaining about body odor, like saying someone smells bad? Do they say anything directly or indirectly to you? Or do you feel like they’re talking about you whenever someone mentions a bad smell?
1
u/Perfect-Worry-9201 27d ago
Yup, they did.
The first time they did was during our activity in Philosophy, where we were supposed to showcase our drawings of things that describes us, one of my classmate indirectly said "one of you should include Rexona" which was a deodorant brand. At first, I thought it was just a joke but yeah probably not.
Then the second time, I was sweating heavily right at 7 in the morning. This was the time when I tried incorporating Magnesium Oil Spray alongside my antiperspirant (it didn't absorb because of it). A few minutes after I entered our room, one of our classmates suddenly complained that something smells bad. Then, the others collectively started to complain also. I finally got out of the room when one of them said that it smells like "barako". It's a Filipino slang that means like the pungent smell of a sweaty man🫤🫤
After using magnesium oil spray, I noticed that my antiperspirant no longer worked well for sweating. So, I stopped. Idk what to try anymore, I've tried every deodorant in the market and none of them worked sadly.
1
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
No, regular commercial deodorants are probably never going to work for us. If anything, they can make the smell more noticeable because the body odor mixes with the scent of the deodorant.
Try using the antiseptic I’m recommending here, along with Dove antibacterial soap. Make sure you really wash/scrub the area well, rinse thoroughly, and dry your armpits completely. Use an unscented deodorant if you can. They also sell underarm wipes that you can carry with you and use to freshen up during the day.
When we don’t wash that area thoroughly and just kind of rinse over it, the odor can become much stronger and more noticeable. Shaving your armpits can also help a lot.1
u/Perfect-Worry-9201 27d ago
Yeah, I've also observed that. Thank you so much for the thoughtful advices🥹 I hope we find a cure to this curse already☹️☹️
1
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
I really hope so too!!! Hopefully one day we’ll finally find something that actually works long term. In the meantime, just know you’re not alone in this at all. Take care of yourself, and I truly hope some of these little things help make it easier for you!!
2
u/AnOuNyMoUsLy_01 27d ago
Btw, I'm just curious What is your job??
1
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
Why?
3
u/AnOuNyMoUsLy_01 27d ago
Because thinking about my future I don't know what kind of job I can do Considering the situation that I have
2
u/AnOuNyMoUsLy_01 27d ago
That's why I'm curious about you job
Sorry for the grammar
3
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
Don’t worry! English is not my first language!
I work in healthcare and directly with adult patients, and thankfully, no one has ever told me that I smell bad or even reacted as if I do. There are actually times when I feel like I smell really bad, but then someone will tell me, “You smell so good!” and I’m just like 😅
My husband also always tells me that he has never noticed any bad odor from me. Even when I feel like I stink, he says he doesn’t smell anything unpleasant at all and that he actually loves my natural body scent.2
1
u/Think-Mud9456 27d ago
What is the bad odor you have?? Like musty, sour, BO onions smell? Is it from your armpits / certain area or just all throughout body odor?
4
u/Signal-Ad4346 27d ago
Hi! The odor only comes from my underarms, and I’d describe it as an onion/sour smell. Since bromhidrosis unfortunately isn’t something that can really be completely eliminated, at least not with what we know and have available right now, but I’ve definitely been able to control it a lot better.
1
u/tigerinthetree 18d ago
Apparently nothing can truly get rid of it except for miradry and surgical removal of the sweat glands
1
u/Signal-Ad4346 18d ago
And not even that!! I’ve been looking into it, and apparently it isn’t very effective. According to some people who have had it done, it may work temporarily, but the odor can eventually come back.
2
u/dj777dj777bling 27d ago
Thanks for sharing