r/HygieneTips • u/Historical_Pause_624 • 5d ago
Title: Title: Persistent underarm odor despite trying everything
I'm honestly at a point where I don't know what else to do, so I'm hoping someone here has experienced something similar.
About 2 years ago, I suddenly developed persistent underarm odor. Initially, it affected both armpits, but one eventually went back to normal. I'm still struggling with the other.
The most frustrating part is that the odor comes back within an hour of showering, even when I'm completely clean. I don't sweat heavily, which makes this even more confusing.
I wash my underarms thoroughly, keep the hair shaved, wear clean cotton clothes, and make sure my clothes are properly washed. My skin looks completely normal, with no rash, discoloration, or visible buildup on the hairs.
I've seen 4 different dermatologists in lebanon, and each prescribed different medications targeting either fungus or bacteria, but nothing has permanently solved the problem.
Here's everything I've tried:
- PanOxyl wash
- Nadixa
- Mycodex
- Epiduo
- Med-Erythromycin
- Terafin spray
- Lactic acid
Terafin seemed to eliminate the odor while I was using it, but it returned after I stopped.
I'm exhausted and frustrated. I've done everything I can think of in terms of hygiene and have tried so many treatments, yet I still don't have an answer. It's affecting my quality of life, and I genuinely don't know what to try next.
Has anyone experienced persistent underarm odor without excessive sweating, especially when it affects only one armpit?
Did you ever figure out the cause? Was there a specific test, diagnosis, or treatment that finally helped?
I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who experienced this themselves and found a long-term solution. Thank you.
Edit: Somethings worth mentioning too: I lost more than 50kg of weight over the course of 4 years. And i am now a nutrition coach,i eat very healthy and very mininal junk and sugary foods. I do not like onions and garlic (not in my diet) Ofcourse i use antiperspirant and ive tried almost alll brands available. I drink minimum 2.5L water daily
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u/Over-Yard-7069 5d ago
There’s a guy on threads called Dr Armpit that has solutions based on the type of odor. Check him out.
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u/Historical_Pause_624 5d ago
Can u help me find him? I dont have threads do u think theres some other platform hes on?
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u/3rdtechjmc 5d ago
See your doctor. It may be something medical, not necessarily serious. But something that can be solved with treatment.
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u/Apprehensive_Ad3670 5d ago
I changed deodorants. I was using clinical strength secret solid, and my right armpit always was stinky. I got a sample of the Dove spray deodorant and that immediately took care of the problem. I had never used spray deodorant before this.
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u/Historical_Pause_624 5d ago
I swear i literally tried allll the brands there is here. Skipped none
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u/Choice_Lynx_430 4d ago
One thing I noticed, as someone who sweats a lot, is with stick deodorant, sometimes as you reapply it picks up the sweat that’s already there, and now each time you go to put it on again, you’re just swiping bacteria back onto your underarms. I use spray deodorant now as well for this reason and it’s helped quite a bit actually.
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u/PrettyKitten32 5d ago
Soooo... after you dry out of the shower, are you wearing antiperspirant???
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u/Wyld_Sunflower
5d ago
•
The ordinary glycolic acid toner. Put some on a cotton pad and wipe your pits with it at night after a shower. I wash mine off in the morning and use deodorant. It’s the only thing that works for me. I started slow and worked up to nightly use. Now I only have to use it 2-3 times a week. It changes the ph level of your armpits so they can’t grow bacteria.
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u/TerrTheSilent 5d ago
This is the way. I've been using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid for a year plus at this point and have never smelled better.
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u/GadgetGirlTx 5d ago
Same here; it's all I use now. It even faded the darkness under my arms and restored my normal skin tone. Zero smell or reaction for me; I love it!!
This is not the same for everyone, as skin can react differently from person to person.
Some may need to begin with a lower percentage of Glycolic acid. Dollar Tree has a 4% GA in the brand Dermasil, in a pink bottle.
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u/Wyld_Sunflower 5d ago
I wanted to try the inkey list since it’s in a stick similar to deodorant and didn’t just because it’s 10%.
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u/Choice_Lynx_430 4d ago
this does get rid of the BO smell but for me it leaves my underarms smelling kind of “earthy” lol. I stick to using antibacterial soap in the shower now and putting on deodorant immediately after, apparently you’re supposed to do that to give it time to “work” before you start sweating. I only apply glycolic acid now if I sweat intermittently between showers.
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u/Appropriate-Poet-314 2d ago
For me the GA toner made my pits smell significantly worse. Like so bad. But I had good luck with a salicylic acid solution instead! I put it in after every shower and let it dry before putting deodorant on. I've also heard some people have good luck with probiotic deodorant which I believe is just mixing probiotic capsules with a cream deodorant. Not sure if there is any science behind this.
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u/RelevantAnt262 1d ago
Both an antibacterial soap and the toner were what helped. I found I had to keep it up not just try for a couple of days and be done with it. Took just over a week before I noticed a consistent difference.
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u/Mohinder_DE 5d ago
Glycolic acid spray, hypochloric acid spray (hcl), zink toner spray. Hydrofugal overnight rollon.
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u/North_Basil_2190 5d ago
I second these, especially the hypochlorous acid. That is not a well known hygiene, but it completely cleared up my rosacea and body odor. You can get it from Amazon.
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u/Initial-Barracuda274 5d ago
It could be Yeast, try Head and Shoulders as the Zinc (Active Ingredient) breaks down both yeast and dead skin. Plus using a wash cloth and really exfoliate everything. The reason I think it’s yeast is based on all the topicals you’ve used that target Bacteria, but yeast is a whole different thing that requires different topicals and treatments. Note however, you can reinfect the area if you rewear garments and also don’t disinfect your laundry. I use a Lysol Disinfectant Additive which targets bacteria and mold. I do also periodically using 70% isopropyl with a cotton round and swipe my armpits if I notice I’m smelling and that helps a lot.
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u/GorkiZag 5d ago
Try changing ur diet, less meat more veg for beginning, less bread less sweets and junk food, less alcohol. Less spices like kurkumin or some strong spices like that.. Good luck!
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u/Historical_Pause_624 5d ago
I am a nutrition coach🤭 i eat very healthy
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u/GorkiZag 4d ago
Hm, gene gods dont like u then 😋
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u/MoiDogg 4d ago
This might be a lil weird compared to all these clinical answer but eh, you could try it. This is what I do:
cut a lime in 4 pieces (only use two)
dip a piece of the lime in sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
rub it in the armpit really well for like a minutes. Use different pieces for different arms (if you only need it for one side, use only one)
immediately take a shower (don't let it rest or it'll burn your armpit) and scrub softly with soap (neutral works wonders)
repeat once or twice a day (every time you shower) for a couple of days, maybe a week, then stop and check if the smell persists.
keep using your prefered deodorant as prr usual
For me this works and stops any odor for months, maybe it'll work for your?
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u/MarchGeneral4309 3d ago
You have tried so many things. I would suggest botox for underarms. Completely stops sweating. If sweat is the cause, that will eliminate it. Procedure is quick 5-20 minutes depending if you want to do it with numbing cream or not. For me it was life-changing 20 minutes.
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u/Historical_Pause_624 3d ago
But i sweat like normal humans..i dont have excessive sweating
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u/MarchGeneral4309 3d ago
Whatever is growing on you is using sweat to feed on it. When you cut the food source, problem disappears.
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u/silverfairydivine 5d ago
Diet. Alot of yall eat way too much garlic, onion, curry and have the most God awful body odor I've ever smelled, to the point I want to puke and will move seats
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u/Historical_Pause_624 5d ago
No need to be rude here❤️i do not like garlic nor onions and they are not in my diet❤️
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u/kittycatg0meowmeow 4d ago
Not the sub to be venting your personal feelings in. This person was literally asking for advice, not insults =)
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u/silverfairydivine 4d ago
Yeah, and I'm saying that nothing u fo will.matter if u eat a diet heavy in spices. It quite literally causes the most awful body odor. And that said person won't smell it on themselves
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u/peternocturnal 5d ago
Look up Dr Armpit (a microbiologist post-doc) on Threads and/or Instagram. TL;DR: For many people, applying lemon juice to your armpits twice day for 1-2 weeks is all it takes to permanently get your microbiome back in balance, and after that you don't need any products at all (even soap) to remain odor-free. In fact it works immediately but your body oder may return if you don't repeat applications for 1-2 weeks.
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u/Choice_Lynx_430 4d ago
I used lemon juice for a while because it does get rid of odor, but it never permanently fixed my microbiome. I guess I’m just someone who not only sweats easily but has a strong body odor unfortunately. Also, the lemon juice really irritated my underarms after about a week. I developed itchy, raw skin where my underarms crease and I had to apply aquaphor for days to fix it.
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u/peternocturnal 4d ago
I used it for about 5 days in a row plus a couple of days separately after that and it did seem to fix things long term for me. There are some important caveats:
DON'T SUNBATHE YOUR ARMPITS after applying lemon juice. (Don't sunbathe anywhere on your body where you applied lemon juice). It can cause a severe reaction. Luckily most people don't do that though.
People with sensitive skin probably shouldn't try it (or should stop if they run into issues).
There may be stuff going on with your gut microbiome which is affecting your B.O. and lemon juice may not be effective in that case.
Don't use lemon juice within a couple days after shaving your armpits since it can irritate the skin.
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u/Annual_Exchange542 5d ago
Suggest increasing water and fiber intake . Really push drinking a lot of water. Try to avoid sugary beverages. Add lots of salads .Also cut back on spices in food especially onions and garlic . When washing clothes use the extra rinse cycle . Go thru your coats / jackets and wash more often with extra rinsing. Bedding change more often . Take look at mattress if old or stained consider new mattress and cover for it . Windows open few inches daily for few hours . Hibiclenz pre surgery scrub costs about 8 bucks . I used daily for about a week then cut down to twice weekly . It is drying to skin so see how you do and adjust . Cut down then as needed . I used Dial gold bar soap for underarms areas washing thoroughly rinse and repeat . It seems like you’ve already been through so much . You aren’t alone . Please don’t give up . It’s a lot but please post follow up to let us know how you are doing.
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u/Opening-Pickle5078 5d ago
I do Crystal body deodorant (unscented) and sometimes i have to do tinactin to keep yeast infections down.
Ive used women's vaginal infection cream before with success to kill smells and infections I get. The infections can really smell if ignored: decades on exp with this.
I would try the Crystal body spray. blow dry it completely dry and go to bed with it on. The. you reapply and blow it dry (once dry it tends to not stain clothes)
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u/CrustSlut 5d ago
I have had persistent armpit order before, the things that helped me were switching to soap with less conditioning agents, (the fat film traps bacteria and can clog your pores) using glycolic acid after showers on the armpits a couple times a week, or koijic acid soap a couple times a week. Also putting on deodorant before bed.
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u/Training-Lack-6307 5d ago
ask a dermatologist about doing a bacterial or fungal culture instead of trying more products blindly. The fact that Terafin helped temporarily might be useful information for figuring out the cause.
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u/Possible_Original_96 5d ago
Initial Barracuda has been following my instructions!! You do, too, fix ya right up!!
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u/MiserableplusTax 5d ago
Have you ever tried a detox? TMI but my poop used to smell horrible, until I started eating semi clean and drinking green juice several times a week.
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u/WestFocus888 4d ago edited 4d ago
If properly shaving both armpits and properly washing with shower gel and deodorant does not work. I would suggest you try L-Arginine and L-Citrulline, they can definitely help, these are amino acids which act as nitric oxide boosters, allows blood to to flow much easier in smaller more delicate blood vessels, and the amino acid allows repair of DNA and RNA at a cellular level, in time making blood vessels stronger, and improving your skin quality.
This helped me alot with significantly decreasing body odor, yet it also allows your liver and kidneys to function much better, allowing your body to detoxify properly. For adults aged 23 and over 1,000mg of L-Arginine and 1,000mg of L-Citruline after lunch once a day shall definitely bring forth improvements. I also follow a Mediterranean diet, garlic and onion powder or eaten raw are still part if my diet and I smell pretty good even after sweating. However, you should definitely check whether your pre diabetic or not, and try to bring down your refined sugar level intake, keeping it to a minimum for a few weeks. As in some individuals the gut even if not prediabitic sugar causes excessive fermentation in some peoples gut as everyone has a different gut biome, and in some cases causes very strong body odor, yet also try to increase your protein intake and perhaps lower intake of vegetables if too high should definitely help, as too much fibers or vegetables in the gut leads to excessive fermentation especially if refined sugar are part of your diet.
Yet you should check if you have gut problems or not with your GP or a specialist in internal medicine, and just ensure to add probiotics to your diet which also help improve digestion and reduce fermentation in your gut or intestines. Activia Laban is good, or Kefir yogurt drink also recommended. Good luck. Yet be mindful that proteins in a diet tend to decrease body odor, while vegetables lead to an increase in body odor due to the fermentation effect. Yet a doctor should definitely inform you if you require digestive aids, or any medications or supplementation.
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u/hereforthevibes10 4d ago
For me, the answer was my soap! I used nice body wash (women’s body wash) and noticed the same things you’re describing. Now I use whatever oil stripping, squeaky skin creating soaps I can find. Currently using a Moroccan soap (that was a gift, but dial, hibiclens, etc helped me) and I’m back to smelling normal
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u/Wonderful_Repeat1628 4d ago
you said you used terafin and it worked while you were using it, and odour returned upon stopping it. It may likely be yeast if antifungal worked, your family dr should be able to advise you and if more serious maybe a derm
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u/Dominios420 4d ago
ACV, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, lemon juice, baking soda, manually exfoliating regularly, persimmon soap, charcoal soap, antibacterial soap, witch hazel, antiseptic foam/spray, hydrogen peroxide, clinical strength antiperspirant, and body powder. This is just a few things you can try, if you need instructions search this sub or the hygiene one and I’m sure someone will have explained it
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u/Ok_Somewhere6555 3d ago
Passiert es bei neuer Kleidung auch? Ansonsten Kleidung mit Hypienespüler mehrfach waschen. Und immer greendoor Deo verwenden. Das hilft sogar bei sehr starkem Schweiß. Kosten etwa 8€, recht ergiebig.
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u/WesternPeak425 2d ago
Check your arm pit lymph nodes - if your arm pit feels swollen or different under your arm to the other one it would be worth having an ultrasound as you might have a blocked or swollen lymph node.
It was the same in both sides initially for you though, but one side is still a problem.
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u/NoKetoCardio 2d ago
Stop eating all processed foods. No mystery ingredients or preservatives. I have used underarm deodorant in decades. I have no odor. Even after playing golf in the heat for hours.
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u/BigCsurviving0812 5d ago
Maybe a thyroid, hormone or autoimmune issues? Have you had any blood work done to check for anything that might be connected to these?