Armpit odor, commonly known as “fox odor”, is distributed in the body surface skin, such as armpits, perineum, back parts of the sweat gland secretions produced by the emanation of a special odor, especially in summer, the armpits emit a strong special odor, even with the use of the most expensive perfume can not cover up the body of the unpleasant odor. When armpit odor is serious, it affects the patient’s interpersonal communication, causes a great psychological burden on the patient, and even affects the daily life and work, so that the patient becomes inferiority complex, withdrawn, self-enclosed, and unwilling to socialize. How does armpit odor come about? There are two types of sweat glands in the human body: the large sweat glands and the small sweat glands. The former distribution range is relatively limited, only distributed in the armpit, the external auditory canal and vulva and other parts, the latter almost everywhere in the body are distributed; sweat secreted by the sweat glands, containing a large number of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acids are decomposed by bacteria on the surface of the skin, can produce small molecules with a strong odor of organic matter, is the main source of armpit odor. Two conditions are needed for the production of armpit odor: bacteria on the body surface and secretions from the sweat glands. Due to the abnormal secretory function of the sweat glands: they are numerous, large, and highly secretory. The sweat excreted by the sweat glands is subjected to bacterial decomposition, resulting in odor. Since the development of the parietal sweat glands is influenced by sex hormones, the onset of the disease mostly occurs at puberty. When the summer temperature is high, drinking alcohol or emotional excitement, the sweat increases and the odor tends to be more intense. Armpit odor is also related to heredity, many patients have a family history, and to female puberty for more. What are the symptoms of armpit odor? People suffering from armpit odor are generally manifested as: moist or sticky at the ear canal; sticky underarm sweat, underwear has an odor of yellow; armpit hair has white crystals, hand touching the armpit after an unpleasant odor; distance 2-3 meters, others can smell the pungent odor; body odor is obviously different from the norm, the normal smell of sweat is heavier. Its clinical manifestations are relatively clear, the patient often with bilateral armpit unpleasant odor to the clinic. What are the common treatment methods for armpit odor? Mainly divided into surgical therapy and non-surgical therapy. The production of armpit odor is related to the above two factors, so the methods that can reduce the secretion of sweat glands and reduce the number of bacteria on the surface of the armpit skin can be effective. 1, non-surgical treatment ① through the external application of antiperspirant and antibacterial drugs containing fragrances, so that the secretion of sweat is reduced to achieve relief. Topical application of ice chips, talcum powder, Cecropia, to reduce secretion of sweat glands; local use of 75% alcohol or 0.5% androsterone (PVP -I disinfectant) to kill local bacteria. But because it can not completely destroy the sweat glands, it can only play a role in alleviating the role of the method is more suitable for patients with less bad odor. ② drug local injection method is usually alcohol, sodium cod liver oil acid, urea and other sclerosing agents in the armpit skin injection, so that the subcutaneous tissue fibrosis and protein denaturation, resulting in sweat gland atrophy and duct occlusion, thus effectively inhibiting the secretion of sweat glands to achieve the therapeutic effect, this method is prone to cause local tissue necrosis. 2, surgical therapy from the physiological and anatomical point of view, sweat gland is located in the deep skin and fat layer, sweat gland duct opening in the hair follicle of the upper one-third of the opening, a few direct opening in the skin surface, armpit odor surgical therapy is through the surgical way, destruction of human body sweat glands or cut off the sweat gland conduit, to prevent the sweat discharge, so as to be able to achieve the purpose of the elimination of the sweat smell fundamentally. ①Armpit skin excision The purpose of this method is to remove the sweat glands. During the operation, a pike-shaped incision is made along the growth area of the armpit hair, and the skin is separated with a knife to reach the edge of the armpit hair, and the skin with armpit hair is removed, and then the incision is closed with a suture at the end. Advantages: clean and thorough treatment, not easy to recur. Disadvantages: the incision is large, often because of the removal of too much skin, resulting in excessive tension at the incision, affecting the healing, or the formation of scar contracture after healing, in severe cases, lifting the upper arm will produce a pulling sensation, which affects the movement of the upper limbs. The scars are often easily visible when wearing swimsuits or lifting the arms in the summer, affecting aesthetics, which makes it unacceptable to many patients. This procedure is only suitable for patients with severe armpit odor. ② Botulinum toxin underarm injection therapy is mainly to reduce the secretion of armpit sweat by blocking the nerve conduction effect, to achieve the purpose of treating bad odor. It is suitable for mild to moderate patients, patients who are afraid of surgery, and patients between the ages of 14 and 18 who are not suitable for surgery and other treatments. Its advantages are non-invasive and no recovery period, immediate hit and go, the treatment process of 20 minutes, and thorough odor elimination. Its disadvantage is that the efficacy is short, generally 6 – 18 months, most of them are 6 – 12 months, and need regular treatment. ③ Minimally invasive surgical therapy is currently a more ideal method of removal, this surgery is in the armpit along the direction of the skin texture to make an incision of about 1 – 3 cm or so, and then a special surgical instrument will be used to scrape the sweat glands of the armpit one by one, and then use a fine line in the incision suture. The advantages are short operation time, slight trauma, fast postoperative recovery, small hidden incisions, scarring is not obvious, and some are hardly visible. It is possible to achieve 60 – 90% results (depending on the skill of the doctor). The disadvantage is that the treatment may not be complete, and it is related to the doctor’s technique and some previous treatments. ④Cautery method It is the use of laser, high-frequency electroacupuncture, electrolysis, etc., through the cauterization effect or thermal effect, so that the skin forms scar tissue, blocking the discharge of glandular secretion, destroying the hair follicles and sweat glands to achieve the therapeutic purpose. The advantage of this method is simple operation, small damage, but the disadvantage is that the operation requirements are relatively high, need multiple treatments and easy to produce scars affecting the appearance, some patients may be left with cauterization scars under the armpits, serious scar hyperplasia, and even cause bilateral upper limb activity limitations. In addition to treating armpit odor through therapeutic means to avoid the problem of armpit odor, the most important thing is still the usual cleaning and care, including should bathe frequently, change clothes diligently, wear light, breathable tops, pay attention to armpit cleaning. Avoid oily, heavy and spicy foods and stimulating foods in your diet. You can eat more moisture-inducing foods, such as green beans, barley, winter melon, watermelon and so on. Finally, it should be emphasized that armpit odor does not affect physical health, and it is recommended that patients do not pursue radical treatment to avoid accidents or sequelae such as postoperative infection and scar growth. Before the treatment of armpit odor patients, it is best to consult a specialist, do not blindly treatment.