My armpit smells awful recently - even after showering

EEEEW. Yeah that is BAD. The only thing I have to say to you is to look at WHAT is actually causing your sweat to stink so much; things that can make you smell really bad are being very stressed, using the wrong deodorant and especially OVERUSING IT (try one of those natural mineral ones instead), wearing synthetic fibers, and even having vitamin deficiencies or being on a low carb diet. Yes FOR REAL. So I'd see what could be causing your stinky sweat by eliminating one of the things on that list you do at a time. If one stops you smelling bad, then there's your culprit.

I've got plenty of experience with smelly armpits, unfortunately. It started since I was a teen, involving both excess sweating that soaked shirts and excessive smell. Deodorants didn't work. I tried all kinds of them, and always got the same result: the smell and the sweating didn't stop. In the end, I saw my doctor about it. He told me to apply Neosporin. Neosporin is an antibiotic cream usually used for little cuts and scrapes or very minor skin infections, things that don't require systemic antibiotics. I was amazed to find that it solved my smelly armpit problem almost right away. I know how much sweating can really impact your life so I felt compelled to let you know about this, and I hope it will work for you too.

Hey,

I've also got this problem. I've always had it though. I started getting body odor pretty early on, I don't think I was even 10, and nothing has really worked for me until recently. I saw a deodorant advertised as being against stress sweating and I thought "wow that sounds interesting" so I got it. It has zinc in it. Full disclosure: my armpits don't smell like roses now that I use this zinc deodorant. They do smell a lot better though, and that's saying a lot. It's... nivea I think? It comes as a roll on and a spray. After I figured the spray worked better than most other deodorants, I also bought the roll on and now use both together. Most days, I can get through the day without a wet tshirt, which is a huge improvement.

Nina

Body odor is a really awkward thing to have, isn't it? There are a few things you can do to try and get rid of it, but I don't know if it works for everyone. Here's something that actually works for me. I am using baking soda, believe it or not. I do it by grinding the baking soda to a really fine powder, and then I slightly wet my armpits and put the baking powder dust under my arms. I let it stay there for a little while and then wipe it off with a dry cloth. Then I get dressed and don't use any deodorant and I smell fine. I've also heard that it is possible to mix the baking soda with some corn starch. And put a few drops of essential oil in there. Something fresh like lemon. Or orange. Then you do the same procedure.

Me too. Of course I shower, of course I use deodorant (which one haven't I tried? every one on the market I think), of course I am not dirty. It makes me feel enormously embarrassed. Tried wiping my armpits with tea tree oil, baking soda, the whole natural lot as well. NOTHING. NOTHING will work for this. Very frustrating especially when you ask around and people suggest try deodorant. Duh.

Hiya,

Iontophoresis is a medical treatment for excessive sweats that's widely used for people who've got the sweating on their feet and the palms of their hands. It's not so often used for the armpit region simply 'cause that area is much more prone to irritation and also 'cause its more difficult to immerse the armpits. It is done sometimes though, so perhaps something to ask your doctor about?

Botox is another very effective treatment for excessive sweating and the one I'd be looking into seriously if I was you. Botox actually stops the signal that makes you sweat and it's meant to keep your armpits dry for over six months at a time. Doesn't sound like a very pleasant thing to go through to be honest, but twice a year sounds doable and by the sounds if it it's gonna make your life a whole lot better. 

Thank you all! I have received some good tips here. It is so bad at this point. I might have a shower and completely clean my armpit with that antibacterial soap about three times then apply deodorant right away after the shower and when I go out I can smell myself. That Neosporin sounds good. Do I need an RX for that or can I just go out and buy it? I don't want a doctor to smell my stinky armpit. It is so embarrassing.

Hi,

I wanted to share something that helped me, in case it could help you too. Ever since I started puberty, I had smelly armpits about five minutes after taking a shower, despite using deodorant. It was incredibly embarrassing and kept me from going out. Because my armpits smelled so terrible, I didn't really think that all natural treatments would do me any good. Having nothing to lose, I tried vinegar under my arms anyway. I put it on right after showing and then let it air dry. Once my pits were dry, I followed up with baking soda. Imagine how surprised I was when my armpits stayed smell free all day! You don't think that simple household ingredients would be so potent, but it really does work for me and many others have success with the same method. Don't knock it before you try it, in other words.

Mags

Hey, this is like the third time I have heard about people using vinegar and baking soda under their armpits. I suffer from excessive sweating as well, and have for as long as I can remember, even before starting puberty really. I look for solutions from time to time, and when people mention vinegar and baking soda in those how-to articles, I assume that the authors just wrote down something but that they haven't tried it themselves and that it does not work. Because why should these things work when heavy duty deodorants don't? I'm female and have been using men's deodorant, which works a touch better than female deodorants, especially if you look for the sports ones. But I am most definitely going to try this out now that I have heard that actual people use it!

I am sorry to say this, but it sounds like you have a medical problem rather than a cosmetic problem on your hands here. If you have tried out numerous over the counter deodorants and tried other anti-perspiring strategies as well and you still find that you have very smelly armpits — whereas you did not have that problem before — you should look for the medical cause behind this. It is time to approach your doctor with questions about this. Armpits that suddenly sweat and smell like hell are not normal. There could be a hormonal cause that you really need to know about.

Try this:

1. Use an ANTIBACTERIAL wash instead of any regular shower gel or soap. Body odor is caused by bacteria, and an antibacterial wash will kill many of those, which should reduce your body odor to the point where you smell fresh after your shower.

2. Use an antiperspirant instead of a deodorant. Deodorants only mask the smell but antiperspirants stop sweating. This is a much better option for people like you.

3. If you are still smelly, mix one teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water. This is a great way to eliminate body odor. In addition or instead, using a hand sanitizer on your armpits may also help. Again, because it kills bacteria.

Good luck!

Did this work for you? I'm having same problem and thought I'd try the neosporin.

Hello Botox didnt help my armpits from not smelling. I was blasted with 60 mils . A top sydney cosmetic surgeon did it and it cost $3000. I noticed they still had a smell. He said that the operation to removed the sweat glands, which he does with south eastern patients that request it allot costs around the same! That would remove the smell as it is removed from your body but the warmth of your skin still brings it out. The sweat doesnt usually smell but in the armpits it does. its the glands and bacteria on the skin.