Bromhidrosis Forum...You've Been Asking, We've Been Hearing

Do I know of a good, active Bromhidrosis Forum?

C'mon, who do you think you're talking to?! Of course I know a good forum for chronic body odor.

Body odor is most difficult to deal with. When it happens in conjunction with excessive sweating, it can be traumatizing.

I've actually been getting a lot of questions in general about bromhidrosis, so I figured I'd link to a good, active forum or two. But better yet, I set up a little forum at the end of this page. Feel free to ask questions at the end of the article, and I'll respond to it ASAP.

In this article...

First we're gonna' talk all about bromhidrosis.

We're going to cover the basics...What it is, why it happens, a little bit of nerd-talk, how you can treat and probably cure it, you know, the usual.

Then finally, I'll turn the floor to you. You can ask any questions, or tell any stories about bromhidrosis that you would like. And I'll answer you within 72 hours.

What Is Bromhidrosis? (pronounced "bro-my-drosis")

Bromhidrosis (also sometimes spelled without the "h" as "bromidrosis") is a condition that sometimes accompanies excessive sweating where the sweat smells bad. Recently when I was surfing around a bromhidrosis forum, I saw a lot of people simply referring to it as "body odor."

People who suffer from bromhidrosis will take showers all the time just like everybody else, but their sweat still carries this distinct odor. Usually (not always) the odor is an unpleasant one (in most people's opinions, I guess). The levels of severity of the odor can vary. According to the bromhidrosis forum, it can range from very mild or very severe.

Ready For Some Nerd-Talk?

There's actually two different types of bromhidrosis that have subtle differences. Indeed, not many people know of this distinction. It has to do with the types of sweat glands that are affected.

Alrite...Quick sweat gland description...Basically (you may already be aware that) there are two types of sweat glands: Eccrine and Apocrine.
Eccrine sweat glands are the major sweat-daddios. That is, they produce almost all of the liquid. Their purpose is what's referred to as "thermoregulation," which I've gathered to mean "regulating body temperature." They are distributed all over the body.

Apocrine glands on the other hand are not distributed all over the body. They are localized only in certain areas: armpits or underarms, genital area, chest or breast area, and around the facial area. Apocrine sweat glands do not participate much in thermoregulation. Rather, their function is to produce pheromones. (For more information on pheromones or anything else bromhidrosis, visit the bromhidrosis forum linked at the bottom of this page.)

Eccrine Bromhidrosis Vs. Apocrine Bromhidrosis

The more prevalent form of bromhidrosis is Apocrine-style. What basically happens is that these apocrine sweat glands make their normal, non-liquid secretions, but when it reaches the surface of your skin, it's natural bacterias become decomposed. The new composition yields ammonia and other short-chain fatty acids that have particularly pungent odors. Because of the specific bacteria set-up in the "axillary" (nerd-talk for underarms) this decomposition and resulting odor happens particularly frequently in the armpit area.

There are some Eccrine-style bromhidrosis cases as well. They occur much less frequently (according to the bromhidrosis forum anyway). The process works pretty much the same way: secretion (this time it's liquid), followed by degradation or decomposition, produces odor. Eccrine secretions are odorless as they leave the body. It's when they mix with the air and your skin that they become odiferous (stinky).

Causes of Bromhidrosis

Obviously the cause of bromhidrosis is the decomposition of sweat gland secretions. So I was searching the bromhidrosis forum to figure out "What causes the decomposition?" I wasn't able to get much insight into it, but I'm still looking.

In the case of Eccrine-style bromhidrosis cases, the causes of decomposition can often be associated with certain foods or drugs that you may be having. Things like garlic, onions, spicy foods, cigarettes, and alcohol consumption will contribute to this condition. For information on the best foods to eat for excessive sweating and bromhidrosis, and also a discussion of foods you should never eat again, check out Step 3 : Body.

I did find some other interesting things in the bromhidrosis forum. It seems that Apocrine sweat gland activity and bromhidrosis are more common in men than women. Also, although occurrences have been reported throughout all races, it may be more prevalent in races of darker-skinned ethnicities. It can definitely be carried genetically as well. The majority of cases occur with younger people. Particularly during puberty and immediately afterward. This coincides with the activity of Apocrine sweat glands. For more information on dealing with bromhidrosis and teens sweating, read the Teens Sweating Articles.

Alrite, So What Do I Do About It?

So now that you're an expert on the types of bromhidrosis and the causes of it, what are you supposed to do now?

First thing I would do if I were you is click here to check out Botisul, an excellent remedy for bromhidrosis.

Then, if I were you, I'd want to know whether my bromhidrosis is of the Eccrine-style or Apocrine-style. Keep in mind that Apocrine is much more common so it's likely that. But if you're eating some of those foods that were mentioned above, experiment with cutting those out of your diet and see what happens. Give it a couple weeks to take effect.

Click here if you're looking for a more active and forum for body odor support.

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Post Questions And Comments About Bromhidrosis

You asked and I heard. You were looking for a good Bromhidrosis Forum. I know this one is still in progress, but it works for the time being.

Feel free to submit your questions and/or stories. I will respond within 72 hours. Good Luck!

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What Other Visitors Have Said

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A lot of the information on this page was learned at emedicine.com/derm/topic597.htm