Apocrine Glands  |
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Eccrine Glands  |
The culprits are the sebaceous gland, apocrine gland and eccrine gland. But without these glands we could die as our body will overheat. When the body needs to regulate temperature the eccrine and apocrine glands produce sweat.
Armpit odor usually starts at puberty, for that is when the sweat glands become active, specifically the eccrine and appocrine glands.
Eccrine glands are coiled tubular glands that are distributed all over the body from the outer layer of the skin and extend to the inner layer. The sweat from the eccrine gland releases a fluid that is 99% water and some electrolytes, urea and amino acids. This fluid or sweat is odorless.
Apocrine glands, on the other hand, are mainly present in the armpit and genital areas. But when the body needs to sweat to cool off, things change. The apocrine gland releases a milky fluid that is mixed with another oily fluid released by the sebaceous gland called sebum. When microorganisms or bacteria form on the apocrine gland sweat (containing sebum) broken down by the hair and skin cells in the armpit, an acid called 2-methyl-3-hexenoic is created. Presto! This acid causes the unpleasant smell of armpit odor.
Sebaceous glands are holocrine glands located in the dermis. They are found mostly all over the body but there aren’t as many on the hands and feet. The sebaceous glands are also common around the genitals and in the mid-back.
Sebaceous glands are usually associated with a hair follicle and release their holocrine secretion (sebum) into the hair follicle and are carried out to the surface of the skin. When this happens, the sebum interacts with the sweat from the apocrine and eccrine glands and create the chemical reaction causing odor. This is also a contributing factor as to why men produce more odor than women because women shave the hair on their armpits while men do not.
Sebaceous glands are active even before birth but become a lot more active during puberty. The sex hormones (androgens) control the quantity of sebum produced by the sebaceous glands. Thus, as these hormones start to become active in puberty, the BO becomes more prominent.
Sebum, created by the sebaceous gland is made up of glycerides, free fatty acids, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters and cholesterol. Sebum protects the skin from becoming dry; however it is also the main contributing factor to the armpit odor as it creates a chemical reaction with the sweat produced by eccrine and apocrine glands.
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