Why do young children have underarm odor?

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Children with bad armpits early make themselves feel inferior and create uncomfortable feelings for people around. Understanding the causes to overcome this situation will help children develop more confidence and develop better.

1. Body's sweat glands

Sweating is quite normal in children. After being active all day, the body, clothes may smell and that is unavoidable. However, the condition of the body after being cleaned and still having an odor may be due to a physiological problem related to the body's skin organs and sweat glands.
The cause of body odor is caused by bacteria on the skin. According to researchers' statistics, there are up to 4 million sweat glands in the body but are divided into two main groups, which are:
Exocrine sweat glands: Distributed throughout the body, helping the body to regulate the body. Temperature is stabilized, toxins are eliminated from the body. Therefore, exocrine sweat glands often appear when the body has a fever or eats hot spicy foods. The sweat secreted by the exocrine sweat glands is usually water. The first sweat glands secrete: Usually concentrated in the anal areas, armpits and are very sensitive to adrenaline compounds. Therefore, the sweat of the frontal glands usually occurs when the body is engaged in physical activities or sometimes it can be caused by feelings of anxiety, stress or fear. The sweat secreted by the frontal glands is usually oily, opaque, and odorless. However, when it comes in contact with bacteria on the skin and clothing, it quickly turns into a characteristic body odor. In young children, the exocrine sweat glands are usually more active, but when they enter puberty or there are abnormal changes in the body, sweat from the sweat glands appears.
Children's bodies often have odors that sometimes we can hardly recognize. With babies and children under 8 years old, they usually won't detect body odor. But when children are about to enter puberty, the body will appear quite specific odors. Therefore, children who are just growing up and around the age of 12 start to develop body odor. This is quite normal and also indicates a sign that the child is about to enter puberty.
Usually, girls will go through puberty earlier than boys. As a result, babies will begin to show adult-smelling sweat. It is also a sign that the child is developing very normally. Meanwhile, boys will start to have body odor 1 to 2 years later. If a 3-year-old child has the same body odor as an adult, parents need to take the child to the doctor to be able to determine the cause.

2. Causes of premature armpit odor in children

Precocious puberty in children is a common cause of premature underarm odor in children. When a child experiences precocious puberty, an overproduction of certain hormones such as DHEA causes a bad odor in the armpits. Along with underarm odor, the child's body also begins to have some changes such as pubic hair and acne.
Some other causes of premature armpit odor in children are:
Due to problems related to phenylketonuria: This is considered a problem of disordered metabolism of phenylalanine compounds into tyrosine due to a deficiency in the body. phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme. Tyrosine is known as an important precursor for the production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter catecholamines along with thyroid hormones and melanin. If your child's underarm odor due to these problems is not treated early, it can develop foul odors in their skin, breath, and even urine. Trimethylaminuria, also known as fish odor syndrome, is caused by a rare metabolic disorder that causes defects in the body's production of the flavin enzyme. Normally, when monooxygenase 3 does not work properly or the amount of this enzyme produced is not enough compared to the needs, the body will lose the ability to break down trimethylamine in the process of digesting food into trimethylamine oxide. This causes the body to accumulate substances that produce odors in the armpits, urine, sweat, breath and its smell is very heavy and fishy. Due to association with hyperhidrosis syndrome: This condition is common in children and adolescents. The cause may be due to the child's habit of using too many carbonated drinks or eating a lot of spicy food with intense physical activity. This sweating condition occurs not only in the armpits but also on the whole body. Sweating can also be caused by bacterial infections, hormonal disorders in puberty.... Due to food habits and lack of body hygiene: Food can also be the cause. The state of body odor, especially in the armpits, breath... Babies with underarm odor can also be caused by laziness in personal hygiene, such as wearing smelly clothes or excessive exercise that causes sweating. much but do not clean the body regularly. Moreover, when children start puberty, armpit hair will also appear, creating conditions for bacteria to live and wait for favorable conditions to grow and multiply. Therefore, if the child does not keep personal hygiene clean, there will be bad odors in the armpits and private parts of the body.

3. How to help prevent body odor and underarm odor in children

Here are some ways to cure underarm odor and prevent body odor in children:
Maintain good personal hygiene: Parents should guide children on proper hygiene to limit body odor. Make sure your child's clothes are always clean and don't wear the clothes from the day before. Parents should guide children to drink plenty of water to help detoxify the body and help reduce odors. Avoiding the use of foods that cause odors is one of the ways to treat underarm odor in children. Instead, choose foods that can help deodorize and create fragrance for the body, such as sage, rosemary... In short, there are many causes of underarm odor in children. , such as eating habits, early puberty, or fish odor syndrome... Finding out the causes to overcome this situation will help children develop confidence and develop better.
With many years of experience in examining and treating diseases in children, now the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital has become one of the major health care centers, capable of examining , screening and treatment of many specialized diseases in children. Therefore, if the child has early signs of underarm odor due to a medical condition or has a strong body odor, parents can take the child to Vinmec International General Hospital for examination and receive support and advice from the doctors. doctor, health professional.

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