It seems age 40 is a milestone for aging and yet another time for change in our bodies. I now need bifocals, I have dryer hair, my wrinkles multiplied, my toe hair had a growth spurt, and my muffin top just won’t stop (that one you might be able to blame on the donuts, but I’d rather just say it is my 46 year-old hormones).
The other thing that appeared once I turned 40 was a distinctive under arm odor. I used to be relatively pleasant smelling most of the time. Until the age 40, when noticed that I stink! Not just oh-that-is-cute odor, but like WHOA, I need a shower. Body odor over 40? Yeah, I got that.
THE WHY:
- Good ol’ fashion stress. Women over 40 have a lot going on in our lives. Perhaps I am just an over worked, under hydrated, sleep-deprived, frazzled mama and that’s why I have body odor over 40. Sweat caused by anxiety or stress is produced differently than sweat from exercise. Anxiety sweat is formed in the apocrine glands and is a sort of fatty sweat (gross) that bacteria love to live in. Growth of this bacteria causes a different and often more pronounced odor. Sometimes we don’t even think we are stressed and our bodies have a way of giving us physical symptoms for an emotional state. Lady, listen to your body. Take a spa day! (Check out fellow mom, Heather, and her post on Six Ways to Everyday Serenity)
- The food we eat. Maybe you just found a new and exiting recipe for Brussels sprouts and have had it three times this week. Similarly, perhaps you are cooking with spices such as curry and garlic or lots of onions. Veggies such as asparagus can leak compounds like sulfur into your sweat glands resulting in BO. (This is why I stick with donuts instead of veggies!). You may also be developing a food intolerance.
- Hormone imbalance and body odor often go together. For example, dips in estrogen can trigger hot flashes and night sweats, meaning you just sweat more. You may need to learn the word “premenopausal”. Or, quite simply, you might weigh more that you did pre-baby and that brings changes to your body chemistry as well.
Here are a Few Tips For How I Combat Body Odor Over 40:
- After a shower, I immediately put deodorant on under my arms. AND really get it into the nooks and crannies of that under arm fat. Yup, another gift of age is under arm wrinkles.
- Use soap. I use Dial soap. It is antibacterial and in my opinion (well, really my mother’s) it kills bacteria on your skin, which is precisely the agent of stink. Regardless of the type of soap you use, you need to wash well under your arms and then dry them well to prevent the growth of bacteria. Sweat does not stink…it’s the bacteria.
- Exfoliate your under arms. Buy a nice exfoliating scrub and add it to your shower routine. The exfoliation can help unclog hair follicles from old deodorant residue and skin cells (ew) which is where bacterial like to hide. Bonus, you’ll have delightfully smooth and younger looking underarms.
- I’ve saved the best for last. You ready!! I went out and had the hair under my arms lasered. That’s right, hair gone. Pores closed. Body odor significantly diminished. I went to Suite Six Med Spa in Newburyport because there was a GROUPON. Highly recommend. Moreover, it was only slightly uncomfortable but totally worth it. Bonus! Less shaving, no more dark stubble under my arms that itches from sweat. And better yet, they are kinda pretty…as far as underarms go.
Other Body Odor Remedies?
I’d love to hear from ladies who use the crystal deodorant, powers or prescription deodorants. Maybe you wax? How do those work for you to combat body odor?
As always, us moms need to stick together and help each other through these adventurous time.
