Submitted by haribobosses t3_11jp4cn in askscience
Are the bacterial colonies different? Why can’t a foot ever smell like an armpit? Or a crotch, for that matter?
Submitted by haribobosses t3_11jp4cn in askscience
Are the bacterial colonies different? Why can’t a foot ever smell like an armpit? Or a crotch, for that matter?
[removed]
[removed]
[removed]
Eccrine sweat glands are present throughout the body, while apocrine sweat glands are confined mostly to the groin and armpit. Eccrine sweat is mostly water, while apocrine sweat is viscous, fat-rich sweat which bacteria love to break down and therefore results in body odour.
Thanks. But why is it unique-smelling? I've never met someone with armpit stink in their crotch.
It's possible that more androstenone is secreted at the groin that at the armpit, and that sweat that is secreted at the armpit is more sulfurous.
This. The apocrine glands are more dense in those areas and have more reactive androgen and estrogen receptors. They also may be more dense in steroidogenesis enzymes which change cholesterol/other steroids into other compounds.
A common effect of anabolic steroids is a massive change to your armpit smell.
The compounds produced are different due to different metabolism. Bacteria are different. There are several types of bacteria and their by products are different. So the environment in the armpits are more suitable to certain type of bacteria that produce the by product that smells like armpit.
[removed]
I appreciate your taking the time.
Can I ask a follow up? Why makes the armpit environment so different from a crotch environment?
It is like a mini ecosystem. Just like how a jungle is different than a sea. Level of sweat, ingredients in sweat, rival bacteria etc.
[removed]
To me it’s more like the jungle is different than the woodland.
Rival bacteria is precisely the point. Clearly a specific bacteria can come to dominate an armpit that never has a chance elsewhere.
I want to know why. What makes the armpit better suited than the crotch for that particular BO smell.
[removed]
Well armpits constantly sweat providing higher moisture. While crotch does not always sweat constantly.
Interesting. Conjecture or researched fact?
Researched. It should be in the sweat glands section of physiology textbooks
So with enough sweat I can get my balls to smell like BO?
[deleted] t1_jb80vr3 wrote
[removed]