bad body odor since puberty

[john9v]

i started to have a bad body odor when i was 13 , until then i had no problems at all , now i'm 22 and this condition is making my life a living hell ,i really dont know what future i can have like this, i have no friends , had to drop out of med school cause people cant bear to stay near me

i'm a very clean person , i shower at least once a day , my clothes are always clean , my house couldn't be cleaner , the problem is that i cant really feel the bad smell that bothers everyone

it started in the 7th grade when my bench mate moved away from me , and then all the other classmates that were around me moved away ,people couldn't stay near me and were covering their noses when they walked past me, then i started to shower every day , use the best soaps , it didnt seem to help , i figured it was a temporary thing , cause i just entered puberty , then 8th grade was even harder , people started calling me names.
Then came high school , nothing changed , new classmates but they were all looking at me like i had no personal hygiene , when in fact i was probably cleaner the all of them

I told my mother i was feeling sick so she took me to the doctor but all the blood work came back ok .
Then i told my mother about the smell , i was all crying about it and she thought i had a nervous breakdown , she said that she doesnt smell anything so she took me to a psychiatrist.

The psychiatrist laughed at me and gave me antidepressants (paxil)(i'm from Romania so you can imagine what great doctors we have here), after this i really didnt want to talk to anybody about my problem, i started to skip school , almost didnt finish high-school cause of all my absences , even though i had very good grades.

I stoped going out and being around other people , for 2 year i didn't leave the house.That's when i started to try to eat healthier (stoped eating pork,beef and junk foods)I always had a good health , was never overweight so that wasnt a problem.

Since i cant feel this smell i was hopeing my problem would be over with puberty so when i was 19 i went to med school with high hopes , i soon realized nothing changed , the problems came when i had to go to lab classes and people couldnt stay near me . I was determined to do something about this so i went to the best dermatologist in the country , this was very hard for me to talk about ,but non the less i got the courage to try to explain my situation, he laughed at me like it was a joke, then he looked at me like i was crazy , i told him that maybe i had a problem with my bowls and maybe he could recommend me another doctor , he said no and gave me a disinfectant solution to wash with.

I didnt see a way i could go back to classes like this so i dropped out and moved back home, now i'm 22 and i'm studying biology extramural , so i only go to the exams and study at home

I adopted a vegan diet 2 years ago but it still doesnt seem to help.I dont go out around people so i dont really know for sure whether i smell worse if i eat some foods or not , i have no one close that could tell me this

I try not to think about it (i'm not obsesed about it) but it's always a problem when i have to go to exams or in other situations when i have to be around people

I tried to find a solution on the net but i cant seem to find one .
A few years ago i emailed a few doctors i found on the web but no one replied

people said the smell is fecal like so i dont think i have Trimethylaminuria cause then i would smell it too

Could someone help me ? I would be forever gratefull cause i really dont know what to do anymore

[billio54]

Chlorophyll.Take chlorophyll and probiotics.its internal and you'll see result within few days.

[eli9327]

i've had the same problem since puberty when i was 12,and i have tried everything i could and i have bought so many products,but nothing seems to work.It seems like everybody smells it , but my mom.since then nothing is the same.i have also took some lab tests but they say im okay.and i think i probably  have hyperhidrosis.And im also a girl.

[eli9327]

i've had the same problem since puberty when i was 12,and i have tried everything i could and i have bought so many products,but nothing seems to work.It seems like everybody smells it , but my mom.since then nothing is the same.i have also took some lab tests but they say im okay.and i think i probably  have hyperhidrosis.And im also a girl.

[bmorris1286]

I wish I had something else to say other than I have this exact same issue. I know this post is old but I couldn't resist not commenting when I came upon it. I too have had this issue since 14 and next year I will be 30.

I also thought it was puberty related but it's not. My mother & father don't smell me but I can smell the odor sometimes and people around me definitely smell it. To say it's embarrassing is an understatement. I have gone to several doctors in the past and it's all the same thing. Blood & hormonal test results are all fine. I'm not overweight and have no issues with diabetes or thyroid. I've even tried the chlorophyll tablets and liquid but that didn't help.

I'm a tall & slim and fairly attractive female so I get approach by men a lot but that leads to nothing once they sense my odor. My love life is nonexistent and so is my social life. I only leave my house to go to work and that's it.  It's really frustrating because a lot of people think if you just wash more with a different soap, use a different deodorant, wear different clothes, change your diet then you should be fine. Ive tried all of this and more but nothing has changed.

And no one can understand this situation unless they experience it themselves so I just stop talking about it. My family are immigrants so I reached out to a few people in my country and have heard of one cause of this issue.

In my country, when a child is born and if all the residue or fluids from the umbilical cord is not thoroughly removed from within the child, when puberty hits and the body is changing, it creates an odor. They usually take that child or teenager to an herbalist who gives them natural products (including a certain type of soap but dnt know what type) to wash with. They would wash with these products for at least a year (because the odor gradually diminish).

Don't know how true this is and I'm still looking into it. At this point I don't think modern medicine can help me and I don't make enough money to keep up with these medical bills. If anyone has found a resolution to this issue please share it with us. It could help some of us.

* Sorry for the long post. I guess I had a lot more to say than I thought.

[Lana789]

Hey John9v..

I know that this is an old post, but I have just found it and I swear to God every thing you said is "EXACTLY" what I am going through..

I noticed the smell since puberty, that means when I was 13 years old.. I have sever anxiety because if it.. And diagnosed with IBS, eat nothing but healthy food and a very clean person..

I am 20 years old now, third year medical student.. struggling and keeping myself together just for my parents. I have been bullied and humiliated a lot because of this problem, and as a girl I don't know how much embarrassment I can take because people show no mercy.

I've been ignored by many doctors, and my mum denied that I smell, I ran many lab tests ( thyroid, blood, hormones ..)and all came out normal ...!

This problem has caused me sever depression, effected on my relationship with the people around me and even my family... And I feel very bad because I could do so much and offer so many thing to this world.. But because of this problem It totally stops me!


I wish the doctors would show more sympathy and consider much more about it, because it's a serious problem ( to me it ended my life once it started)

I really just to live a normal life :(

[Suffer2012]

Thank you very much for your comment. I'm sure that these things helps since I also do it. I shave my armpit hair, and take a thoroughly bath. But I don't think I have tried so roughly as you.

Over the years I have buyed many new clothes and and thrown many away. Most of them are now 2 years old. But even when I buy new clothes, I just can't see much of a difference.

Over the 7 years I have found 3 persons on the internet that has the same symptoms, and he is the latest one. But I'm very exciting to hear john6v's responds since his symptoms are exactly like mines. Everything.

[RafalFL]

Another thing thats important to know is, if you smelled bad for so long, Its probably soaked into all your clothes, Which can be very difficult to remedy. So even when you follow my directions, that will cure your BO. Your clothes will damn you and reinfect you with the BO. Unfortunately your clothes and towels are much harder to rid of the BO than yourself, I would start by washing everything in hot water (load half the washing machine, but put the load setting on maximum like you were filling it up) then put the cycle on your roughest. clothes will usually take 2-5 washes to lose that nasty BO smell. Some towels take more washes.. Really badly abused towels and clothes, can never ben rid of the smell and must be thrown away.. I've had to do it i know...

[RafalFL]

I usually smell pretty good , but there are times when I let my body go natural for a couple days and BO sets in, and I mean sets in. A normal shower just wont kill this kind of BO, I could take three showers and still smell bad. What I've learned over the years is some areas on my body literally need to be soaped down and ROUGHLY scrubbed and rinsed five to ten times to obtain desired results. I would also recommend losing as much body hair as possible(everything bro) this will make it easier to exfoliate the skin thats saturated In BO.   Since you have become so accustomed to your natural smell, you will need to use an honest volunteer you can trust and that is willing to get close enough to the worst and most prone to BO areas for a proper evaluation.  Good Luck

[Suffer2012]

Forgot to tell that my blood test also was good.

[Suffer2012]

Hello john9v

Well, what can I say.. except that you could be my twin brother? Yes, I have the exact problem with body odor just like you and the exact symptoms just like you.

Short summery:

I have had this body odor since I was 14 years old, and I'm now 21. I began to see that other people could smell a bad smell that was coming from me. What do you do in that situation? You go to bath..but hey? It didn't work. It didn't took long time before people started to say that I smelled, and the classrooms also smelled bad.

First of all it comes from my generel body (armpit, chest, back). I know it's internal because the food I eat has an impact. I found something called Safety Five (anti-perspirant) in a forum which works by closing your sweat glands, and it worked, but only in 1 day. It was the BEST feeling in the world sitting beside a girl again. But that day is even more important than I though, cause it proved that I really smelled.

I then began in high school, and people really looked down on me. It was like, if you have skills in school, special skills in sport, computers and other areas, and you have this odor, then you're still a zero. In high school I also found out that this odor isn't going away by itself.

I found out that garlic/onion and especially alcohol makes it much worse. Making sport 2-3 times a week helps a lot, especially when playing basketball where you run, jump and whatever. And the end of the training your t-shirt is full of sweat and that is good. It reduces a lot. This is probably the best way to flush the toxins out of my body/skin. Also bathing with shampoo 2 times every place, also in the back helps a lot.

The last couple of times I've noticed people saying that it smells like burning/burned, a burning smell. Besides me, my family can't smell it either. Everyone else can.

I too have the problem with the doctor. When I start with my physics education in college in september (2012), and my teacher notices something, I will personally talk to him and the principal to write a note to my ****king doctor to take this problem serious - and not lying.

A quick question: Have you cured your body odor? Cause it really seems that we have exact the same cause and symptoms.

[john9v]

thank you so much for your reply Dr Bhupinder Kaur !!!

over the years i had my thyroid  tests done twice , i specifically asked for every test that was available to be done  , they all came back great , so no problem there

i probably do have hyperhydrosis , i do sweet a lot ,i suffer from anxiety but considering the acward situation i'm in all the time when i'm around other people that should be expected, i dont take any madication for anxiety(or any other drugs for that matter) cause none of them helped , but i do try to be as healthy as possible , i'm not obese and i'm in great shape , i dont have eczema or psoriasis , had bad case of acne but since i'm a vegan that all went away , also had IBS and that also improved greatly since the diet change

it cant be just odor from normal sweat cause odor in sweet is mostly caused by bacteria and since i shower every day that cant be (plus what i have is something rare cause otherwise i would have found a cure for it already )

i really hope it's a metabolic disorder like TMAU  and all i need is to find the right diet

i'm gonna enter some embarrassing details , people have said i smell like **** , one said that my *** smells bad ( if i would be someone else reading this i would be laughing really hard right now ) but like i said i have an impeccable personal hygiene so the problem can't be about that

i thought that it could be something like pheromones from the perianal glands ( couldn't find much medical literature about that so probably unlikely)

Right know going to another medical checkup and more expensive tests is out of the question , the reality is that out of all of the tens of doctors i have seen not even one  gave a **** about my problems , they wanted the consultation to end asap ,for me to pay the fee and send in the next "customer" ,  heck most of them even had a good laugh at my expense

i take b vitamin supplements and those helped a lot with halitosis , i never have bad breath in the morning

a few years back i found this forum where a lot of people have very similar situations as mine , so at lest i know i'm not alone , this is the forum http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1752
some have noting in common with my condition but there are a few that have a lot in common  

no matter what i wont give up (unlike some peopel on that forum) i know there is a solution for my problem and i'll do everything i can to find it

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Bad odor is mostly of sweat which may be seen in anxiety, obesity, allergies, eczema, psoriasis, synthetic fibers and warm temperatures. It is also seen in excessive sweating or hyperhydrosis. Hyperhydrosis may be primary (without known cause and usually starts during childhood or adolescence and persists all life) or secondary (as part of an underlying condition like Hyperthyroidism or similar endocrine diseases and dermatological conditions like eczema, psoriasis).

I think getting a thyroid profile tested in the lab may help and also please consult a dermatologist to find out the confirmatory diagnosis as treatment depends on the same.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.