How Peels Got Rid Of My Body Odor For Good

Body odor has to be one of the most annoying anomalies of the body. Maybe we’re naturally meant to give off a musty smell to attract our soon to be mates but nowadays it only seems to keep people running in the opposite direction. For years I relied heavily on anti-perspirant deodorants with aluminum with zero awareness of what I was putting on my skin. Aluminum salts from antiperspirant deodorants act as a plug in the sweat duct, stopping the release of sweat. The issue occurs when it is absorbed in the body especially near breast tissue as it tends to mimic estrogenic hormonal effects. 7 pooled studies found that perimenopausal women with high estrogen in their blood are at higher risk for breast cancer.

Estrogen is linked to the growth of breast cancer cells because it stimulates the division and spread of breast tissue which runs the risk of a mutation forming. Similarly, there’s a correlation in where the cancer is often located near the underarms. That’s why aluminum deodorants have been linked to causing cancer, especially with aluminum’s reported estrogen-like properties in the body. However, the studies that are out there tend to come back inconclusive or find no correlation between the two.

Parabens (a preservative) have also been a topic of discussion as they’ve also been seen to mimic estrogen activity in the body and have reportedly been seen in breast tumors. There are studies that report parabens can increase local estrogen levels which we know has a link to breast cancer. Most major deodorant brands and antiperspirants are now paraben-free.

Clearly there’s no clear answer on whether aluminum in deodorants cause cancer. However, I also didn’t feel like “plugging” my ducts would be a beneficial practice for my underarm health. Sweating is one of the ways we cool down our bodies so antiperspirants impede on that and aluminum build up can occur affecting how we smell when we stop using aluminum products.

The Purge

If you haven’t been brave enough to stop your aluminum deodorant cold turkey…I get it. My few experiences with attempting a purge, a.k.a slowly detoxifying myself from the aluminum plug, has been a smelly rollercoaster. The natural deodorants never masked the pungent smell that seemed to get worse when I wore aluminum deodorant so I needed more deodorant to mask it. It was a mess. Luckily, I work in aesthetics and was blessed to learn about peels on the body. A chemical peel company called VI Peel had just come out with their body peel and I was so excited because I wanted to reduce pigmentation in my underarms. VI peel contains TCA (trichloracetic acid), tretinoin 0.1%, salicylic acid, phenol and vitamin C. These ingredients help smooth and remove the top dead layer of skin, aids in pigmentation, vitamin c is an antioxidant known for it’s brightening effects, and salicylic acid also kills bacteria. VI peel also declogs/decongests.

The Peel Process

The peel is applied to the underarms after cleaning and degreasing with acetone (performed by professional). Several passes are applied while leaving 1-2 minutes in between each pass to allow for predictable absorption. Once the peel is fully applied let the peel sit for 4 hours and then remove with cool water, avoid harsh soaps. The peel neutralizes after 4 hours so if you forget no biggie.

There’s a retinoic tube (continues peeling process) and hydrocortisone (steroid for itching/inflammation) tube you take home. You continue applying the retinoic serum onto the underarms for about 7-10 days after initial peel until the area starts peeling itself, then you STOP applying the serum. The area slowly starts peeling, and because the body takes much longer to turnover then the face, expect it to peel for some time. Generally they say the peeling process takes a week to begin but I definitely remember it taking at the least two weeks. The area can become itchy so remember to use the hydrocortisone if necessary. Also, the whole reason I had to go through the purging phase was because the peel forces you to.

You cannot wear deodorant for this whole process. I must admit, I was terrified. Even with deodorant when I sweat the mixture of the deodorant scent and my bacteria would create a weird smell I’d have to mask with more deodorant. I was terrified to face my body odor with nothing to conceal it. Amazingly, from the initial peel, I had NO smell. Zero. Resurfacing the skin and killing the bacteria in the underarms created the swiftest and most tolerable “purging” period if you could even call it that. The products basically chemically clean the skin.

After The Peel

The peel, when finished, left silky smooth, brighter skin. The downside of chemical peels are the obvious peeling. Don’t expect to wear a sleeveless top when peeling. After the peel was finally over, I continued not wearing deodorant and found that I actually didn’t have body odor. Or atleast body odor that would make me need to deodorize every 3 hours. I smelled neutral! Dear I say it, I smelled good! I also asked other people’s honest opinions haha. My boyfriend was actually the one who pushed me into quitting aluminum deodorant but he was ecstatic when he realized there was no stench to my underarms afterwards.

I actually did the peel twice. When I did the initial peel I felt like after some time there was slight odor that would peak its way through. In fear, I immediately started with the aluminum deodorant again but as soon as I tried to stop the stench it came back full force. The second time I did the peel, there was no going back. And I’ve truly never looked back. It’s been about a year and a half since I have used aluminum deodorant, and honestly, up until maybe 2 weeks ago I was just using aloe gel as my solo routine for the underarms. Now I found an organic deodorant spray that has an EWG (Environmental Working Group) rating of 1. It’s ingredients include alcohol from sugar cane (antimicrobial), water, and lavender/lavendula hybrida oil. Four ingredients that are HIGHLY effective in keeping you smelling good for long if you’ve done a process to detox your underarms. I never have to think about my underarm smell anymore. Of course everyone’s different and if you’re working out everyday this may not be as effective but I think it’s worth the try!

Interesting facts

Salicylic acid is a great chemical exfoliator and works to unclog blocked pores. It is derived from willow bark and is also in aspirin. Salicylic acid in aspirin gives it its anti-inflammatory properties

Retinoic acid is a metabolite of Vitamin A. It resurfaces the skin and you need a prescription for it or it can be used in a medical setting.

Difference between Retinoic acid and Retinol: Retinol tends to be a gentler vitamin A metabolite and you can purchase it over-the-counter. It will take a bit more time to see results with retinol. Retinoic acid is about 20x more powerful than retinol. Retinol is converted into retinoic acid by using two step oxidative process.

An enzyme called C-T lyase is found in bacteria in our underarms called staphylococcus hominis. They devour odorless chemicals released in the sweat, then converts the enzyme into thioalcohols (pungent compound that creates unpleasant smell)

Also Read: Does Sweating Really Remove Toxins?