Fluffing Underarms & Uncomfortable Lessons

For the past few days, I was so uncomfortable in my own skin. It was so bad that I preferred not to go out at all and when I did, I’d douse myself in perfume.

Photo by Thought Catalog from Pexels

I don’t know how or when, but I started to perceive a certain kind of odor from my armpits. No matter what I did even showering for over 10 minutes, it never seemed to come off. It was alarming and uncomfortable.

I would be outside to run errands and avoid coming too close to people because I feared they would perceive it. It became a source of concern and I had to find what the problem was.

The first thing I did was go on google and do a deep search. The results were mainly that it could be a symptom of obesity, diabetes or infection. What kind of infection? I dig deeper and it showed that it wasn’t necessarily sexual but could be caused by bacterial infections on the body. They also pointed out the fact that the bacteria breeds more in a “bushy” underarm. Well, ever since I learned how to, my armpits have always been baby smooth.

Now, being paranoid, I immediately went to take a blood sugar test. It came out that I was fine and so, diabetes was ruled out. Obesity? I do small amounts of workout by dancing each morning. I burn a good amount of calories for an hour daily so I was in good shape. At least to my knowledge. I concluded that it had to be infection and so, I went straight to a pharmacist.

To my surprise, unlike most “pharmacists” here, this lady listened to me and readily acknowledged my concerns. She asked me how often I used deodorants and what type I used. Then she asked me if I noticed any boils in my underarms lately and then asked if I sweat a lot. After giving her the answers, she proceeded to prescribe an antibiotic and suggested I switch to using antibacterial soap for the period of treatment. Then she also suggested I change my deodorant and she gave an option of which I could use.

So I started on this treatment and proceeded to do all she told me. Not only that. The scare inspired a change within me that required I drop certain habits. I haven’t had any soda or artificial drinks since then. Strictly on water. I no longer skip meals because of the antibiotic and I had to get a loafer scrub.

Image is mine

I have a very soft skin and the regular Nigerian sponge does a lot of damage to it. The pharmacist recommended a certain kind of glove sponge that does the trick. I also make sure to diligently rinse out any residue of detergents on my clothes most especially my camisoles. She suggested soaking them in warm water after washing.

I woke up this morning and to my delight, the odor was completely gone. I felt so happy I danced and went to tell my mom. For me, as a lady, that was a disaster. I had no idea how I would run my business smelling like that. But it’s all in the past and brought a certain kind of awareness to my attention.

The lady made mention that our body does not absorb everything we give it and as such, it could bring unwanted attention. In my case, it was the unpleasant smell.

Now, I’m more careful with what I drink mostly and my clothes. I also make sure to keep an adequate amount of water by my bedside. There’s no way I’m going through that experience again.