Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Four-Year-Old with Smelly Sweat | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My four-year-old son, who is very active, has underarm body odor (like that of an adult) after playing hard and getting sweaty. Is this normal? He bathes daily, and I only notice it after a "hard" day's play.
— Concerned Mom in Decatur, In | | | ANSWER |
May 29, 2001 | | | Dear Concerned Mom,
There is a medical term for what you are describing: bromhidrosis. Translating from the Greek, it means "smelly sweat." In a young child who is healthy and thriving in every way, a strong sweaty smell that occurs only after strenuous activity probably has no medical significance.
The body has two sorts of sweat glands, one (the eccrine glands) are present throughout life. The other (apocrine glands) develop in response to hormone stimulation during puberty. The latter (apocrine) glands are the smellier ones, which is why adolescents have more body odor than younger children. But the sweat from eccrine glands can smell, too, if there is enough of it and if it sits on the skin long enough for bacteria to break it down into smelly chemicals.
If you're concerned, you might have your son's doctor check him over for any other signs of hormone imbalance, such as underarm or facial hair or acne. One book I consulted suggested that diabetes might cause smelly sweat. It's clearly a long shot, but there is little harm in getting a simple urine test for sugar, if you are concerned (for example, if there is a family history of diabetes, or if your son has other suggestive symptoms).
Otherwise, you can (1) ignore the odor, and give your son a bath and a clean shirt after he plays outside, (2) have your son wash with an anti-bacterial soap, and (3) consider applying a mild deodorant on hot days.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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