Sweltering temperatures may make you feel like you need an extra swipe of deodorant, but there’s one group that isn’t actually sweating.
Social media users are using the heat wave as an opportunity to point out that many Asians have no odor. Experts say there’s actually a genetic mutation behind it.
According to numerous studies, 80-95% of East Asians have a malfunctioning ABCII gene, which is associated with odor in their pores. This means that their bodies do not emit acidic odors like other people’s when exposed to high temperatures and sweating.
Dr. Madalyn Nguyen, an Oregon-based dermatologist, said of people of East Asian descent, including herself, “It’s going to be a lot less irritating and it’s going to be a lot less prevalent.” “Now you can go a little longer without having to hide your body odor.”
As the weather gets hotter, many people may be concerned about body odor. Earlier this month, dermatologist Heather Kornmehl posted an Instagram video explaining that the likelihood of having bad armpits is genetically determined. The video went viral and has been viewed over 4 million times.
Another TikTok video shared Thursday by dermatologist Dr. Daniel Sugai pokes fun at the empty experience of “asking an East Asian friend what their favorite deodorant is.”
Nguyen explained that body odor is primarily associated with apocrine sweat glands located in the armpits and groin. In people without a mutation in the ABCC11 gene, proteins in the sweat glands help transport fatty compounds, or lipids, from cells to sweat. Bacteria on the skin break down the lipids in sweat, which is oily and viscous, producing body odor. But for people with the mutation, the protein doesn’t work that way.
“That transporter doesn’t work, and we don’t have the lipids that get into earwax and sweat,” Nguyen said of East Asians, noting that dysfunction in the ABCC11 gene also contributes to earwax becoming drier and less sticky. He added that it was related. “So if you reduce that amount, you’ll have less body odor and your earwax will dry out.”
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that while an overwhelming number of East Asians carry this mutation, it is only present in up to 3% of the European and African population. Among East Asians, Koreans have the highest prevalence of this mutation, but Chinese and Vietnamese people also tend to have the gene malfunction.
“I’m not talking about modern-day East Asia. I’m talking about East Asia tens of thousands of years ago, including Southeast Asians,” Nguyen said. “It can be traced back to Native Americans as well, because they migrated from East Asia tens of thousands of years ago. Quite a few Native Americans also have this loss-of-function gene.”
So far, there is no definitive explanation as to why this mutation is so common among East Asians. However, a 2010 study found that people with less body odor were preferred as mates because historically there was a “more pronounced tradition of cleanliness and personal hygiene,” resulting in an increase in the population with the genetic malfunction. A possibility has emerged.
“We’ve evolved to express certain traits more often, no matter what the environment,” Nguyen says. “So people in Scandinavia weigh much less than people who live closer to the equator. That’s because people who live closer to the equator need to produce more melanin to protect their skin. ”
Nguyen said people with the mutation still secrete substances from their apocrine glands, so that doesn’t mean they don’t need to shower. These sweat glands are activated in part by compounds called catecholamines, which are secreted during times of stress.
From a dermatological perspective, body odor isn’t unhealthy, Nguyen says. But for people who are concerned about smells, she doesn’t really recommend deodorants because they don’t do much other than add a perfume scent to your BO.
“You can also use benzoyl peroxide in your armpits,” she said. “The trick is to let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing off. And that just reduces the surface bacteria that break down the lipids in your sweat.”
Applying antiperspirant to dry armpits at night can also help, Nguyen says.
“It actually gets into the sweat glands instead of being washed away by the sweat that’s already in the glands,” she explained.
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