Q. I had tried all the remedies for body odor described on your website. Oddly, I had only one smelly armpit. Antiperspirant worked fine on the other pit.
My primary care doctor conferred with a dermatologist who recommended using a topical erythromycin gel twice daily for a month. He suggested this is most likely due to a corynebacterium infection.
A. We’re surprised the dermatologist was willing to make such a diagnosis without seeing you. It is plausible, however, as the skin-dwelling bacteria known as corynebacteria can colonize the armpit and cause odor or even colored sweat (yellow, red or black). The usual treatment seems to be shaving, washing with antibacterial cleanser and applying benzoyl peroxide. Topical erythromycin is also reported to work against this infection.
