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The characteristic odor of cecê is the result of the action of bacteria that proliferate in the warmest regions of the body, such as the armpit and groin

Image: Morgan Sarkissian in Unsplash

Cecê, technically called axillary bromhidrosis, is a very common condition in teenagers and adults and happens when body sweat, which is normal, is accompanied by a bad smell. The word cecê or CC comes from "body smell" and its origin is uncertain. The characteristic odor is the result of the action of bacteria that proliferate in the warmest regions of the body, such as the armpit and groin, and in most cases it can be countered with hygiene measures and natural remedies.

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Currently, the word cecê is part of Brazilian dictionaries, which point to the 1940s as the origin of the word. According to this version, the term was created in an advertisement for soap that arrived in Brazil at that time, imported from the United States. In a period of strong industrialization, with the emergence of several new products, including hygiene items, advertisers were important for the establishment of "different discourses around the replacement of the natural by the artificial, according to the researchers Elizabete Kobayashi (UFSCar) and Gilberto Hochman (Fiocruz) in the article "The "CC" and the pathologization of the natural: hygiene, advertising and modernization in post-World War II Brazil".

In that context, according to the article, publicist Rodolfo Lima Martensen was responsible for making a version of the North American commercial for Brazil. Martensen would then have translated the expression body odor - "B.O." - literally for "body smell", creating the acronym "C.C." to imitate the acronym model used by the Americans. The advertiser himself claims authorship of the term in a book, which later became popular.

According to the researchers, "the incorporation of the entry " Cê-cê - s. m. - body odor, sweat stink; cê-cê" to the Houaiss Dictionary of the Portuguese Language, can be considered an indicator that the concern with natural odors is still present and that the campaign had managed to gain the attention of potential consumers."

There is, however, another version of the word, reported by researcher Lélia Gonzales in the lecture "Racism and Sexism in Brazilian Culture". The author brings reports that, in slavery Brazil, white men sniffed clothes worn by black women to get excited during wedding nights with white women. She reports that it was common to "use this holy remedy called catinga de creole (later shifted to body odor or simply cc )."

Bromhidrosis

If the two possible origins for the term cecê point to discrimination, bromhidrosis is not simply a matter of smell - it has as its characteristic symptom the intense odor, which is one that is unpleasant both for the person and for those around him. The bad smell is the result of the encounter between the sweat produced by the apocrine glands and the bacteria that lodge in the parts of the body where these glands are located.

There are sweat glands spread over the entire length of the skin and they are responsible for the production of sweat, a natural secretion whose main function is to regulate and maintain a stable (around 36.5 ºC) body temperature - which explains sweat in people with fever, for example. There are two types of sweat glands in the human body: the eccrine and the apocrine.

The first group has a thermoregulatory function and is distributed along the entire surface of the body from the baby's birth, remaining active until old age. The sweat that these glands eliminate through the pores is basically water and some salts that do not break down, so they give off practically no smell.

Apocrine glands develop in early adolescence and only in certain regions of the body, such as the armpits, genital area, scalp and around the nipples. The sweat they secrete is eliminated through the hair follicles and, in addition to water and some salts, it contains cellular and metabolic debris that can produce unpleasant odors when exposed to the action of bacteria and fungi, in environments where heat, humidity and lack of light are predominant.

• Ten tips on how to end foot odor

It is these odors that are called bromhidrosis, which is defined by the Merck Manual as a “fetid odor condition due to the action of bacteria and yeasts that break down sweat and cell debris”. When the smell is concentrated in the armpit region, the condition is called axillary bromhidrosis, popularly known as cecê, the "body smell", and there is also plantar bromhidrosis, or foot odor, which is when symptoms manifest in the feet.

Axillary bromhidrosis

Axillary bromhidrosis only manifests in adolescents and adults, as it is only in these stages of life that the apocrine glands are active. In childhood they have not yet developed and in old age hormone levels inhibit their functioning. Good daily hygiene and the use of palliative measures is the only way to avoid the appearance of unpleasant cece.

If the smell of cece is very strong, it may be necessary to seek a dermatologist, who is the professional indicated to evaluate case by case. The treatment is based on interference with the bacteria that inhabit the skin in warmer regions. More serious cases may require the use of topical antibiotics to modify the type and amount of bacteria present in these regions, or even long-term treatment. Drugs with bactericidal, fungicidal and antimycotic action may be needed to end the cecê.

In addition to the action of microbes, diabetes, alcoholism, foods such as onions, garlic and peppers, some antibiotics and certain hormones can be responsible for altering the smell of sweat, leaving it with unpleasant characteristics.

If the bump is something more everyday than clinical, as it happens in most cases, changing the hygiene habits should be enough to end the bump in the armpits. If the biggest problem is the smell, opt for deodorants instead of using antiperspirants (also called antiperspirants), which are indicated for cases of intense sweating. Understand the difference between the two products in the article: "Are deodorants and antiperspirants the same thing?"

The treatments to be indicated are not intended to cure bromhidrosis, but will act to control excessive sweating in the areas of greatest risk.

Tips on how to get rid of you

• Always pay attention to personal hygiene;
• Dry your skin thoroughly after showering, especially the skin in your armpits and between your toes;
• Prefer antiseptic soaps and antiperspirant deodorants;
• Change clothes every day;
• Use products to eliminate odors when washing clothes;
• Avoid synthetic fabric clothing, especially socks. Prefer pieces of pure cotton;
• Allow shoes to ventilate after use;
• Prefer open shoes made with natural raw materials.

There are homemade alternatives that help relieve sweating in the underarm area, such as applying milk of magnesia after a bath or using a homemade talc of baking soda with cornstarch (mixed in equal proportions). You can also make your own homemade deodorant. But run away from self-medication! If the smell of youe has become a recurrent disorder, consult a dermatologist to guide appropriate treatment.