Dermatologic Surgery
Tumescent superficial liposuction with curettage for treatment of axillary bromhidrosis
Seo SH, Jang BS, Oh CK, Kwon KS, Kim MB. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008;22:30-35.
No one wants to smell bad, especially in terms of axillary bromhidrosis, or underarm odor. While surgery is the standard procedure for those who treat this condition, researchers in this study wanted to examine the safety and effectiveness of using tumescent superficial liposuction and curettage in this patient population. They looked at 43 male (18) and female (25) patients who had the procedure under local anesthesia, and evaluated results on a scale of excellent, good, fair and poor. The majority (72%) of patients had excellent or good results. Complications were limited, with the most frequent being transient ecchymosis, which resolved within 2 weeks. Four patients had focal skin necrosis, three had induration, one had seroma, and one had hematoma, which all resolved with wound dressing. Histological findings showed removal of apocrine and eccrine glands. Sweat glands remaining were severely damaged. The authors conclude that tumescent superficial liposuction and curettage to treat axillary bromhidrosis is both safe and effective.
Publication available in Wiley’s Online Library at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02323.x/abstract