title: Making scents: improvement of olfactory profile after botulinum toxin-A treatment in healthy individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The axilla is particularly associated with body odor and putative pheromone production in humans. Although botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) is injected increasingly into the axillary skin to stop excessive sweating, its potential to control body odor is largely unexplored.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to measure the impact of BT-A on human axillary odor in an objective and reproducible fashion.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 51 healthy volunteers receiving 50 U of BOTOX (Allergan, Inc.) in one axilla and placebo in the other. Odor quality was assessed by treated subjects (questionnaire) as well as by independent raters who were exposed to blinded T-shirt samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No major side effects occurred, and no subject withdrew from the study for medical reasons. Samples from the BT-A-treated side smelled less intense (p<.001) and better (p<.001) according to self-assessments. Likewise, independent raters found the BT-A-treated samples to smell less intense and better (p<.001). They preferred "to work together with the respective person" and found the odor "more erotic" (p<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Side-by-side comparison of odor samples (T-shirt sniff test) by independent raters showed that axillary odor in healthy individuals is significantly more appealing after BT-A injection.
authors.affiliation: Skin Center Starnberg, Starnberg, Germany. heckmann@derma.de
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heckmann
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kütt
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dittmar
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001365:Axilla / Q000502:physiology; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009812:Odorants
chemical_list: D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A