Underarm

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Underarm

The axilla (or armpit, underarm, or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the joint

Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally....
where the arm

Arm

In anatomy, an arm is one of the upper limbs of an animal. The term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired upper limbs of a four-legged animal, or the cephalopod arm....
connects to the shoulder

Shoulder

In human anatomy, the shoulder joint comprises the part of the body where the humerus attaches to the scapula. The shoulder refers to the group of structures in the region of the joint....
.

omically, the boundaries are as follows:

The contents of the axilla include the axillary vein and artery, as well as the brachial plexus, lymph nodes and fat.

axilla is one of the four sites (the other three being the mouth, rectum, and ear canal) in which a medical thermometer

Medical thermometer

Medical thermometers are used for Temperature examination human body temperature, with the tip of the thermometer being inserted either into the mouth , under the underarm , or into the rectum via the anus ....
may be inserted in order to measure body temperature.

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m2424986",this)' onMouseout='hide("m2424986")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Underarm_hair">Underarm hair

Underarm hair

Underarm Hair is the composition of hair in the underarm area. This hair, as most of the other body hair, normally starts to appear at puberty and growth is usually complete by the end of teen age....
usually grows in the underarms of both female

Female

Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ovum . The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male....
s and male

Malé

Mal? , population 104,403 , is the Capital , the largest city in terms of population, and the name of an island in the Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Male' Atoll Kaafu Atoll....
s, beginning in adolescence

Puberty

Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. Puberty is initiated by hormone signals from the brain to the gonads ....
.

In modern Western culture

Western culture

File:Clash of Civilizations map.pngWestern culture are terms which are used to refer to cultures of European origin. This terminology originated as a way of describing what was different about the Graeco-Roman culture and its descendants, in contrast to the older neighboring civilizations of the Middle East, which in many ways continued...
, it is common for women to remove underarm hair for aesthetic reasons, while men tend to keep it.

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Encyclopedia

The axilla (or armpit, underarm, or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the joint

Joint

Arm

Shoulder

In human anatomy, the shoulder joint comprises the part of the body where the humerus attaches to the scapula. The shoulder refers to the group of structures in the region of the joint....
.

Boundaries

Anatomically, the boundaries are as follows:

	superiorly: by the outer border of first rib First rib The first rib is the most curved and usually the shortest of all the ribs; it is broad and flat, its surfaces looking upward and downward, and its borders inward and outward.... , superior border of scapula Scapula In anatomy, the scapula, omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle .The scapula forms the posterior part of the shoulder girdle.... , and posterior border of clavicle Clavicle In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is classified as a flat bone that makes up part of the shoulder girdle . It receives its name from the Latin clavicula because the bone rotates along its axis like a key when the shoulder is Abduction ....	- \| medially: serratus anterior Serratus anterior muscle The serratus anterior is a muscle that originates on the surface of the upper eight or nine ribs at the side of the chest and inserts along the entire anterior length of the medial border of the scapula.... and by the rib Rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the ribcage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest and protect the lungs, heart, and other internal Organ s of the thorax.... cage	anteriorly: by the pectoralis major Pectoralis major muscle The Pectoralis major is a thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the upper front of the chest wall. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles in the male and lies under the breast in the female.... , minor Pectoralis minor muscle The Pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the Pectoralis major.... , and subclavius Subclavius muscle The Subclavius is a small triangular muscle, placed between the clavicle and the first rib. Along with the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles, the subclavius muscle makes up the anterior wall of the axilla.... (see also anterior axillary fold Anterior axillary fold The lower border of Pectoralis major forms the rounded anterior axillary fold.Some sources also include the pectoralis minor.... ) posteriorly: by the subscapularis Subscapularis muscle The Subscapularis is a large triangular muscle which fills the subscapular fossa and inserts into the lesser tubercle of the humerus and the front of the capsule of the shoulder-joint.... above, and teres major and latissimus dorsi below (see also posterior axillary fold Posterior axillary fold The posterior axillary fold is a compound structure consisting of the latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles.It forms a portion of the border of the axilla.... )	laterally: by the intertubercular sulcus (coracobrachialis Coracobrachialis muscle The Coracobrachialis is the smallest of the three muscles that attach to the coracoid process of the scapula. It is situated at the upper and medial part of the arm.... and the short head of the biceps brachii Biceps brachii muscle In human anatomy, the biceps brachii is a muscle located on the upper arm. The biceps has several functions, the most important being to rotate the forearm and to flex the elbow.... are in the axilla.) \|- \|	floor/base: by the skin (visible surface of armpit)

The contents of the axilla include the axillary vein and artery, as well as the brachial plexus, lymph nodes and fat.

Medical significance

The axilla is one of the four sites (the other three being the mouth, rectum, and ear canal) in which a medical thermometer

Medical thermometer

Underarm hair

Female

Malé

Puberty

Western culture

Hippie

The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster , and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district....
culture, and in some areas of the punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
scene, some women choose to keep their underarm hair for a variety of reasons, from subversion to egalitarianism to comfort. Conversely, some men choose to remove their underarm hair for similar aesthetic reasons or to reduce friction in some sports (eg swimming

Swimming

Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through water, usually without artificial assistance. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational....
).

Body odor

Body odor , often abbreviated as B.O., or bromhidrosis is the odor of bacterium growing on the body. These bacteria multiply rapidly in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost completely odorless....
develops in the underarms due in part to the waste products of microorganisms that feed on sebum, the fatty secretions produced by apocrine

Apocrine

Apocrine is a term used to classify exocrine glands in the study of histology. Cells which are classified as apocrine bud their secretions off through the plasma membrane producing membrane bound vesicles in the Lumen ....
glands.

A wide variety of deodorant

Deodorant

Deodorants are substances applied to the body mainly to reduce body odor which is caused by the bacterial breakdown of perspiration. A subgroup of deodorants are "antiperspirants", which prevent odor and reduce sweat produced by parts of the body....
and antiperspirant products are sold for the purpose of mitigating this odor.

Darkening of the underarms

Sometimes, shaving

Shaving

Shaving is the removal of hair, by using razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down to the level of the skin. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove their leg, and underarm hair....
, buildup of dead skin cells, antiperspirant usage, and hyper pigmentation contribute to giving the underarm a dark color. Also, a medical condition known as acanthosis nigricans

Acanthosis nigricans

Acanthosis nigricans is a brown to black, poorly defined, velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin. It is usually found in body folds, such as the posterior and lateral folds of the neck, the axilla, groin, navel, and other areas....
may also contribute to darkened underarms, although most people with dark underarms do not have this condition.

Cultural significance

The underarms are among the locations in the human body which are most vulnerable to tickling

Tickling

Tickling is haptics a part of the body, so as to cause involuntary twitching movements or laughter. Such sensations can be pleasure or excitement, but are sometimes considered highly unpleasant, particularly in the case of relentless heavy tickling....
.

The sexual attraction to the underarms is called axillism.

Terminology

The term oxter, pronounced 'ock-ster' is most often used in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
and the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
. Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
generally replaces all other names of underarm for oxter.

The term "underarm" only refers to the outer surface of the axilla. However, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably in casual contexts.

Colloquially, armpit refers to an object or place which is smelly, greasy or otherwise undesirable.

Underarm

Boundaries

Medical significance

Underarm hair

Body odor

Darkening of the underarms

Cultural significance

Terminology

Additional images

See also

External links