You can control your body odour
Feb 20, 2009
There is smell of stale sweat, aroma of unwashed bodies, rising and mixing with the air of the room when you are squeezed in with too many other people. It may be in a taxi, or soon after exercise, before you bathe it off - that all is body odour.
By Paul Semugoma
There is smell of stale sweat, aroma of unwashed bodies, rising and mixing with the air of the room when you are squeezed in with too many other people. It may be in a taxi, or soon after exercise, before you bathe it off - that all is body odour.
Do not blame the taxi conductor. We all have body odour. In fact, some people have more than others, (men more than women) but we all have it. Teens do not smell more - they are just less likely to know the tricks of hiding it!
Causes
Our bodies sweat as a way of cooling off. When this sweat pours onto the skin, certain skin bacteria love it. They break it down to produce the smell. During puberty, changes in our bodies make us sweat more and produce more of the sweat the bacteria love. This is very natural and normal - it is us who do not like it.
Some foods have smells which get into our sweat. They include garlic, onions, some fatty foods and cheeses. They contribute to body odour in a different way.
A few people sweat excessively (and have a bigger problem). Other causes include some medical problems, drugs and being anxious or stressed out.
EffectsSweating is normal, but the smell can be very inconvenient. You don’t want to get up close and personal with someone smelling of sweat. A room of unwashed bodies is disturbing.
A person who is conscious of smelling fears being with others who may back-bite him or her. It hurts and saps confidence, when a lover tells one, ‘Darling, please go wash.’
What to do?
We have many practical ways of dealing with body odour.
Decrease sweating. Since sweat produces the problem, less sweat means less smell. We can do the following.
- Decrease weight if you are overweight.
- Keep calm. Relaxation exercises decrease anxiety and sweating.
- Use natural fibre clothing like cotton. You sweat less and the sweat is quickly absorbed.
- An anti-perspirant is a chemical which decreases or stops sweating. They are found in roll-ons, sprays etc in pharmacies, drug and cosmetics shops. Apply it after bathing.
- Remove the sweat. This is very practical. Bacteria act on sweat, so removing it will remove the odour.
- Bathe at least once a day. Give special attention to the armpits, pubic area (groin) and feet. Bathe especially after a bout of heavy sweating.
- Wash clothes regularly.
- Do not wear yesterday’s clothes. They have yesterday’s sweat.
- Remove the bacteria. They live on our skin and are useful. But now they are annoying. We can at least decrease their amounts.
- Regularly shave the armpits and the pubic (groin) area.
- An antiseptic soap once in a while may do wonders.
- Mask the smell with deodorants. They do not stop sweating (anti-perspirants do). Deodorants replace the smell with a better, more pleasing aroma. You will find them in pharmacies, drug and cosmetic shops.
Anti-perspirants and deodorants may be mixed in the same roll on, so read the label. Try different brands to find one which suits you best.
Your doctor can help rule out medical causes of body smell. For over-sweating, the doctor may recommend stronger anti-perspirants, or surgery and other procedures.
Generally speaking, we all learn to beat body odour. We may use different methods, in different ways, but we learn it. Not smoking and eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, with plenty of fluids and water, helps too.
The writer is a medical doctor and health columnist
There is smell of stale sweat, aroma of unwashed bodies, rising and mixing with the air of the room when you are squeezed in with too many other people. It may be in a taxi, or soon after exercise, before you bathe it off - that all is body odour.
Do not blame the taxi conductor. We all have body odour. In fact, some people have more than others, (men more than women) but we all have it. Teens do not smell more - they are just less likely to know the tricks of hiding it!
Causes
Our bodies sweat as a way of cooling off. When this sweat pours onto the skin, certain skin bacteria love it. They break it down to produce the smell. During puberty, changes in our bodies make us sweat more and produce more of the sweat the bacteria love. This is very natural and normal - it is us who do not like it.
Some foods have smells which get into our sweat. They include garlic, onions, some fatty foods and cheeses. They contribute to body odour in a different way.
A few people sweat excessively (and have a bigger problem). Other causes include some medical problems, drugs and being anxious or stressed out.
EffectsSweating is normal, but the smell can be very inconvenient. You don’t want to get up close and personal with someone smelling of sweat. A room of unwashed bodies is disturbing.
A person who is conscious of smelling fears being with others who may back-bite him or her. It hurts and saps confidence, when a lover tells one, ‘Darling, please go wash.’
What to do?
We have many practical ways of dealing with body odour.
Decrease sweating. Since sweat produces the problem, less sweat means less smell. We can do the following.
- Decrease weight if you are overweight.
- Keep calm. Relaxation exercises decrease anxiety and sweating.
- Use natural fibre clothing like cotton. You sweat less and the sweat is quickly absorbed.
- An anti-perspirant is a chemical which decreases or stops sweating. They are found in roll-ons, sprays etc in pharmacies, drug and cosmetics shops. Apply it after bathing.
- Remove the sweat. This is very practical. Bacteria act on sweat, so removing it will remove the odour.
- Bathe at least once a day. Give special attention to the armpits, pubic area (groin) and feet. Bathe especially after a bout of heavy sweating.
- Wash clothes regularly.
- Do not wear yesterday’s clothes. They have yesterday’s sweat.
- Remove the bacteria. They live on our skin and are useful. But now they are annoying. We can at least decrease their amounts.
- Regularly shave the armpits and the pubic (groin) area.
- An antiseptic soap once in a while may do wonders.
- Mask the smell with deodorants. They do not stop sweating (anti-perspirants do). Deodorants replace the smell with a better, more pleasing aroma. You will find them in pharmacies, drug and cosmetic shops.
Anti-perspirants and deodorants may be mixed in the same roll on, so read the label. Try different brands to find one which suits you best.
Your doctor can help rule out medical causes of body smell. For over-sweating, the doctor may recommend stronger anti-perspirants, or surgery and other procedures.
Generally speaking, we all learn to beat body odour. We may use different methods, in different ways, but we learn it. Not smoking and eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, with plenty of fluids and water, helps too.
The writer is a medical doctor and health columnist