Is your body odour bothering you and other people right now and it's affecting your social life? If you are looking for solutions to manage your body odour, then you have come to the right place. In this article, I will be listing some ways you can actively keep your body odour in check.
"Every time I sweat, I stink."
Firstly, let’s talk about the relationship between sweat and body odour. When your body temperature rises, such as during periods of increased activity or due to a warm environment, it will produce sweat through two types of sweat glands: eccrine glands and apocrine glands.
Eccrine glands are found throughout most of your body whereas apocrine glands are found in areas where you have hair, such as your armpit and groin. The sweat that they produce is odourless until it combines with bacteria on your skin [1].
If you experience unusual changes in your sweating and body odour, you should consult a doctor. This is because it could be a sign of a health problem.
What could worsen your body odour?
Like I mentioned above, bacteria on your skin is one of the factors that cause body odour. Furthermore, things that contribute to body odour include [2]:
- Being overweight - Excess subcutaneous fat can cause your skin to fold, trapping sweat and heat, making it hospitable for bacteria to grow.
- Diet - A high consumption of red meat may negatively impact the body odour [3]. Other factors include spices, fish, cruciferous vegetables and alcohol [4].
- Having a condition like diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease - A bleach-like or urine-like smell may mean kidney or liver problems. Hence, I would greatly urge you to see a doctor.
- Genetics - Unfortunately, some people are just more prone to developing body odour than others.
- Having a condition called hyperhidrosis - It is a condition where you produce excessive sweat.
Ways to combat your body odour
There are a few ways that you can try to reduce your body odour. It can be as simple as taking:
- Antiperspirant. It can temporarily block sweat pores, therefore reducing the amount of perspiration.
- Deodorant. It can eliminate odour but not perspiration. Deodorants often contain perfume fragrances to mask the odour.
Moreover, you can also do several things on your own to reduce sweating and body odour. The following suggestions may help [5]:
- Bathe daily. Regular bathing, especially with antibacterial soap, controls and reduces the growth of bacteria on your skin.
- Choose clothes that suit your activity. For daily wear, choose natural fabrics like cotton, wool and silk. These allow your skin to breathe. For exercise wear, you may prefer synthetic fabrics developed to wick moisture away from your skin.
- Try relaxation techniques. Consider relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation or biofeedback. These practices can teach you to control the stress that triggers perspiration.
- Change your diet. Caffeinated beverages and spicy or strong-smelling foods may make you sweat more or have stronger body odour than usual. Eliminating these foods may help.
- Antibiotics. Topical and oral antibiotics can help reduce bacteria on the skin.
- Botox. Able to prevent the sweat glands from producing sweat. However, this treatment is not a permanent fix. You will need to get Botox every few months.
- Laser treatment. This treatment can shrink or destroy sweat glands.
- Surgery. The removal of the sweat glands. However, it is only recommended for extreme cases.
In short,
It is natural for your body to produce body odour. Everyone can get body odour and, sometimes, your body odour can affect your social life and self-esteem. If that's you, then I greatly suggest that you consult a doctor to help you regain your self-confidence!
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Dr Jipson Quah obtained his Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and has since become a general practitioner with many minor surgeries under his belt.
Also, read more from Dr Jipson Quah in his Q&A here.
Read more: 8 Dermatologist Clinics in Singapore for Your Skin Concerns (2020)
