ADIEU BODY ODOUR

Do you avoid standing next to a person after a workout? Do you always carry a deodorant with you? If yes then we know what the problem is and have a solution too.

Body odour could be the biggest turn off in a person’s personality; just like a nice fragrance leaves an imprint on other person’s memory a foul smell can do the same. I still remember when I was in school I had a friend who had this problem of body odour and whenever summer would set in it would get hard to stand beside him. I don’t remember how many times I tried telling him about this but I kept mum thinking that it would affect our friendship. But now I think I should have talked about it as this might have helped him in solving the problem. Keeping at bay body odour is not just a hygene issue but also covers body and skin care. .

As the season changes this problem of body odour comes back knocking. On this dermatologist Dr Shehla Agarwal says, “Body odour is not limited to a season. We sweat in winters also but the knits save the smell from coming out. And while the season changes the body tries adapting to the change and thus we sweat more.” Sweating is the easiest way in which body maintains the homeostatis balance, keeping itself cool.

The problem is not sweat but the smell. Dr Agarwal adds, “Sweat is not smelly but when the sweat interacts with the natural bacteria present on our skin and hair then it smells bad. And teenagers are more prone to this problem.”

Sweat secreting apocrine glands are developed during the puberty and that’s the reason adolescents face this problem more. These glands secrete sweat rich in organic substances which attracts bacteria more giving out a much stronger odour. No doubt you start walking faster whenever you cross a teenaged boy who is coming back from a sports/physical activity drenched with sweat.

As we say everything happens for a reason and there are reasons why body odour arises. Lack of proper cleanliness and hygiene, bad eating habits, wearing tight clothes and shoes, obesity, weather changes and sometimes genetic conditions are few causes of body odour.

Body odour is a sensitive issue which needs to be handled delicately. And you can get a solution only when you talk about it and there are solutions for this. Consulting a doctor, changing your lifestyle and eating habits can help you get you rid of this. Dr Agarwal gives us tips to handle this problem:

Cleanliness and hygiene: This is the most important step in getting rid of the smelly body odour. One needs to clean each and every body fold especially the armpits with an anti-fungal soap every day.

Deodorants and talcum powder: If you are thinking that applying loads of deodorant is going to get you rid of the body odour then you are absolutely wrong. It is a common thinking that body odour can be solved using a deodorant but that’s not true as its just masking the problem. Roll-on deodorants do help to some extent as they tend to stay longer. Talking about the talcum powder, they tend to absorb the secretion of the sweat thus reducing the problem.

Foods: Eating habits also affect this problem of body odour. There are foods that lead to increase in body odour like garlic, chilies, spices, onions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and other foods that have sulphur. Excessive intake of chocolate, coffee, tea, soda and alcohol can also cause body odour. It’s not that one should stop the intake of these foods instead should reduce their quantity.

Medicine: Doctors prescribe oral antifungal medicines which solve the problem for one season at least but they are not a permanent solution.