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Body odour is also known as ‘bromhidrosis’ or ‘osminidrosis’. It is often caused by excessive sweat production. Though sweat itself is odourless, the bacteria that grow in it produce bad odour.

There are two types of sweat glands in our body:

Eccrine sweat glands: These are present all over the body and produce sweat mainly containing salt and water which is odourless.

Apocrine sweat glands: These are present on certain body areas e.g. armpits, groin, inner side of thighs, etc.

• The secretion from apocrine glands contains oil and sweat.
• This oil content is a favourable culture media for bacterial growth.
• The secretions from these glands are most active after work out.

Causes responsible for body odour:

SPECIFIC CONDITIONS: When the bacterial skin, flora, comes in contact with sweat, it produces bad odour. So all the conditions that increase sweat production also increase body odour.

WORKOUT: Post-workout, the body produces excessive sweat in order to regulate the body temperature.

BAD HYGIENE: Maintaining poor hygiene and wearing unwashed clothes both give rise to bacterial growth.

DIETARY HABITS: Caffeine-containing products, spicy and fatty food, strong-smelling foods such as garlic and onion can add to body odour. Alcohol and cigarettes also give rise to body odour.

Simple remedies to prevent body odour

• Take a bath and wash clothes regularly.
• Use deodorants and antiperspirants to mask the body odour. Products containing lime and aluminium chloride or hexahydrate have antibacterial action also.
• Deodorants only mask the odour, but antiperspirants also clog the sweat glands.
• Improve your nutrition; reduce the intake of caffeine-containing products and spicy foods.
• Drink plenty of fluids because hydration keeps the eccrine glands active and dilutes the apocrine perspiration that decreases odour.
• Use boric acid—it is a cost-effective and simple way to keep the smell away. Use it after taking your bath. It slows down bacterial growth but can lead to skin irritation.
• Apply a solution of hydrogen peroxide (three per cent diluted in a cup of water on the problem areas.
• If there is a skin infection, take proper treatment immediately.
• Go for iontophoresis, a method that temporarily seals your sweat pores using electricity—in cases of hyperhydrosis or excessive sweating.

Anti-Perspirant Deodorants

Body odor is one of the fastest ways to lose friends and can be an embarrassing topic to address, but with the huge variety of deodorants on the market today, there is no excuse for it. Everybody sweats – let’s face it, those old tales about women ‘glowing’ just don’t cut it! According to the Cosmetic… Read More….

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