How to Deal with Body Odor

One of the most embarrassing situations you can possibly land into is to find out that people have been avoiding physical proximity with you on account of an unpleasant smell which you may not even be aware of apart from dampening your social popularity, body odor can also have a negative impact on your self-esteem and body image. So before things roll that way, explore these tips on how to deal with body odor.

How is body odor caused?

The most effective way to defeat a problem is to treat it at its root, instead of merely masking its symptoms. So in order to deal with body odor, it best to understand what is causing the problem in the first place. Body odour is a smell produced by a person's body that many other people find unpleasant. It is caused by a natural process involving sweat that occurs on the skin's surface. Sweat is odourless, but if left on the skin the bacteria that normally live there feed on it and break it down. This process releases chemicals that cause the unpleasant smell. Certain areas of the body such as the armpits and genitals, are more likely to produce body odour because these contain a large number of apocrine glands, which produce proteins and oily substances that bacteria feed on. Sweat elsewhere in the body is mostly salty water, which bacteria don't thrive on so easily. Smelly feet on the other hand is primarily caused by wrapping them in socks and shoes, making them hot and humid and allowing fungi, as well as bacteria, to flourish.

While some amount of sweating is normal for adult men and women, severe sweating is recognized as a separate medical condition and is known as hyperhidrosis. At the same time certain medical conditions can cause your sweat to smell differently. For example, a fruity smell can sometimes indicate diabetes, while a bleach-like smell may indicate liver or kidney disease. It is a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor if you notice a change in your body odor.

Keep yourself clean

The first line of action in order to deal with body odor is getting rid of excess skin bacteria, which are responsible for the smell. Take a warm bath or shower once a day. This will help kill the bacteria on your skin. On hot days, you may need to take a bath twice a day. Likewise after a strenuous physical activity like jogging or working out at the gym, you may need to head for the shower. When having a bath, wash your armpits thoroughly using an antibacterial soap.

Keep yourself dry

The other strategy in dealing with body odor is to keep the skin in the affected area - usually the armpits and groin - clean and dry. Regularly shaving your armpits and trimming your pubic hair will allow sweat to evaporate quicker, giving bacteria less time to break it down.

What products to use

While you can leave home smelling fresh as a flower, a long commute in public transport or visiting an outdoor site under the hot sun can leave you feeling sweaty and smelly again. In order to prevent this from happening use a deodorant after showering. There are a whole of options available in the market, each with different perfumes and components. In fact a roll-on deo or a bottle of deospray is a good addition in your handbag if you wish to keep smelling all day at your workplace. However if you intend to stick to natural products, consider swabbing the underarms with these inexpensive and readily available solutions like Apple Cider Vinegar and Witch Hazel or dusting your underarms with ingredients like baking Soda or even boric powder, all of which are good at absorb odors. If such chemicals don’t appeal to you especially using anywhere on your skin, try Diluting 8 to 10 drops of Rosemary Oil in an ounce of water and then applying under the arms.

Wear clean clothes

While you are careful to keep clean, the benefits of daily shower will be negated if you put on worn clothes. In order to stop body odor Fresh clothes should be worn every day, and clothing should be washed at as high a temperature as possible, then dried as quickly. Bacteria can survive in damp clothing and produce a characteristic smell.

Lifestyle changes

Making small changes in what you wear and eat can go a long way in keeping you smelling fresh. As far as possible wear natural fibers, such as wool, silk or cotton, especially in places where the climate is warm and humid. They allow your skin to breathe, which means your sweat will evaporate quicker. Also limit your consumption of spicy foods, such as curry or garlic, because they can make your sweat smell. Evidence also suggests that eating a lot of red meat tends to make body odor worse.

What to do in chronic cases

In chronic cases of body odor when self-care does not improve things, you may have to switch over to anti-perspirants. While deodorants work by using perfume to mask the smell of sweat, antiperspirants contain aluminium chloride, which reduces the amount of sweat produced by your body. Aluminium chloride solutions are usually applied every night before bed, and washed off in the morning. This is because you stop sweating in your sleep, so the solution can seep into your sweat glands and block them. This in turn reduces how much you sweat the next day. As the aluminium chloride solution begins to take effect, you can use it less often, like maybe every other night or once or twice a week.

Surgery may be recommended for severe body odor that cannot be treated by over-the-counter products, like strong deodorants and anti-perspirants. One type of surgery involves removing a small area of skin from your armpit and the tissue just below it. This gets rid of the most troublesome sweat glands and there is less body odor. It may also be possible for the sweat glands to be drawn out from the deeper skin layers using liposuction which is better known as a technique to remove unwanted body fat. Still another option is a type of surgery called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS), which uses keyhole surgery to destroy the nerves that control sweating. Risks associated with ETS include damage to nearby arteries or nerves and compensatory sweating where your body experiences increased sweating from other areas. So before you reach for surgical options, it is best to fully discuss the risks of the procedure with your surgeon.

And yet, cosmetic procedure to treat body odor need not always be so invasive. Botox, better known to make wrinkles vanish, is another possible treatment for people with excessive underarm sweating. Botulinum toxin is a powerful poison that can be used safely in minute doses. Your doctor may use specific number of injections of botulinum toxin on the most-affected area of the body, such as the armpits, hands, feet or face. The toxin works by blocking signals from your brain to the sweat glands, reducing the amount of sweat produced. The flipside of this procedure is that the effects usually last between two and eight months, after which you may have to sign up for another course of treatment.