Date Posted: 10/6/2011 9:05:35 AM
Posted By: walteym Membership Level: Gold Total Points: 1895
Body odor, medically termed as bromhidrosis, can best be described as an unpleasant smell that emanates from our bodies when the bacteria that live on the skin break down sweat into acid. However, it would be incorrect to assume that it is the sweat that produces the unpleasant smell. Rather, it is byproducts produced by the bacteria from feeding on the proteins and fats in the sweat that give the odor.The human body consists of two types of sweat glands; eccrine glands which are located over the entire surface of the skin and apocrine glands which are limited to armpits, ears, genital areas, breasts and eyelids. Sweat from eccrine gland is mostly water and salt and bacteria have basically nothing to feed on it, so it is usually odorless. The salt in this sweat actually prevents bacteria from feeding on other substances in the sweat. Sweat from apocrine glands however is rich in proteins and fats and can be easily digested by bacteria, hence unpleasant smells usually emanate from armpits and other areas containing apocrine glands.The reason as to why some people have strong body odors while others have relatively none can thus be attributed to the fact that different bodies produce different amounts of salt in their sweat. The more the salt, the more the bacteria will be repelled from metabolizing hence less body odor. People who are obese, sweat a lot or have medical conditions such as diabetes are more likely to have strong body odors.The problem with body odor is that, while it might be clearly evident to people around a person with the odor, the person in question might not even realize that he or she has it. This is because when we are exposed to a particular smell for long periods of time, we can longer smell it. Thus, it is not easy to tell whether you have a body odor. To determine whether you have one however, there are a few things you could do:1. Ask someone you trust, perhaps a close friend, if you have a strong odor. Start by assuring him or her that you will not be upset by the answer and you will get an honest response.2. Take note of the behavior of people whenever you are in a crowded place. If people tend to give you more space than necessary, chances are that you have a strong odor.There are no proven medical ways to eliminate body odor since it emanates from a person''s physical body and the sweat glands that cause it cannot simply be done away with. However, there are a number of things one could do to reduce body odor and through which one might succeed in eliminating it. These include:1. Take a bathe everyday. Use effective cleaning agents such as toilet soaps or bathing gels. Remember to pay keen attention especially to underarms as these are what mostly cause the odor. You could also try using shampoo instead of soap.2. Change your clothes, especially your undergarments and socks daily. Wash them thereafter and leave them to dry in an open place.3. Store your clothes in a well ventilated place. Storing them in a crowded cabinet for example will only make them smelly and worsen your situation.4. Have a change of diet. Avoid spicy foods especially fast foods as they are directly linked to body odor.5. Consider a change of lifestyle. If you are a smoker, consider quitting since the smell from smoking will only make matters worse.6. Do not use deodorants or antiperspirants. Contrary to popular beliefs, they only make things worse.7. If the problem still persists even after trying out all these measures, then you need to see a doctor. Permanent body odour could be a sign of an underlying medical condition such as diabetes.
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