Body Odour
Body odour is a major concern for most people today. It is unpleasant, embarrassing and reduces self-confidence. Those who struggle with bad body odour cannot help but constantly worry about it in the company of others.
Functions
Sweating helps our body cool down and regulates body temperature. It can also be a response to stress or anxiety and aids our body in clearing toxins. Our skin acts as the third kidney, detoxifying our bodies. When we exert ourselves, not only do we sweat to cool our body temperature, but it also increases blood flow, which releases toxins. Sweating is something we need to do regularly -- not just because of the cardiovascular and fat-burning benefits of exercise, but also because of its body-cleansing function.
The eccrine glands are the major sweat glands located on almost every part of the body, especially palms, soles and nose. The number of sweat glands in a person's body can vary from nearly two million to more than four million. It is nature's own little air conditioning system.
Similarly, the apocrine glands, which are located in the armpits and groin (among other areas), produce sweat that assists in several necessary functions, such as secretion of pheromones or mate attracting hormones, waste removal system that offloads microscopic bits of fat and other matter, among others.
Problems
Body odour is often not considered a serious condition. However, permanent body odour or Bromhidrosis, also known as consecutive body odour, is a common phenomenon in post-pubertal individuals. In many cases, Bromhidrosis may become pathologic, if it is particularly overpowering or, if it significantly interferes with the day-to-day life of affected individuals. It is a chronic condition in which excessive odour, usually an unpleasant one, emanates from the skin. Bromhidrosis, determined either by secretion of the apocrine or eccrine glands, can substantially impair a person's quality of life.
Causes
The bacteria present on our skin breaks down sweat into fatty acids that produce the unpleasant odour. Medical conditions, such as thyroid disease and carcinoid syndrome, can also cause excessive sweating, as can the side-effects of some medicines, such as anti-depressants.
Symptoms
The primary symptom of body odour is an unusual and pungent smell arising from the body. Other symptoms include:
- Excessive sweating
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Cold hands
Body Odour Cleanse
Many products, concoctions and remedies are available in the market for resolving body odour problem. Some of these remedies simply mask the odour while others, such as antiperspirants, block the skin's pores that secrete sweat. However, this method defeats our body's natural cooling and toxin-removal mechanism and may cause discomfort or even allergies. Alternatively, body odour can be tackled by:
- Reducing the amount of sweat produced
- Treating bacteria that produces the odour
- Doing a Liver Cleanse
To keep body odour at bay, cleanse your body externally as well as internally by regularly bathing and washing the body, and maintaining a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
External Body Cleanse
Use any one or more.
Baking Soda
- As baking soda helps absorb moisture from the skin, it can absorb sweat and reduce body odour. Plus, it kills bacteria and works like a natural deodorant.
- Ingredients: baking soda, lemon juice.
- Procedure: mix one tablespoon each of baking soda and lemon juice together. Apply it to your underarms and other body parts where you sweat excessively. Leave it on for a couple of minutes and wash it off with water; do not scrub. Then, take a shower or bathe. Do this once daily for a few weeks.
- Alternatively, mix equal amounts of baking soda and corn starch. Apply it directly to dry underarms to prevent sweating as well as bad odour. Use this remedy when you need protection for several hours.
Apple Cider Vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar has a powerful bacteria-fighting ingredient. It helps eliminate body odour by balancing the pH level of our skin.
- Ingredients (as per requirement): apple cider vinegar, cotton, water, honey.
- Procedure: soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and rub it on your underarms. Wait two to three minutes and then take a shower. Follow this remedy twice daily, once in the morning and again before going to bed, until you notice improvement.
- Add a cup of apple cider vinegar to your bath and soak for 8-10 minutes. Apart from killing body odour, this also cures sunburns. Apple cider vinegar bath can also be taken after a strenuous workout to control excessive sweating.
- Add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and have it three times a day before meals. If you can't stand its taste or smell, you may add a little honey. This is a good remedy to reduce excessive sweating as well.
- If you suffer from foot odour, add 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar in a foot soaking basin filled with warm water, and soak your feet for 15 minutes. You can do it once every week.
Lemon Juice
- Lemon juice is great for treating body odour. The acidic property of lemon helps lower the skin's pH level, which in turn makes it difficult for odour-producing bacteria to survive.
- Ingredients: lemon, water, cotton.
- Procedure: cut a fresh lemon into two halves. Rub one half of the lemon on your underarms. Make sure the juice gets onto your skin. Allow it to dry on its own, and then take a shower. Follow this remedy once daily until the odour is gone completely.
- If you have sensitive skin, dilute the juice in half a cup of water and apply it to your underarms using a cotton ball. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off with water. Do this once daily until you notice improvement.
Rosemary
- Rosemary inhibits growth of odour-causing bacteria. It also contains menthol and chlorophyll, which have natural deodorant properties that neutralise strong body odour and also lend a nice fragrance to your body. Plus, it has zinc, the deficiency of which can also cause body odour.
- Ingredients: rosemary, water.
- Procedure: add half a cup of dried rosemary leaves to four cups of hot water. Leave it for 10 minutes and then add it to your bath water. Soak in this water for 15 to 20 minutes. Pat dry your skin. Follow this remedy daily to smell nice throughout the day.
- Alternatively, mix 8 to 10 drops of rosemary essential oil in one ounce of water and apply it to your underarms as a deodorant.
Internal Body Cleanse
- Water is a good cleansing agent; it helps flush out unwanted toxins from our bodies and keeps body temperatures down to manageable levels. Start your day with a glass or two of fresh water. Strive to drink the usual norm of twelve glasses a day.
- Drinking tomato juice is an effective cure for excessive sweating. Have a glass of tomato juice early in the morning daily for one week to yield good results. After the first week is over, continue drinking tomato juice every other day and then reduce it based on improvement.
Dos and Don'ts
- Wear natural fabrics, such as cotton, which are absorbent and draw the sweat away from the skin and allow it to breathe. Wear cotton clothes while sleeping, but no undergarments. This particularly improves quality of sleep.
- There are some foods that can contribute to body odour, such as garlic and onions. They contain sulphur compounds that can make your sweat more pungent than it would be otherwise, especially if you consume them in large quantities. The same goes for strong spices.
- Daily elimination helps our body remove harmful waste substances that can make you sick and cause undesirable body odour.
Surgical Management of Body Odour
There are a couple of surgical options for severe sweating (hyperhidrosis) which can't be controlled by other methods. Beware of the after-effects of surgery before deciding as these surgeries cannot be reversed. The following can be used for acute conditions.
Liposuction and Removal of Skin from the Armpit
- In this process, a small piece of skin in the apex of the armpit, measuring 4 cm by 1.5 cm is cut out, destroying the most troublesome sweat glands.
- A modern variation on this procedure is liposuction which sucks out the sweat glands from deeper layers of skin.
Trans-thoracic Sympathectomy
- This surgery is done under general anaesthesia and uses a keyhole technique to destroy the nerves that control sweating. The surgeon makes an incision in the armpit and passes an electrical current to kill the nerves. The success rate of the procedure is nearly 40 per cent, but as the body still has to sweat, some people experience increased sweating from their chest, abdomen and back after the operation.
Botox
- Botox is yet another treatment to reduce body odour. A small amount of the toxin is injected into multiple sites in the skin at the apex of the armpit to help control excessive sweating.
Tip
A Liver Cleanse helps in increasing the efficiency of the Body Odour Cleanse.