Body odor is an unpleasant smell the body releases when the bacteria that lives in the skin turns sweat into acid. Body odor can cause embarrassment mostly when you are in a party or in the midst of friends or with a crush. Bad body odor can also come if forget to use your deodorant because you are in a rush or when you sweat a lot, some days you just sweat a lot due to whether. People wonder why such terrible smell comes from the body, in this post I listed causes of that bad odor and how to avoid it.
Causes Of Bad Body Odor
Body odor is influenced by genetic makeup, age, diet, gender, and hygiene. The body has millions of sweat glands and they come in 2 major types namely Eccrine Gland and Apocrine Gland.
Eccrine Gland found all over the skin which secretes water and salt. This secretion is odorless.
Apocrine Gland develops at puberty in the armpit and few other places on the body. The sweat this gland produces is full of proteins and fats.
Body odor mostly comes from the armpit because places like the armpit are usually moist which bacteria love. It also comes from hairy areas and genitals. Bacteria are more concentrated on the armpit than any other part of the skin. These bacteria feed on the protein and fat in Apaccrine sweat. They turn the odorless compounds into something else that smells very terrible. What determines how strong body odor will be in the body is the level of population of bacteria in the armpit and other areas with the Appaccrine gland in the body and the amounts of sweats they secrete. Body odor is stronger in those around puberty, those who are overweight, those who sweat a lot, and those who have a medical condition.
Other Causes Of Bad Body Odor
- If you don’t shower enough you will have body odor. You have a responsibility to take good care of your body, bathing twice a day, that is, in the morning and at night before bedtime is advised.
- Those that are obese are likely to have body odor because they sweat a lot.
- Wearing dirty cloth and underwear.
How To Prevent Bad Body Odor
- Bath twice daily using a sponge and anti-bacteria soap, wash all parts of the body very well especially the armpit and your private areas, and dry up your body well after the bath.
- Use antiperspirant or deodorant. Deodorant mask odor from the armpit and inhibit bacteria activities, antiperspirant forms tiny gel plugs that lock sweat glands and dry the armpit.
- Apply baby powder on armpit at night after bath and the days you have nowhere to go. This is good to make your skin take a break from the chemical in deodorant and antiperspirant.
- Eat a good diet.
- Wax or cut armpit hair short.
- Visit your dermatologist to know what kind of cream is good for your skin type.
- Anytime you run out of deodorant or antiperspirant apply enough baby powder on your armpit.
- Those that are obese or overweight sweat a lot, maintain a decent weight. Check out our post on the best ways to lose weight.
In addition to the above-stated remedies to body odor, study what works best for your kind of skin. Also, if you have tried all of the above-stated remedies and your body odor still remains the same please contact your doctor for further investigation.
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