Body Odor Information

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Body Odor

All people smell when they don't bathe often enough. Sweat doesn't smell when it

first reaches your skin. The odor comes only after bacteria or fungi on the skin's

surface break down the fat in sweat to form chemicals that smell. Most sweat glands

produce sweat that contains no fat, but the sweat glands around the breasts, genitals

and armpits produce sweat that contains fat. Most people prevent body odor by

washing these areas frequently to reduce the number of bacteria on the

skin's surface.

The vast majority of people can prevent body odor by:

1)bathing frequently;

2)changing underwear and socks daily, because underclothes retain skin debris

that bacteria break down to cause odors;

3)using deodorants that contain low

levels of bacteria-killing metals such as

aluminum, zinc or zirconium; and

4)using powder under the armpits and groin to keep the skin dry, which

prevents bacteria from growing. Bacteria grow rapidly on wet skin.

If you do all of these things and still have an odor, something is wrong. The most

common cause of unusual body odor is a skin infection. An ammonia odor is caused

by infection with Helicobacter, the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers, or by eating

too much protein. Ask your doctor to draw a blood test for helicobacter. If it is positive,

you can be cured with antibiotics. If it is negative, you may need to eat less meat, fish,

chicken and dairy products. When you take in more protein than your body can use

immediately, your body strips ammonia from protein to make you smell like ammonia.

A fish odor is caused by taking choline supplements, by a hereditary condition called

trimethylaminuria that requires avoiding fish and other dietary sources of choline,

or by a vaginal infection caused by a bacteria called Gardnerella. People who have

damaged livers can also develop body odor that smells like fish. Damage to the

liver can destroy the chemical that breaks down choline. Check with your doctor.

Skin Care- Control Body Odor

Sweat controls our body temperature. Sweat also is responsible for body odor.

When bacteria react with sweat, it produces odor. Similarly pheromones that are

emitted by apocrine glands also have an odor. Let us find out how to control

excess sweat and control body odor.

Skin care- how sweat produces odor?

Eccrine sweat is produced by eccrine sweat glands that are distributed all over the

body. This sweat that is mainly water with very small amount of salt, sugar, urea etc.

is odorless. As this sweat appears on the skin surface it softens the epidermal keratin

producing smell as a result. Bacteria feed upon the keratin and sweat and produce

odor. In other areas of body, such as armpit, the skin is folded and moist and warm.

That is the ideal place for bacteria to feed upon sweat and produce odor.

Apocrine glands are mainly located around area such as scalp, groin and armpits.

They produce fatty sweat with pheromones. Bacteria again break down this sweat

and result is bad odor. The excess of sweat and /or bacteria can produce more body

odor. The obvious solution to body odor is therefore- reduction or drying of excess

sweat as soon as possible and keeping the skin free of bacteria. Here you should

note that if you have any yeast infection, that can worsen the odor.

Skin care and control of sweat and odor

Control sweat with antiperspirants. If you are having the problem of excess sweating,

please consult your doctor who will suggest other methods such as botox injections

and other methods. Washing body with antibacterial soap is a good idea. Keep

skin dry as much as possible and change clothes that may be been worn while

you had sweat because clothes continue to carry sweat producing bacteria until

they are washed.. Clothes may have dried, but they carry the stench of sweat with

them. Please change clothes after any activity that produces sweat. Some foods

such as caffeinated drinks, garlic, onions may add to sweat smell or excess sweating.

Avoid these foods. Control sweat, control bacteria and keep body dry to keep

yourself smelling fresh at all the times for better skin care.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a

medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please

consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this

article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome

or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

Do Certain Foods Affect Body Odor?

Body odor (B.O.) is caused by sweat mixing with bacteria living on the skin.

While B.O. is therefore mainly a matter of personal cleanliness, foods can

add to one's unpleasant odor in a few ways.

Hot drinks, caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods can all cause excessive sweating.

Since sweat and bacteria equate body odor, these can contribute to B.O. Some

foods, such as garlic and onions, cause bad breath; still others, such as beans,

contain sugars, starches, and insoluble fiber, which can cause flatulence.

Although bad breath and flatulence are not technically B.O., they still stink.

The worst B.O.-inducing foods include anything hot and spicy, such as Mexican

or Indian dishes, or foods loaded with carbohydrates. The worst liquid offenders

are coffee and liquor.

Bottom Line: Eat these foods in moderation, use breath mints, brush your teeth

twice a day (and floss), and bathe regularly.

Smell talk: Conquering Body Odor - Common Complaint?

Men's Fitness, May, 2003 by Matthew Solan

Did something die in here or is it you? Hearing that you stink on the basketball

court is bad enough, but in the office or, worse, on a first date, it's a disaster.

Yet you can battle personal pungency and come out smelling like a rose with

some simple hygiene and nutrition tips.

Body odor, known as "bromidrosis" by doctors and Jeopardy! contestants, occurs

when bacteria metabolize the proteins and fatty acids in the sweat produced by the

apocrine glands. These glands are found in the armpits and groin area, which are,

not surprisingly, hotbeds of bacteria.

It takes about an hour for the process to produce an odor, and bacteria do their

best job when the skin is wet with sweat. So the first step is to bathe more often--

and more effectively. Scrub your armpits and groin at least once a day with a

soapy washcloth, suggests Mary Lupo, M.D., associate clinical professor of

dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. A washcloth

works better at removing bacteria than just a bar of soap.

Will any soap do?

There's an ongoing debate about what's better, antibacterial

soap or the regular kind. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health found

that antibacterial soap did not provide any extra protection, and doctors worry

that such products could lead to the development of supergerms. But whichever

cleanser you choose, it's important to leave the soap on your skin for about two

minutes before rinsing in order for it to do its job.

BLOCK AND COVER

After you are good and clean, apply an effective deodorant. An antiperspirant

doesn't actually prevent odor; instead it blocks your sweat ducts with aluminum

salts, thus reducing the amount of perspiration that is able to reach your skin.

Deodorants don't stop you from sweating, but they include antibacterial chemicals

or compounds that work to eliminate odor by turning your skin acidic, making it less

attractive to bacteria. Fragrances are also added to cover up odor, and are often

encapsulated in starch and released little by little as the coating is dissolved

in sweat.

There is no "best" deodorant; you have to experiment with different brands to

find one that works for you. Gels tend to provide the most efficient coverage

and thus are regarded as the strongest odor-eaters. If your armpits get a

steady drizzle, use a solid, as it contains the least amount of water. "Lighter

deodorants [such as sprays and roll-ons] can be perspired off," says

C. Lisa Kauffman, M.D., chief of dermatology at Georgetown University

Medical Center.

If your skin is sensitive to deodorants that rely on chemicals for their action,

explore alternative brands, such as Tom's of Maine, that depend on natural

antimicrobial agents to stop odor. Look for chamomile, sage, lemongrass, licorice

or coriander on the ingredients list, says James A. Duke, Ph.D., author of The

Green Pharmacy. There are also a few homemade--or even homegrown--remedies.

Another approach is "crystal" deodorant stones, which contain mineral salts that

may kill existing bacteria while inhibiting the growth of new microbes to prevent

odor. (You wet the stone and rub it under your arm like a bar of soap.) You'll find

conflicting views on their effectiveness, although there have been no extensive

studies to support either side. You do have to apply it daily--don't fall for claims

that a single application can last for weeks. However, one stone can last about

a year.

FARE AND FIGHT

Finally, reconsider your diet. While most menu items don't affect your personal aroma,

sulfurous foods such as garlic and onions (and, of course, the infamous asparagus)

can cause body odor, says Elizabeth Applegate, Ph.D., a nutritionist at the University

of California at Davis. If you avoid these foods and still struggle with B.O., you could

have a zinc deficiency. Taking 30 to 50 milligrams of zinc daily can dramatically reduce

certain body odors, although you may need less. Zinc is also abundant in spinach,

parsley, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, string beans and prunes.

Holding the onions and garlic, switching to a more vegetarian diet may also help

control odor, according to Dean Ornish, M.D. "When you eat a lot of meat, it takes

a long time for it to make its way through your digestive tract," he says. "As it

putrefies and decays, your breath smells bad, your sweat smells bad, and your

bowels smell bad."

Some people swear by charcoal tablets, which may help absorb waste products

and reduce fermentation that could be causing body odor. Others prefer chlorophyll

tablets or liquids that contain magnesium to reduce body toxins. The juries are still

out on these options, so take a whiff before and after and use your own judgment.

If you notice a sudden change in your body odor, it may indicate something more

serious. A fruity smell, for example, may be a sign of diabetes, while an ammonia-like

aroma could indicate liver disease. If you smell like rotting fish, you could have a

defective gene that prevents you from metabolizing trimethylamine, a natural

by-product of digesting foods such as saltwater fish, eggs and liver.