Everyone has body odor. It could come from any part of the body/body coverings or orifices- nose, mouth, ear, genitals, feet etc.
Body odor from the skin, called bromhidrosis, caused by the combination of sweat and bacteria normally found on the skin, is a normal part of the human experience. But it’s embarrassing enough that you want to get rid of it.
Sweat itself doesn’t have a smell. Body odor is actually the fault of the bacteria that live in sweaty areas of your body. When you sweat, the bacteria break down certain proteins in the sweat into acids. So, it’s not the bacteria that stink. It’s the by-product of the bacteria breaking down the constituents of sweat.
Risk Factors / Causes of Body Odour:
- Fasting/Starvation: Breakdown of fats deposits to produce ketones during prolonged fast – (over 10 hrs-morning or night).
- Stasis resulting from prolonged oral cavity inactivity / closure.
- Prolonged stay in smoking, smelling or dusty environment
- Being overweight: Skin folds can hold sweat and bacteria, making a more hospitable home for body odor.
- Fungal infection especially between the toes and covered with unwashed socks.
- Eating spicy, pungent foods: These don’t actually make your sweat any smellier, but the scents of pungent foods can permeate through your skin, making body odor seem worse.
- Alcoholic breath from alcohol indulgence.
- Offensive Discharges from the ears, genitals and other body orifices
- Certain medical conditions: Diabetes, kidney or liver problems, overactive thyroid, and (extremely rare) genetic conditions can cause a change in your normal body scent. In some cases, an odd body odor can be a sign of something more serious. For example, a bleach-like or urine-like smell may mean kidney or liver problems. If you notice an odd change in your normal body odor or feel something is just not right, contact your doctor.
- Stress: Stress especially from poor sleep, causes your apocrine glands to work overtime. Remember, these are the glands that cause smelly sweat. So, you may notice a sudden breakout of body odour right before your big presentation or after a particularly hair-raising event.
- Genetics: Some people are just more prone to developing body odor than others.
- Excessive sweating: a condition called hyperhidrosis can cause you to sweat a lot. Causes of excessive sweating include; precocious puberty, hyperthyroidism, flu, menopause and some Anxiety Disorder especially OCD, PTSD e.t.c
Excessive sweating can be of other causes other than underlying disease. Examples include heavy exercise, being in a hot environment or spending time in the sun.
- POOR HYGIENE- due to certain mental or emotional disorders, including severe depression and psychotic disorders, social factors such as poverty or inadequacy of social support. Physical disabilities can also interfere with one’s ability to care for oneself and may result in an individual being unable to attend to personal hygiene.
Medical Treatments for Body Odour
If you’ve done everything to help reduce body odor and aren’t noticing improvement, give your doctor a call for some extreme options:
- Prescription antiperspirants/deodorants are stronger than what you can get over the counter and are typically the first treatment step for body odor.
- Antibiotics, topical and oral, can help reduce bacteria on the skin.
- Botox reduces your sweat glands’ ability to produce sweat. This is not a permanent fix, though, and treatment needs to be repeated every few months.
- Laser treatment reduces hair follicles, but may not help with body odour.
- Surgery to remove sweat glands is done in extreme cases.
- Seek the advice of your doctor, so you would be guided on the best approach to get rid of the offender.