In the former blog, we featured 'what causes body odor' and found that it is non-harmful bacteria on the surface of the skin acting on sweat-producing odorous substances.
Let's see different ways of how body odor can be prevented or treated.
Warm water bath- taking a bath once a day is recommended. Keep
in mind that a warm bath is necessary to kill bacteria on the skin. For
individuals who sweat a lot, bathing twice a day will be a good idea in
preventing and treating body odor.
Check on your diet- eating spicy foods, red meat, egg yolk,
broccoli and broccoli sprouts on regular bases is associated with body odor.
The idea here is not to stop eating such meals because your body needs them but
to check on the frequency and also quantity of such foods in a meal.
Use of deodorants - application of deodorant makes it hard
for the bacteria on the surface of the skin to flourish. Deodorants make the
surface of the skin acidic which is not suitable media for the bacteria to grow
and multiply.
Use of antiperspirants- they block sweat pores on the skin
and help to reduce the amount of sweat that comes out to the skin surface.
Antiperspirants have their own flaws as the have been linked to various forms
of cancer.
Type of clothing- allowing the sweat to evaporate or get
absorbed by the clothing we put on is an important element in the prevention of body
odor. Put on clothing that absorbs sweat and allows the skin to breathe again
to fend off bad body smell. Natural fibers like wool cotton and silk can help a
great deal.
NOTE: Armpits are more prone to odor especially if the hair
is not shaved. This makes sweat evaporate slowly creating more time for the
bacteria to break down the sweat and more production of odorant substances.
Surgery- this is only recommended when self-care methods
described above fail and body odor persists. Surgery aims at removing or destroying some sweat glands to reduce
sweating and control body odor.
References:
Treating and preventing body odor- MNT. Address: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173478.php?page=2
Body odor – treatment; NHS. Address: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Body-odour/Pages/Treatment.aspx.
