Body odour

Everyone worries about whether they smell, so how do you make sure you don’t? The Mix sniffs out the facts about body odour.

Why do I smell?

It’s probably your sweat.

A bit of sweat is normal to keep our body temperature between 36 degrees C and 37 degrees C. Our sweat glands are effectively tiny built-in air conditioners scattered under the surface of the skin. When things hot up they keep us cool by getting moisture onto the surface of the skin. As sweat evaporates it takes the heat away. It’s a very simple and effective process. Unfortunately, there’s a downside.

When it’s fresh, sweat doesn’t smell. Things only get smelly after a few hours, when bacteria begins to break it down. It’s particularly noticeable under the armpits and around the groin and nipples, where the sweat glands are most concentrated. Unfortunately, when things get niffy, we’re often the last to know.

How do I avoid getting body odour?

• Wash regularly with an antibacterial soap to remove stale sweat and keep bacteria in order.
• Concentrate particularly on washing under the armpits, where up to 80% of the body’s sweat glands can be found.
• Wear fresh underclothes, preferably cotton which lets the skin breathe.
• Avoid synthetic garments.
• There are two types of product you can use to handle perspiration and body odour. Antiperspirant and deodorant. Before you buy, it’s important to be aware of the difference between the two: antiperspirants block the pores in the skin and stop sweat leaving the skin, deodorants let you sweat, but destroy or mask the bacteria causing B.O.
• During adolescence, hormonal changes can lead to a temporary increase in sweating.

In some cases, excessive sweating could be a treatable medical condition. If you’re worried, check it out with your GP.

Check out a body odour Q&A from a member of The Mix’s community below for more tips on dealing with body odour.

How do I control my body odour at work?

“It doesn’t matter how often I wash or what products I use, I always have a really strong body odour. Now my work colleagues are beginning to make fun of me. What can I do?”

Body odour is a very real problem for a lot of people, and can be upsetting to live with.

There are things that you can do to reduce your body odour throughout the day. It’s important that you wear clean clothes every day, as yesterday’s clothes can smell of stale sweat. In addition, wearing natural fibres is preferable to synthetic. It might be a good idea to carry deodorant with you at work, along with freshening wipes – both of these will help keep body odour at bay. If your boss is approachable, perhaps you could arrange to sit by a window where there would be enough air to help keep you cool.

If your sweating is particularly severe, you might consider leaving a wash bag and towel at work so you can have a shower (if there is one), or at least a proper wash while you’re there.

If you’ve tried everything and it’s still a problem, there are surgical treatments available, but it’s important you talk to your doctor about this.

Being bullied about body odour

It must make your working life difficult having colleagues make fun of you. If possible, try to speak to someone about what’s happening and how it makes you feel. Hopefully they’ll be able to speak to your colleagues and ask them to behave with more consideration. If they’re being out of order, check out our article on bullying at work for some tips on how to make them stop.

Get more support with body problems here. Photo of girl smelling her armpit by Shutterstock.