Conditions and Diseases

Body Odor and Causes

What is the body odor and its causes? People have a vague idea as of what causes body odor and sweat, but don’t know how to remove body odor permanently naturally, which has become an increasing problem among people lately. If you notice a sudden change in your body odor lately, but don’t know the reason behind it, then check below and discover how to get rid of it!

Body odor is that scent that your body gives off and that others may find unpleasant. It becomes rather evident after puberty, or in people who follow a specific diet and/or suffer specific medical conditions, such as diabetes.

People who sweat a lot of may also be susceptible to body odor, but it’s not always the case. As a matter of fact, sweat itself is odorless; what you actually smell is the rapid multiplication of bacteria and the acids they spread in it. You could say that germs are some of the most common strong body odor causes, but not the only one. And certainly not the most problematic ones.

Basically, the odor is tightly linked to the apocrine glands found in several parts of your body, such as the breasts, genital area, eyelids, armpits and ears. They’re the main reason as of why you smell, as the sweat they produce is high in protein, which bacteria can easily break down.

How to Prevent Body Odor

Because the major number of apocrine glands concentrate in the armpits, this is the area which gives off the strongest body odor. To prevent this, we recommend the following:

1) Keep your armpits clean. If you don’t know how to remove body odor permanently naturally, cleaning your armpits with an anti-bacterial soap will be your biggest lifesaver.

2) Hair slows down the evaporation of sweat, giving the bacteria more chance to spread their stink in the liquid. That’s why you have to shave regularly in order to control the body odor in this area.

3) You can also use deodorants or antiperspirants as a way to fight the bacteria. The former makes it difficult for bacteria to reproduce, while the latter blocks the glands, resulting in less sweating.

Body Odor Treatments

1) Because warm water kills off bacteria much better than cold water, be sure to wash daily with warm water, especially during hot, sweaty days!

2) Natural fibers allow your body breathe better, and thus, evaporate sweat faster, so wear natural clothing, such as wool, silk or cotton, to avoid strong odors.

3) Did you know that somebody odor comes from inside? That’s because some foods cause strong body odor! Don’t worry; if you don’t know how to eliminate body odor internally, you just have to change your diet a bit. Avoid spicy foods and eat more foods that eliminate body odor, such as grains, leafy vegetables and fruits.

4) If none of the body odor treatments we described above works, you might have to resort to aluminum chloride and injections of botulinum toxin. This is only if you sweat too much and need immediate help.

5) If none of the self-care and medicines worked, one last resort would be a surgery to destroy the sweating-controlling nerves in your armpits. However, we don’t recommend this one, as it can damage other nerves and arteries in this area.

What Causes Body Odor and Sweat?

So, to summarize body odor and causes, bacteria multiplication is what causes body odor and sweat to smell intensely, but there are natural body odor treatments that can fight this problem, which range from a simple change of habits, such as eating more foods that eliminate body odor, to specialized medical treatments, which, as we said, should only be considered as a last resort. If you notice a sudden change in your body odor, feel free to come back to this article to check which are the strong body odor causes so you can apply any of the tips we numbered here for you.