Female Care

No-one likes the smell of body odor, but did you know…

• Body odor, or BO, is caused by sweat mixing with bacteria on the skin.
• Some foods and drink, such as spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol, can make BO smell worse.
• Sweating is your body’s way of cleansing itself and keeping it cool.
• Body odor is also called bromhidrosis.
• There are 2.5 million sweat glands in the body, 80% of which are in the armpits.
• Gorillas give off a pungent body odor when they’re distressed.
• Body odor can change during the menopause.

Sweating

You might think that you are only supposed to sweat when you are hot, but once you hit puberty, you also will sweat when you are nervous. Your sweat glands (which make sweat) become more active during the teen years, causing both more sweat and also some smell. You actually have 2 million to 4 million sweat glands all over the body. Most are on the soles of the feet, the palms, forehead, cheeks, and in the armpits. Don’t panic, though. Sweat and smell are normal parts of becoming an adult. Sweating also does an important job – it helps to cool your body down when you are hot.

How to help keep sweat from smelling badly:

• Shower or take a bath every day.

• Use a deodorant (covers smell) or an antiperspirant (decreases sweating), or a product that has both.

• Talk to your doctor if these things do not work or you are worried.

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