Contents:
- Medical Video: Dermatology Treatments : How to Stop Bad Underarm Sweating
- How can body odor occur?
- What is the difference between deodorants and antiperspirants?
- Prevent body odor from appearing suddenly
- 1. Keep yourself clean
- 2. Keep your body dry
- 3. Change clothes
- 4. Avoid sharp-smelling foods
Medical Video: Dermatology Treatments : How to Stop Bad Underarm Sweating
Body odor can be a nightmare for many people. Can occur in both men and women, body odor is no longer a big problem because of the development of deodorant and antiperspirant products that are easily found everywhere. But because of the different body conditions of people, you might be able to produce more sweat compared to your friends. Or there are also people who produce very little sweat until they don't need deodorants and antiperspirants.
How can body odor occur?
Sweat and body odor can occur when you do physical activity, when it's hot, or when you feel nervous and stressed. Our bodies have two main types of sweat glands, the eccrine glands and the apocrine glands. Eccrine glands are most commonly found in the body and are located close to the surface of the skin. While there are many apocrine glands in the hair follicles such as the armpits and groin.
When your body temperature rises, the eccrine gland will release the fluid we know as sweat on the surface of the skin, this sweat is tasked with cooling the body temperature. Sweat released by the eccrine gland consists of water and salt. While the apocrine glands produce sweat that is textured heavier when compared to the sweat produced by the eccrine glands. Sweat is also usually produced more especially when you experience emotional stress. Even though the sweat liquid produced has no odor, but when mixed with bacteria found in the skin (especially the armpits and groin), sweat can cause unpleasant body odors.
What is the difference between deodorants and antiperspirants?
Although often thought the same, but actually these two types of products are different. Deodorants work by attacking bacteria that can produce body odor. Not infrequently deodorants contain alcohol or antibacterial components such as triclosan for example, this aims to create an environment where bacteria cannot live or reproduce. According to U.S. The Food and Drug Administration, deodorants are classified as cosmetics, in contrast to antiperspirants which are classified as drugs. The main function of antiperspirants is to prevent the appearance of sweat by forming a gel and clogging the sweat glands.
Prevent body odor from appearing suddenly
To prevent body odor from appearing suddenly, you can do the following:
1. Keep yourself clean
As one of the causes of body odor, bacteria can actually be prevented by diligently maintaining personal hygiene. Bathing at least once a day is one effective way to prevent the appearance of body odor because it can reduce the number of bacteria in the body. Make sure your body is clean of bacteria, especially in areas that are prone to sweat and bacteria such as the armpit. If body odor appears suddenly, you can wash the part that sweats with water and anti-bacterial soap. This can reduce the bacteria found on the skin. After cleaning the part that sweats, immediately use deodorant or antiperspirant to prevent the appearance of body odor again.
2. Keep your body dry
Especially after taking a shower, dry your body until it is completely dry. Make sure the body parts that are prone to sweating are completely dry. This is because bacteria tend to multiply in wet or damp places. When you sweat, try to dry the part of the sweat so that the bacteria do not react with sweat and then cause body odor.
3. Change clothes
If you often sweat, you may want to bring a change of clothes when traveling. Clean clothes can help minimize the adverse effects of the reaction between sweat and bacteria. To prevent body odor from appearing suddenly change your clothes with a clean and dry clothes when you sweat.
4. Avoid sharp-smelling foods
One of the causes of body odor is food. Food can also cause you to sweat excessively such as spicy food, caffeine and alcohol. In addition to excessive sweating, food can also cause your body's scent to become unpleasant. Foods like onions and garlic are examples. But not only onions, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, for example, can also cause unpleasant smells. This happens because the sulfur component in the vegetable is processed by the body and released through breath, urine, and sweat. When you sweat, try to avoid these foods to reduce the possibility of body odor.
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