How do I stop bad B.O. before it starts?

Question

I am a 25 year old female and just recently I started having very bad body odor from my armpits. I never used to be like this. Deoderant doesn't do anything. Yes, I shower regularly. I've heard that it can be caused by something in your diet? And it can be countered also by eating something? Is this true? What can I do?

Yeah, I rarely eat garlic and when I do it's not much. And I dislike onions, so... the anxiety thing might just be it, actually. I've been going through some major life changes, so...

Answer 1

When perspiration first evaporates on the skin there is very little smell on a normal healthy person. It is the build up of stale sweat that smells bad. The smell occurs when bacteria that live on the skin act on the sweat produced by the apocrine glands. Make sure your pits are shaved since the hair can harbor bacteria.

Does diet affect body odor?
Alcohol, spicy foods, garlic, cumin, caffeine and hot drinks can all cause us to sweat more.

Medical conditions that change the way we smell:


Disease: if your body smell changes it can be a sign of disease. Diabetics, especially those who use insulin to control their levels of sugar, can smell of acetone (nail-varnish remover). Such individuals require urgent medical attention. People with liver disorders may smell of ammonia and people with yeast infections can smell of beer. Digestive problems can make us smell, but it usually is not a sweat problem and has more to do with gas.

Fever makes people sweat more so body odor can be a problem. Night sweats can be due to T.B. Malaria and cancers such as leukaemia or lymphoma can also produce unusual or perfuse sweats. Anyone concerned about the changes in body odor or sweat patterns should seek medical attention.

Drugs: body odor can be caused by the excessive sweating that is a side effect of medication. Some anti-psychotic medications, morphine, high doses of the hormone thyroxin and overdoses of analgesics such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol,etc) are all known to cause body odor.

Anxiety: when emotions run high the body prepares itself for a 'fight or flight' response. This is a physiological state in which body prepares itself for action. Often we can neither fight nor escape situations that cause anxiety but our bodies still react as though preparing for action. We all sweat during states of arousal even in tiny amounts. This is the basis of measures used in galvanic skin response test used, for example, in lie detectors or with biofeedback equipment.

Heredity: there are some people inherit a tendency to sweat more than others. Excessive sweating is known as hyperhidrosis.
An inability or reduced ability to sweat is called anhidrosis. It can be a life threatening condition. A hereditary disorder called hypohidrotic ectodermal dyspalsia (HED) means some children are born without sweat glands so are unable to control their body temperature. Burn victims, where large areas of the body is involved, can also have problems with body temperature regulation.

Has being smelly always been social unacceptable?
Tricky question. There must have been a time when social or climatic conditions meant that body smells were tolerated more than they are today. Hygeine is now associated with either a lack of smell or the use of perfumed odors. Good water supplies, close working conditions, the media and social trends have, over time, combined to change what is acceptable and desirable.

Answer 2

First of all... bathing TOO much is a cause for bad Bo (believe it or not) becasue when u bath, u wash away the GOOd bacteria as well as bad....

My suggestion is this.... Get a good anti-perspirant deodorant, and spray it under your arms just before you go to bed (even if u shower before bed)

Then in the morning, just spray abit of normal deodorant... after a few days, u will notice your body becoming accustomed to this, and your BO will gradually fade!

And i say again...DONT bath too much! Either bad in the morning before work or when u get back form work, and NOT both!

Answer 3

I do know eating too much garlic can give you bad odor, so if you eat a lot of garlic, cut back on that.
I don't know what other foods can make you stinky off the top of my head but I do know drinking wheat grass juice will make you less stinky.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Garlic always comes through after you have eaten a lot. Its aroma shows up on your skin and your toes as well as your sweat. Try to avoid things cooked with that, for a start.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Use Dove or Secret if you haven't already. But honestly, I really don't know what to tell you because when I sweat, I don't smell, so I really don't have to worry about it. If you are seriously having trouble, talk to your parents; they'll know what to do.

Answer 7

Erythromycin will work if it's a bacterial thing. Get it from your doctor, my daughter had it and this liquid was smeared on it for a week and the smell went away.

Answer 8

Do you want to try this? Deos stain clothes. Dab vinegar in your armpits, it dries and masks BO and does not stain. It does not smell.

Answer 9

try 2 wear loose clothes around your sweating areas and also inform a docter as it happened 2 my sister.

Answer 10

do use antiperspirant deodorant because deodorant only masks the smell. antiperspirant stops the sweat which is most likely to be breeding ground for bacteria that causes the smell.