Body Care

Fight Body Odour:

Every region of the human body has a different odour; sometimes the odour is so distinctive so as to allow immediate identification of its origin.For instance, scalp and feet odours are easily recognised.

Source:
There are three important factors in creating odours in your body.
1.The patterns and type of secretory glands on the skin surface.
2.The positioning of the skin itself-the armpits, for example, make it very difficult for sweat to evaporate and so produce a characteristic odour.
3.The concentration of bacteria: The skin's surface provides nutrients for the growth of bacteria.The number of bacteria are variable in different parts of the body being maximum in parts like the scalp, axilla, genital areas and the feet.

There are 3 types of secretory glands on the skin.The Sweat Glands which are the most widely distributed and have a slightly acrid smell, but the odour intensifies when sweat is trapped and cannot evaporate.The second type of glands are the Apocrine Glands which are rich in fats, proteins, and many other organic materials-so it is a rich food for bacteria.The bacteria decompose the sweat to produce the characteristic body odour.The third type of glands are the Sebaceous Glands which secrete an oily lubricant called sebum which contains cholesterol, fatty acids, waxes and proteins and therefore easily attracts bacteria which produces odour.Apart from these secretions, the dead skin itself also forms nutritive food for the bacteria.The bacteria are very pivotal for the production of body odour.

Reducing Body Odour:

You cannot do much about the bacteria on your skin; any amount of scrubbing or washing would be able to get rid of only fraction of the bacteria and that too for a short while.Neither can you stop yourself from sweating altogether.But there are still several other things that you can do to reduce the amount of sweat you produce:
1.Avoid synthetic wear because cotton is definitely cooler than synthetic.
2.Also avoid tight fitting clothes, they make the problem of sweating worse.
3.Avoid hot drinks and hot crowded places.
4.Regularly cleanse your body with medicated cleansers if possible.
5.The other way to counter body odour is to use products designed to minimise body odours.There are three types of such products available; antiperspirants, deodorants and perfumes.These are available in a variety of forms;lotions, creams, squeeze bottle sprays, roll-ons, pads, aerosol sprays, powders, soap-bars and sticks.Sprays and roll-ons are the most popular formulations.
Antiperspirants contain aluminium salts which reduce the release of sweat by closing the sweat ducts.These are especially useful for people who sweat profusely on the feet.
Deodorants contain an antiseptic to combat bacteria.They do reduce odour but do not cut down the sweating.Therefore, if you have a tendency to sweat a lot, after a few hours the deodorant will be washed away.Most deodorants, in addition, contain perfumes to disguise whatever odours are produced.

*********************************************