Body odor means unpleasant smelling or even smelly body parts or evaporations of the complete body. The causes are as varied as the treatment options. Body odor can also be prevented.
What is body odor?
As body odor, we mostly refer to unpleasant-smelling evaporations of the body. It occurs in various forms such as sweat and bad breath. As body odor we call mostly unpleasant smelling evaporations of the body. It occurs in various forms, such as sweat and bad breath, and the causes are correspondingly diverse. Exhalations are caused by the body’s own processes and can be completely natural. However, they may also be caused by a disease or infection.
Causes
Body odor can have innumerable underlying causes. As a rule, they are natural processes that cause the unpleasant evaporations. Sweat, for example, occurs in everyone and is one of the main causes of body odor. Bad breath also occurs in most people and can usually be avoided through good oral hygiene. However, diseases can intensify the exhalations. In the case of bad breath, these include tonsil stones, which are caused by a damaged tonsil and leave an unpleasant odor in the oral cavity. Sweat smelling above the normal level is caused by the wrong diet. Garlic, in particular, promotes unpleasant evaporation under the armpits and on the feet. In addition to these normal causes, body odor can also be promoted by diseases. These include diabetes, decubitus ulcers, diarrhea or diphtheria. Liver and kidney failure and hypothyroidism are also associated with body odor. Fever and hormonal fluctuations during puberty or menopause are also common causes of excessive sweating and unpleasant-smelling perspiration. Lastly, body odor can be caused by vaginal fluoride, penile secretions, urinary tract infections, athlete’s foot, scurvy or typhoid fever. People who are severely overweight also tend to have strong body odor. This is usually due to an increased skin surface area and the faster sweating.
Diseases with this symptom
- Diabetes mellitus
- Kidney weakness
- Urinary tract infection
- Athlete’s foot
- Decubitus (bedsores)
- Liver failure
- Hyperhidrosis
- Scurvy
- Diphtheria
- Hypothyroidism
- Menopause
- Typhoid fever
Diagnosis and course
The diagnosis of the actual body odor is usually made by the affected person himself or by a close person who draws attention to the exhalations. The actual cause, however, can often only be made by a close control of their own habits and living conditions. For this purpose, a doctor must be consulted, who will examine the body for diseases after the body odor has been narrowed down to certain parts of the body. For example, if the body odor is due to diseased tonsils, this can often be determined just by looking in the oral cavity. Other causes such as diabetes or kidney failure can be ruled out by examining the organs and taking a blood count. The course of the complaints differs depending on the cause. Body odors caused by puberty should have completely disappeared by adulthood at the latest. Also, if diet is responsible for unpleasant sweat odor, the problem usually resolves itself. The course of body odor caused by diseases such as cancer or typhoid fever or diphtheria is different. Here, the symptoms may worsen as the disease progresses, and suitable remedies are usually prescribed.
Complications
Unpleasant body odor is usually associated with poor personal hygiene or heavy sweating, but there may also be serious diseases behind it. In addition to physical complications, psychological consequences can also arise. An unpleasant body odor is perceived by most people as disturbing and it can lead to social exclusion of the person. This can lead to a lack of self-esteem of the affected person, this can end in severe depression. In addition to the perception of body odor by others, a self-odor mania can also develop.Affected persons believe that they have an unpleasant body odor and bother other people with it. This also usually leads to social isolation of the affected person, which can also end in depression. In addition to the psycho-social complications of body odor, an organic cause can also cause physical complications. A bacterial infection or fungal infection, for example, can also cause body odor. Usually, such infections can be treated well. If left untreated, the disease can spread throughout the organism, leading to life-threatening sepsis. Diphtheria is the cause of bad breath. In the most severe cases, diphtheria causes narrowing of the airways, the affected person can hardly breathe and suffocation may occur. Rarely, the toxin can spread throughout the body, affecting other organs such as the heart or kidney.
When should you go to the doctor?
Unpleasant body odor is not necessarily a reason to see a doctor. In most cases, the odor can be reduced by regular body hygiene and various care products. If the cause is known, it can be counteracted with some measures and home remedies. Medical advice is required if the body odor occurs quite suddenly or in episodes and is accompanied by accompanying symptoms such as excessive perspiration, rhinitis or skin irritation. Unpleasant odors in children and the elderly, during pregnancy, after a prolonged illness or after a trip to the tropics should also be clarified. An unpleasant odor of vinegar or acetone indicates a disease such as diabetes or hepatitis. Slight body odors may also have a serious cause and should be investigated if they have not disappeared after one to two weeks at the latest. If the odor cannot be eliminated independently, the complaints should be discussed with the family doctor. There may be a serious illness that needs to be treated first. Depending on the suspected cause, a dermatologist, gynecologist or internist can then be consulted to take over further treatment. With the disease overcome, the body odor should eventually recede.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment approaches for body odor are as varied as the causes. If it is merely a case of strong, unpleasant-smelling sweat odor, this can already be treated by increased cleanliness (e.g. showering or bathing). Regular washing in the underarm and loin areas washes away bacteria and thus reduces the risk of unpleasant odor. Deodorants or mouthwashes can also help to at least mask the symptoms in question. Lastly, a change in diet also helps to get rid of body odor. If the body odor is caused by a disease, the causes must be eliminated. Of course, a wide variety of treatment options and therapies are available for this purpose. Body odor caused by bromhidrosis, i.e. excessive perspiration, can be contained by appropriate preparations. These usually require a prescription. If the body odor is caused by problems with the tonsils, gums or teeth, a dentist or ENT must first be consulted. This person will diagnose the exact condition and then take further steps, such as a tonsillectomy or a comprehensive dental cleaning. For overweight and obesity, reduced calorie intake and plenty of exercise and sports are known to help.
Outlook and prognosis
In most cases, body odor can be treated relatively easily and therefore does not need to be examined by a doctor. In most cases, body odor can be completely eliminated after only a few days. It occurs mainly in the case of poor body hygiene. Here, more frequent washing of the body with soap and shampoo helps to prevent body odor from remaining on the body permanently. An odor that is too strong can be unpleasant and repulsive to other people, which often leads to social exclusion. This sometimes results in depression and psychological disorders in affected people. As a rule, treatment by a doctor does not take place if the body odor is caused only by inadequate personal hygiene. In other cases, the doctor can help if the body odor is formed, for example, by pathological sweating. In this case, suction of the sweat glands on the body can help to reduce the body odor.
Prevention
The means of treatment are also suitable for the most part for prevention. A healthy, balanced diet prevents unpleasant sweat odor and sufficient body hygiene prevents bacteria and thus evaporation from developing. In addition, there are various home remedies that prevent strong perspiration odor from the outset. Lemons and ribwort naturally fight sweat and neutralize odors. Body odor caused by diseases such as cancer is difficult to prevent. However, regular visits to the doctor can reduce the risk that the disease, and thus the development of odor, will progress. Athlete’s foot or scurvy can also be detected at an early stage and prevented accordingly. Especially during puberty and menopause, body odors cannot be completely avoided. Here, too, good hygiene, the use of a deodorant, the change of one’s diet, as well as a regular change of clothes is necessary to keep the discomfort in check.
This is what you can do yourself
Body odor is unpleasant and, depending on its severity, very embarrassing. Even without sweating, annoying body odor can set in, for example in stressful situations or when an illness announces itself. The odor is not always due to a lack of hygiene. Coffee and alcohol, for example, promote body odor. Chronic infections or hyperhidrosis, abnormal sweating, are often the reason for unusually heavy perspiration. Showering alone does not always help when people sweat heavily. Antiperspirant deodorants are necessary here. Antiperspirants narrow the sweat pores, and the fragrances in normal deodorants mask possible underarm odor. Both sage tea and sage as a spice can help against sweating. Alcohol-free deodorants enriched with ribwort or licorice root extracts are also helpful. Clothing made of natural fibers supports healthy skin respiration, while synthetic textiles prevent moisture exchange and promote odor. Although the cosmetics industry is booming with deodorants, bath additives, toothpastes and mouthwashes, one in four people suffers from bad breath, for example. In addition to brushing the teeth, thorough cleaning of the interdental spaces is helpful, as this is where bacteria prefer to collect. Mouthwash freshens breath, xylitol-containing chewing gum without sugar stimulates the production of saliva. Curry and garlic also spread bad breath. If you eat a cup of yogurt every day, you can largely stop the production of hydrogen sulfide, which is responsible for this. Peppermint and parsley also neutralize these foods.
