ODOUR ORDER

Keep the summer sweat and smell in check with what you wear and eat

Keep the summer sweat and smell in check with what you wear and eat
Summer sweat would not have been such an embarrassment if it werent for body odour that accompanies it. As much as you hate sweating,your body would find it difficult to beat the heat if you didnt. Sweat is a protective liquid secreted by sweat glands. It actually cools us in the heat, explains Dr Gulshant Panesar,a consultant dermatologist with Moolchand Medcity,New Delhi.

So why cant sweat cool us without that annoying odour? Sweat,by itself,is odourless. The bacterial flora on the surface of the skin is the real culprit. It acts upon the sweat and releases odour. Every person has a flora unique to him or her, she says. That explains why some people smell and some dont. Or why someones odour is more unbearable. The kind of bacteria is obviously not in our control.

Here are a few steps to help beat body odour:
Drop the deo for the talc: There are two kinds of deodorantsthe anti-perspirantwhich blocks the sweat and is thus bad; and the one that masks the smell. Use the latter preferably, says Dr Panesar. But again,dont use them daily. Its best to apply them sparingly,like when you are going for a date or a job interview. Prolonged usage of deodorants can cause sun allergies and the plant-derived fragrant oils in them can cause pigmentation, she says. So,every morning,after a bath,use talc which,Dr Panesar says,is absolutely harmless.

Dont shower twice daily: This could remove the oily layer off the skin,thus making it chapped and exposing it to cuts from wounds and ironically,inviting bacteria to settle, says warns Dr Rishi Kumar Parashar,dermatologist,Sir Gangaram Hospital,New Delhi. Instead,during your bath,wash your armpits adequately,he advises.

Wear cotton clothes or loose garments: These clothes help sweat evaporate. You should not let sweat accumulate in a spot and make you smelly. Wear roomy,airy garments, says Dr Panesar.
Shave armpit hair: This will help keep the area clear of bacteria advises Dr Parashar.

Change your clothes: Make sure you promptly change your clothes once you are back home. Parashar says,Make sure not to repeat them without washing.
A vinegar-water mixture could help: Applying a vinegar-water mixture to your skin with cotton may keep the bacteria in check. Vinegar is acetic acid and discourages bacteria from multiplying, says Dr Panesar.

Diabetes or obesity could be a cause: Youve got to control your diabetes or weight for non-smelly sweating, says Dr Parashar.
Eat right: Foods such as onion and garlic,could affect the smell of the sweat, says Dr Kajal Pandya,senior dietician with Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research,New Delhi.

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Have eight to 10 glasses of water: Besides other nutritious liquids such as lassi,lemonade,coconut water,and seasonal,water-based fruits like watermelon and muskmelon. Water is the most important. Keeping yourself hydrated and detoxified this way will make sure your system of throwing out waste products is in place. Or else,the wastes will find an outlet through the sweat, explains Dr Pandya.

Check for Trimethylaminuria:

If people tell you that you smell like a fish,you probably have trimethylaminuria or fish odour syndrome,which is not related to sweat. Persons with trimethylaminuria should restrict the intake of foods high in choline; such as milk,eggs,liver,red meats,peanuts,peanut butter, says Dr Parmeet Kaur,chief dietician with All-India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi.

Keep the spices away: It has been found that when people with body odour stopped having spicy food,their sweat stopped smelling, says Dr Parashar.