THISDAY

How Do You Smell ?

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All created beings have a peculiar smell, which could be pleasant or unpleasant. This is your body smell. But when it becomes unbearable to the next person, and to you, it is then your body odour. Body odour is a perceived unpleasant smell our bodies can give of f when bacteria that live on the skin br eak down sweat into acids. It could be the smell of bacteria growing on the body, but it really is the result of bacteria breaking down protein into certain acids, which r elease gases that have a smell, depending on the type of infecting bacteria and the location of the activity. Sweating and body odour are facts of life for most people. Heavy perspirati­on and body odour can happen when you exercise, when you’re too warm, or when you’re nervous, anxious or under stress. Your body has two main types of sweat glands, and they produce two very different types of sweat. Both types are odourless, but the type of sweat produced in your armpits and groin smells bad when it combines with bacteria found normally on your skin. Unusual changes in sweating — either excessive perspirati­on or little or no perspirati­on, can be cause for concern. Likewise, changes in body odour may be a sign of a medical problem. For normal sweating and body odour, however, lifestyle and home treatments can effectivel­y manage your symptoms. People who sweat a lot, may also be susceptibl­e to body odour, however, often the salt level of their sweat is too high for the bacteria to break down. This most of the time depends on the location of the excessive sweat and the type of sweat glands that are involved. Sweat itself is virtually odourless to humans; it is the rapid multiplica­tion of bacteria in the presence of sweat and that they do break sweat down into acids that eventually causes the unpleasant smell. We perceive the smell as offensive, because we have been made to believe that we should not have any body smell at all. Body odour is most likely to occur in our feet, groin, armpits, genitals, pubic hair and other hair, belly button, anus, behind the ears, and sometimes on the rest of our skin. Body odour can be specific to you, and this has helped in sniper dogs, using this to identify people. Each person’s unique body odour can be influenced by There are two main sweat glands in your body, that secretes sweat.

1. Eccrine glands occur over most of your body and open directly onto the surface of the skin. When your body temperatur­e rises, your eccrine glands secrete fluid onto the surface of your skin, where it cools your body as it evaporates. This fluid is composed mainly of water and salt. abundant in hair follicles, such as your armpits and groin, and they empty into the hair follicle just before it opens onto the skin surface. This gland also produces a milky fluid that most commonly is secreted when you’re under emotional stress. This fluid is odourless until it combines with bacteria found normally on your skin. SYMPTOMS: When you notice that you sweat more than usual, and not sure what is going on, then you need to seek help. Some people naturally sweat more or less than other people. Body odour also can vary from person to person more or less than usual apparent reason odour. Sweat and other secretions do not actually smell. Sweat, sebaceous, and apocrine glands secrete volatile organic

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