EMBARRASSING BODIES
There are more than a few things our bodies do that seem embarrassing, but if you suffer one of these, you are not alone – they’re more common than you think
TONSIL STONES
Bad breath may be caused by tonsil stones! Other symptoms include a sore throat, ear pain and a cough.
Dead cells, mucus and food scraps can sometimes get trapped in crevices and pits in your tonsils and bacteria love to feed on this build-up. Over time, the debris can harden to form a tonsil stone.
Tonsil stones range in size from a grain of rice to a grape, and are generally harmless. Good oral hygiene can help prevent them and salt water gargling may help dislodge them.
EXCESSIVE SWEATING
One in three of us experience hyperhidrosis, or sweating a lot, for no apparent reason. It can affect the entire body or just localised areas such as underarms or hands and may even soak your clothes. Mostly harmless, treatment is available but check with your GP in case there’s an underlying medical condition such as diabetes or thyroid problems. Wearing natural fibres can help, and always drink lots of water.
SMELLY FEET
The medical term for really smelly feet is bromhidrosis.
The smell comes from sweat mixing with bacteria and fungus on your skin plus the excreted waste of micro-organisms. With 250,000 sweat glands in each foot producing up to 400ml of sweat per day, it’s no wonder some feet get smelly.
Masking the odour isn’t enough, you need to treat the cause by using UV light, antifungal or antibacterial creams and powders – and change your socks often.
WARTS
Warts are small, raised bumps on the surface of the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 types of HPV responsible for warts, but the most often suffered is the ‘common wart’ which generally affects knees and hands.
Around 65 per cent of warts clear up on their own within two years, but this can seem a long time to wait if it’s uncomfortable, so easy at-home wart removal products can be purchased from your pharmacy.