Having a funky smell is never a good thing, but we have all been there. Whether you forgot to put on deodorant in the morning or sweat bullets during a job interview, body odor follows us everywhere we go. Having a stinky smell is actually a natural thing! While we try our hardest to mask it, bad body odor could be our bodies' way of trying to tell us something else. Here are five things you never knew about body odor and how to tangle the stink.
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1. Your diet affects your smell: You may have the best hygiene in the world, but soap and water doesn't always cure the funk. What you eat can have a huge impact on the odor you give off. Foods that contain sulfur compounds, like garlic and onions, can greatly change your odor for the worse, but that doesn't mean you have to stop eating those types of foods. The Journal of Food Science found that drinking milk after eating these specific veggies can help lower the stinky effect it has on your body.
2. Stress makes you stink more: Being in tense situations will make your sweat glands go into overtime. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and dermatology clinical research at Mount Sinai in New York City, explains, "It's not just bacteria and moisture; it's that plus this apocrine secretion. Under stressful conditions you produce more apocrine secretions." Prescription-strength antiperspirants can help curb the stinky stress sweat.
3. Your armpit and pubic hair could be making things worse: Sweat produces bacteria, which causes the undesirable scent we loathe. With the more hair we have, the more area bacteria has to penetrate. There is also a thing known as "smelly hair syndrome." Cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski suggests showering with an antibacterial body wash.
4. Foot odor comes down to moisture: Whether it is rain that got in your shoe or foot sweat, the moisture in your shoes will increase the level of bacteria on your feet, which causes you to smell. Toe jam is also a terrible culprit. Make sure to wash and dry your feet very well. Also avoid heavy socks during warm weather months. If you are still having stink issues, try a medicated foot gel or odor powder.
5. A fishy odor down there could lead to other health issues: If you maintain good hygiene and continue to have a bad smell coming from your vagina, you should visit your gynecologist. Bad vagina odor can be a symptom of trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infection, or vaginosis, a treatable bacterial infection. The important thing is to figure out the cause instead of mask the smell. Also, avoid scented soap as much as possible since it can throw off your pH balance.
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