Body odours you should never ignore
WHETHER we want to admit it or not, we’ve all been guilty of offending others with our body odour. It may have occurred after a physically demanding sport, our routine gym activities, or simply by forgetting to use a deodorant. While these odours can disappear with a routine shower or the use of personal care products, there are some body odours that no amount of soap and water can get rid of.
Obstetrician-gynaecologist at ICON Medical Centre, Dr Keisha Buchanan, warned that some body odours speak volumes about one’s health, and covering up these odours could mean further compromising your health.
“Unpleasant body odour is not always a sign of poor hygiene, even though it is natural that this is the first point of association. There are many other medical conditions that go unnoticed since they first present as body odours, and certainly, many of these conditions can only be accurately diagnosed with a thorough investigation. But there are some odours that we should be suspicious of and act quickly on,” Dr Buchanan advised.
These include:A fishy odour from your genitals
These include:
A fishy odour from your genitals
It is okay to be a little sweaty after a long day, but if the scent carries a fishy smell you could be dealing with more than just sweat. A fishy vaginal odour is closely associated with STDs like trichomoniasis or a condition like bacterial vaginosis (BV), or mixed vaginitis infections. These infections will clear up with the administration of the appropriate antibiotics. Dr Buchanan warns against douching and the use of deodorant sprays to cover vaginal odours, because these can also trigger vaginitis and BV.
Strong, consistent body odours
Strong, consistent body odours
Conditions that trigger excess sweating such as hyperthyroidism and hyperhidrosis can lead to strong odours. The same is true for medical conditions such as diabetes and moderate to severe obesity. Generally, one should be able to recognise when their body scent becomes more intense. Treatment of these underlying conditions with medication can reduce odours.
Bad breath
Bad breath
Persistent bad morning breath, even with proper oral care, has been linked to a condition referred to as sleep apnoea. This condition is a disorder that causes your breathing to periodically stop and start while you sleep. Undiagnosed sleep apnoea is associated with excessive snoring, which results in the affected person breathing through their mouth at night. This sometimes causes the mouth to get dry, which results in bad breath, since this encourages the build-up of unhealthy bacteria in the mouth. More severe consequences of sleep apnoea include diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Common symptoms of sleep apnoea — apart from smelly breath and snoring — include extreme daytime tiredness, restless sleep, headaches, and occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation. Chronic bronchitis and sinusitis can also produce malodorous breath.
Foul-smelling stool
Foul-smelling stool
When this is consistent, especially after consuming dairy products, then this could be a sign that you are lactose intolerant. What happens is that in order for lactose — the natural sugar found in dairy products — to be digested, there is a need for the presence of lactase, an enzyme produced in the large intestine which breaks down lactose. If the small intestine does not produce enough, then instead of allowing lactose to enter it, the bloodstream redirects it to the colon. Here, the bacteria in the gut ferment and produce loose, foul-smelling stool, bloating, and unpleasant-smelling gas. To avoid this, people can consume lactose-free products instead.
Strong-smelling urine
Strong-smelling urine
If you aren’t taking medication with a warning sign of strong-smelling urine or other vitamins and supplements which carry a similar side effect, then you ought to be concerned when your urine carries a strong odour. This could be a urinary tract infection (UTI) — a condition which results from the bacteria escherichia coli entering the urinary tract of the urethra which then multiplies in the bladder causing the infection. The condition, which affects both sexes, affects a greater percentage of women because the structure of their urethra — a channel responsible for draining the bladder — is much shorter than that in men, and the closeness of the vagina and anus exposes women to bacteria. Symptoms of a UTI include passing a small amount of urine, frequent urges to pass urine, a burning sensation following the passage of urine, and the urine may appear cloudy, dark, or bloody. UTIs could also be a sign of more serious conditions such as kidney stones, diabetes, and in men — enlarged prostate glands.
Fruity breath
Fruity breath
Fruity-scented breath is one of the symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones. The Mayo Clinic reports that the condition develops when your body can’t produce enough insulin. Without enough insulin, your body begins to break down fat as fuel. This process produces a build-up of acids in the bloodstream called ketones, eventually leading to diabetic ketoacidosis if untreated. Diabetic ketoacidosis is usually triggered by an illness. An infection or other illness can cause your body to produce higher levels of certain hormones, such as adrenaline or cortisol. Unfortunately, these hormones counter the effect of insulin — sometimes triggering an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis. Pneumonia and urinary tract infections are common culprits.
The risk of diabetic ketoacidosis is highest if you have type 1 diabetes or frequently miss insulin doses. Uncommonly, diabetic ketoacidosis can occur if you have type 2 diabetes. In some cases, diabetic ketoacidosis may be the first sign that a person has diabetes.
For hygiene purposes and to ensure that unhealthy odours can be easily identified, Dr Buchanan recommends bathing two times daily, especially in warm weather. Also, avoid frequent consumption of foods that could cause bad breath, such as spicy foods, onions and garlic. If they are consumed, take care to cleanse your mouth. If body odours are kept in check, not only will you notice unnatural body smells, but you will save yourself unwanted social discrimination.
