Q: How can a bad smell of arm pit or other part of the body be reduced?

Q: Hi Doc, my daughter is 7 years old and she now has smelly armpits. I have tried baby powder. What else can I do?

A: Thanks for writing in, both of you.

The tips for dealing with body odour works for both young and old.

From around the age of 8 to 10 years, children begin to sweat a little more and of course with the sweat comes the possibility of body odour. So, this is the time to teach her some hygiene lessons that will be helpful forever 😀

She needs to take a shower twice a day or failing that, at least once a day. This helps wash away sweat as well as reduce the number of bacteria on her skin.

Most people don’t know but sweat on its own is virtually odourless. But when bacteria that live naturally on your skin mix with sweat, they multiply quickly and become smelly.

Teach her to towel off after a bath or shower. She needs to pay close attention to areas where she sweats a lot. Sweat causing bacteria love moist areas.

Get her a deodorant or anti-perspirant to use on her underarms twice a day, in the morning and the evening. Deodorants do not actually prevent sweating, but they mask the smell of bacteria on the skin. Now that she has underarm hair, she has to shave that and groin area hairs frequently as they trap sweat and encourage smells.

Change undergarments frequently. Honestly, panties and underpants should be changed whenever you take a bath. And please remember to wash the discarded ones when you change.

When sweating heavily or in very hot weather, she should change clothes frequently…and it’s important to wash those sweaty clothes before wearing them again! Fresh clothes help keep body odour down.

Teach her to change her socks too, especially if she tends to have foot odour. Deodorant powders or detergent based running shoe cleaners used in shoes are useful.

When she starts menstruating, she needs to change her sanitary towel often and ensure that she takes a bath as often as is needed to remain fresh every day. If after a change, a bath is not possible but she really feels she needs one, she could use a moistened cloth or paper towel to wipe down her privates and surrounding areas.

For the adult, if you use the gym or engage in physical activity that make you particularly sweaty, a visit to friends immediately afterwards is not a good idea as you would seriously stink 😀 Try taking a bath, first.

Eating garlic and onion meals may also contribute to a smell around you. As a result of the fact that they contain some very active nutrients needed in the body, we may not be suggesting that you stop eating them 😀 Try something minty after these meals. It has also been suggested that perhaps eating some more veggies like carrots or taking lemon juice may neutralize the smell. Be sure to also scrub the smell off your hands too.

Let me know how these work out and remember that a positive self-esteem also smells absolutely amazing!

For the mum who wrote in, be sure to reassure her that this is all part of growing up and as is usual with this process, she has new responsibilities that go with this stage 😀

Have a good night, y’all 😀