Hormones, food, clogged pores, excessive sweating or some diseases make many people's bodies "stink" even after bathing.
Usually, body odor stems from personal hygiene issues. However, for some people, body odor persists naturally, not disappearing after showers. This is often difficult to deal with, leaving them feeling insecure despite a relatively clean lifestyle. Experts have pointed out a number of reasons why many people "smell" even after taking a shower.
Hormone
According to Dr. Pramod Kumar, consultant dermatologist at KMC Hospital, USA, excessive sweating and body odor are caused by hormonal changes. This is often more noticeable during puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause due to increased hormone and sweat gland activity. During this phase, women often experience hot flashes and night sweats, which increase sweating and cause body odor.
Eat smelly foods
Regular bathing, exfoliating, or shampooing aren't enough to get rid of body odor if the scent comes from foods you've eaten before. According to Mark Lewis, a health expert based in California, certain foods such as garlic, onions, and spicy foods can cause body odor to persist even after bathing.
Hot showers can also make certain odors more diffuse, says Justin Neubrander, MD, a doctor at the Fredheim Lifestyle Center. “Eating large amounts of garlic can cause the scent to pass through the skin pores. So, taking a hot bath causes these compounds to be excreted,” he explains.
Besides garlic and onions, other foods like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower also produce gas, which affects body odor. Some people have a rare condition called trimethylaminuria, which causes them to release a fishy odor after eating seafood. Processed foods, alcohol, and some grains can also cause body odor.
Does not clean pores
According to Dr. Neubrander, clogged pores can be the main cause of body odor. Exfoliating the surface of the skin with soap can remove compounds and microorganisms from the surface of the skin, but the pores are not so easily cleaned.
Dr. Neubrander recommends using warm water to open pores, use wipes to increase friction, clean skin debris and dead skin cells.
Failing to deep clean the pores can also make the body smell bad. Image: Freepik
Sweating more than usual
Sweating from everyday activities like running, taking the train, or taking the bus can create body odor, no matter how clean you are in the shower. According to experts, sweat itself has no smell. However, when exposed to air, natural bacteria on the skin break down sweat into thioalcohol. Body odor is caused by bacteria interacting with sweat. Warm, moist, and dark areas of the body are most likely to catch odors, because that's the perfect place for bacteria to live.
Having some illness
In some people, body odor is unrelated to personal hygiene. They have certain medical conditions that cause the body to emit natural odors, such as inflammation of the tonsils, gums, and sinuses, which will make the breath smell worse.
Diabetes or an infection also causes bad breath and body odor. Infections often produce odors in unusual places, such as the navel.
According to Michael Kummer, health expert and former professional athlete, medical conditions that can affect body odor are gout, overactive thyroid, liver and kidney disease.
Smoking habit
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking habits increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Besides, smoking causes bad breath and body odor, no matter how hard you try to remove the scent.
The use of nicotine also makes people sweat more, the sweat secreted with a stronger odor.
Thuc Linh (Follow Healthshots)
