Sweat itself doesn't smell, but when the bacteria on your skin mix with your sweat, it causes an odor. Body odor can smell sweet, sour, tangy or like onions. The amount you sweat doesn't necessarily impact your body odor. That's why a person can have an unpleasant body odor but not be sweaty.
“Body odor signaling the start of puberty can start as early as age 7 for girls and age 9 for boys,” said Dr. Kathryn Schaus, a Marshfield Children's pediatrician.
Sweat itself is virtually odorless to humans. However, the rapid multiplication of bacteria and their breaking down of sweat into acids can cause unpleasant smells. As a result, people who sweat a lot — such as those with hyperhidrosis — may be more susceptible to developing body odor.
Sweating and body odor are common when you exercise or you're too warm. They're also common when you're feeling nervous, anxious or stressed. Unusual changes in sweating — either too much (hyperhidrosis) or too little (anhidrosis) — can be cause for concern. Changes in body odor also may signal a health problem.
Even if you catch a sudden whiff, Dalton cautioned, you must remember that the smell is even stronger to strangers. Since you can't get away from your own body, there's no way for your nose to regain sensitivity. “Unfortunately, you really just have to rely on the opinion of a close friend or spouse,” Dalton said.
Smell your armpits, feet, and groin area.
If you think you have body odor but you're not sure, take a whiff of your underarms, your feet, and your genitals. If you smell something, then chances are, you probably have B.O. Try doing a sniff test toward the end of the day, or whenever you feel the sweatiest.
In fact, according to research published in Nature, your nose can detect about one trillion smells! But your own underarms could reek and you might not be able to tell: Humans are prone to what scientists call olfactory fatigue; our sense of smell just gets plain tired out by familiar odors and stops detecting them.
Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS), also known as olfactory reference disorder, is an underrecognized and often severe condition that has similarities to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People with ORS think they smell bad, but in reality they don't.
If you're worried you're one of these people, one trick is to lick your wrist, wait ten seconds, then sniff the patch you licked: If it smells, chances are, so does your breath. An even more reliable method, of course, is simply to ask someone.
Although there is some controversy on the subject of "racial" variation in body odor, it is determined that African blacks probably produce the greatest amount of apocrine sweat, which is the known substrate for axillary odor.
When the bacteria break down the sweat they form products called thioalcohols, which have scents comparable to sulfur, onions or meat. "They're very very pungent," says Bawdon.
Showering daily is not necessarily "unhealthy," but you may not need to. For many people, a full-body shower every other day or even every third day is enough. That said, just because you don't shower daily does not mean you want to skip out on personal care.
ODOR AFTER A SHOWER IS DUE TO LINGERING BACTERIA
In addition to bacteria, oftentimes there is deodorant residue and other impurities that are trapped in the underarm pores and within the hair if you have armpit hair.
Ask to speak in private. Be direct (“I'm not sure if you're aware of this but you have a strong odor about you.”) Reserve judgment ( “I don't know if it's from your clothing or if it's a personal hygiene issue.”)
But your apocrine glands, usually only found in your armpit area, are activated when you're under psychological stress, explains Preti. This sweat produces a strong, sometimes even sulfurous odor when you're anxious or scared.
When someone specifically has a musty smell constantly, their noses grow used to the negative odor in a sense and then the person who smells no longer even realizes they smell at all. Therefore the simple answer would be that they get used to it.
You're sweating more than usual.
"When we sweat, natural bacteria on our skin breaks down the perspiration into thioalcohols, [so] the body odor we notice is thanks to bacteria interacting with our sweat," explains Shein.
Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to detect smells that aren't actually in your environment. It can happen in one nostril or both — and the odors may be foul or pleasant. Common causes include colds, allergies, nasal polyps and dental issues. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.