B. O.
Body odour: Only your friends will tell you...
By Adelaide Lau
According to Dr. Wong, B.O. originates in excretions from sweat glands. Such glands are responsible for lowering the body temperature by secreting sweat, which is mainly water. The glands are found all over the body.
“Body odour is caused by the secretions from apocrine sweat glands,” said Dr. Wong. “Apocrine sweat glands can be found in the armpits, in the anus and in other private parts.”
The secretions of apocrine sweat glands include fat, which has no smell at all. Offensive odours arise only after the secretions are decomposed by bacteria growing around the glands.
“The seriousness of unpleasant body odour depends on the amount of bacteria and the number of apocrine sweat glands people have,” said Dr. Wong.
B.O. usually increases after adolescence, when apocrine sweat glands have fully developed. With declining numbers of apocrine sweat glands as one ages, however, the amount of body odour diminishes.
“Temporary relief can be obtained by keeping the body clean, having surgery to cut away some sweat glands and using deodorants,” said Dr. Wong.
Dr. Wong said that cutting the hair in one’s armpits can minimize the breeding area for bacteria.
“Killing the bacteria is very important because it is the main cause of body odour,” said Dr. Wong.
While no genetic links are known to exist among victims of severe B.O., some cases of mouth odour, known as halitosis or bad breath, are due to inheritance.
Dr. David Ka-Yan Lee, vice-president of The Hong Kong Medical Association, said, “If bad breath is due to decomposition of ingested food stored in the pharyngeal pouch, which is found beside the oesophagus, it can be inherited.”
Apart from this, there are other causes. Since many organs are connected to the mouth, the infection of any one of them may lead to bad breath.
“I would say that bad breath is a symptom of many other illnesses,” said Dr. Lee.
“Decayed teeth and infected nasal sinuses or respiratory systems are all probable causes of bad breath. “Besides, it also occurs if one’s liver, kidney or digestive system has problems,” added Dr. Lee
According to Dr. Lee, tongue cancer, a dehydrated body, and illnesses of the salivary glands are other possible causes. Some drugs can also result in bad breath — not to mention garlic, onions, cigarettes and wine.
Eating too much protein — excessive amounts of meat, for example — will also cause bad breath. The amino acids, which are the primary components of protein, stimulate offensive odours in the stomach.
“There is no specific way to cure bad breath,” said Dr. Lee..
“Using dental rinse or chewing gum is only a temporary cure. This can probably increase one’s confidence to speak with others.
“The most important thing is to identify the illness which is causing the bad breath. Once it is cured, the bad breath will go away as well.”
Some doctors trained in Chinese medicine explain the causes of body odour differently, though the causes of bad breath are said to be similar.
Said Dr. Cheng Ho Kwan, a doctor of Chinese medicine: “If the mouth cavity festers, bad breath may result.
“If one eats too much, especially greasy foods, or has constipation, he may get very ‘hot’ inside the body.
“If that ‘heat’ cannot be released, one will have terrible smell from the mouth.”
Whether a person is “hot” or not can be known by looking at the tongue. If the surface of the tongue has a thick layer of a yellow substance on it, the person can be said to be very “hot”.
“If the kidney is too weak,” said Dr. Cheng, “the secretion of saliva will not be enough as well. This also contributes to bad breath.”
Dr. Cheng said that for people with these illnesses, the kind of Chinese medicine, and the amounts prescribed, may be different, as they are probably due to different health conditions.
“In general, Chinese medicine will try to lessen the ‘heat’ inside the sufferer’s body. The rate of recovery is quite high,” said Dr. Cheng.
Proper etiquette around people with B.O. dictates that it not be turned into a conversation item. Said Miss Emiline Wong, 21, a university student: “Only if the sufferers are my very close friends will I tell them about the smells.”
Miss Wong added, “I would not keep my distance from them, because they might be embarrassed.”
