Thursday, August 05, 2010

Smell like roses!

What if on a date the girl starts ignoring you when she meets you? Is it that she doesn’t like your face, dressing sense or body odour? Many times one often ignores the problems body odour causes — it can be a big turn off.

After Hrs talks to experts and celebs on dealing with this.
Dermatologist Dr Rohini Wadhwani says, “Body odour is caused by various reasons like poor hygiene, genetics, medication, heavy physical activity, pungent food (garlic and other spices), certain medication, stress, hormonal problems, alcohol and tobacco abuse or even dental problems. A good tip is to use a baby powder or anti-bacterial powder after bath, especially under the arms.

Remove, shave or wax underarm hair off to reduce body odour.Deodorants contain anti-bacterial agents that kill the bacteria which give rise to body odour, as against anti-perspirants which block pores. One may use tea tree oil or rose water in your bath water as their lingering fragrance takes care of the odour. Also remember to wear clean undergarments.”

Skin expert Dr Sunita Dube, says, “Body odour is considered an offensive smell, given off by most adults who are sweating. It is often perceived as a sign of poor personal hygiene that can be unattractive to theopposite sex. It can have disastrous consequences, like ruining your professional image with a client. Since men sweat more than women, they are the worst affected. I feel body odour can arise to poor hygiene or a genetic disorder. I had a patient aged 32, who had severe bad odour with an
excessive ‘fishy’ smell coming from her body. It became more prominent since adulthood and she was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called trimethylaminuria, or ‘fish odour syndrome,’ that causes a patient to produce a fish-like odour, not only in a person’s breath, but also in sweat and urine. So it can be genetic too hence it’s necessary to consult a doctor and seek guidance in such cases.”

Actor Kim Sharma says, “Bad body odour is always a turn off, it is a situation where you can’t even tell the person about it and simply walking out in the a middle of a conversation with that person would be rude.”

For actor Koena Mitra body odour is a turn off. She advises, “Carry a deodorant to keep yourself fresh. Also be conscious as people tend to form an image about the person and the game of avoiding starts from day one when the situation arises.”