Text by: Tanya Munshi
Maria, a 26 year old customer service associate keeps spraying her deodorant every few hours. A few cubicles away, the deo’s molecules start tingling into her colleague’s nose. He sends her a message through the messenger, enquiring about the spurts of spraying. “To attract attention?” he asked. A frantic Maria replies, “No, to distract my attention. Stinker sitting next to me. Its either him or his socks, don’t want to know, but they smell real bad.” Many of us are faced with similar smelly situations at work. Either we are the smeller or the smellee, but both are horrible experiences.
You’re not alone
All of us have hair follicles on our body, with a certain amount of bacteria present in them. Humid conditions, work stress, unhygienic habits like improper bath can aggravate the bacteria to multiply; eventually leading to sweating and body odour. The fact is, every one of us sweat. One of the reasons for excessive body odour and smelly feet can be if a person is suffering from hyperhidrosis.
It’s a sign
“Hyperhidrosis is a symptom indicating of an abnormality in the hypothalamus region of the brain that leads to excessive sweating. In such cases, a person tends to suffer from excessive sweating in the palms, feet, face and armpits and it is therefore advisable to visit a dermatologist/ neurologist/ doctor at the earliest,” says Dr. Sailesh B Mehta (MBBS), a general practitioner in Mumbai. Hyperhidrosis can occur in childhood/ adulthood and both men and women can be affected.
You sweat, you smell
Hyperhidrosis is just one factor for excessive sweating and body odour. Others such as emotional stimuli, tension, and opium withdrawal i.e. the state of mind when a person has not got a chance to smoke for a long time, are causes that lead to a rise in sweating. People with field work, working in underground offices, warehouses or with no air conditioned and poor ventilated environment are more prone to body odour and smelly feet.
Belt the sweat
De-stress yourself: Haven’t you noticed a tensed person having beads of sweat dripping down his/her forehead? How do you do control it? Instead of taking a puff, go to the office balcony and take a stroll. Or just get out of the office and take a walk. Calm yourself down, listen to some music on your iPod, do whatever, but you can and must control your stress levels.
Take a shower: Don’t skip a shower, even if you hate it. Apart from beautifying yourself, a menthol or an antiseptic soap can kill germs producing body odour. Scrub the soap between the toes and make sure your feet are dry after a shower.
Use deos and powders: Apply talcum powder in your feet before wearing socks. The talcum powder will not only add fragrance, but will also help absorb the sweat. “Use alcohol based deodorants that will help kill the bacteria causing body odour,” says Dr. Mehta.” “More so, if you notice a yellow patch occurring in the armpit area of your shirt, its better you visit a doctor or a dermatologist.”
Wear clean socks: Don’t reuse soiled socks, especially the ones that you have worn the entire day. “Wearing closed shoes and socks the entire day can cause smelly feet,” adds Dr. Mehta. The ideal situation would be, keep you feet ventilated. How do you do that? First, wear clean socks, only then remove it from your shoes. Keep an extra pair of socks and shoes in office. During monsoons, it’s detrimental to wear soggy socks and wet shoes. You allow germs to make your feet a playground. Don’t let that happen.
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