Grooms - Deal with Body Odour and Sweating

The morning of your wedding will find you could be wearing a tuxedo, a suit or even a top hat and tails with button up shirts and a tie or cravat and the weather can be anywhere between hot and sunny to damp, cold and windy. Your stress levels may be a lot higher than normal which in turn could lead to your body letting you down with oozing sweat glands!

You want your Bride to smile at you when you stand next to her while saying your vows, you don't want her holding a hankie to her nose or trying to step away from you while your armpits get damper by the minute and smelly bacteria gets a tight grip on the material of your outfit.

We all sweat and some more than others and learning to deal with body odour is on everybody's minds and none more so than when an important day such as your own wedding is top of the list.

Sweating is a Natural Process

Sweating is a natural process that cools off our bodies and sweat glands cover most of our body. The odour that is realised by sweating has a special odour and those stood next to you can find it quite repulsive.

The biggest part of holding those sweat glands at bay and to stop yourself from omitting horrible smells is by keeping your body clean and healthy and soap and water is cheap enough for anybody to do just that.

Men do sweat more than females and their sweat glands produce a stronger smell because of their higher testosterone levels and by following a few simple steps you can deal with body odour and make sure you are in the wedding photographs and not standing four feet away from everybody else, especially your Bride-to-be.

Keeping Clean

Antibacterial soap will help kill off those nasty bacteria pests and antiperspirants clog sweat glands so bacteria have nothing to interact with.
Extreme cases of body odour can be caused by a fungal infection and a trip to the doctor who can prescribe you a treatment may be the only way of dealing with your problem.
If you suffer from terrible body odour a product called Boric Acid which is inexpensive and works well can be applied after taking a bath and this will help by slowing down the spreading of bacteria. Be careful though not to use too much as this can irritate your skin.
Keep your feet clean and dry thoroughly afterwards. Treat with an antifungal powder and avoid sweaty trainers. Wear fresh cotton socks and change daily.
Showers are considered a cleaner and more effective way of preventing body odour as more bacteria and dirt run off the body but whether you shower or take a bath you should take them daily, if not two a day.
Use a deodorant that contains aluminium or zinc as these elements fight bacteria that causes bacteria. Many deodorants will only mask your body odour and it won't be long before the smell becomes noticeable.
Washing and changing your clothes regularly helps because it won't be any good putting on yesterday's shirt or sweater if you have yesterday's body odour still clinging to it.

Healthy Body

By cutting down on caffeine based foods and drinks such as coffee, cola and chocolate can help because these stimulate sweat glands with a fatty sweat which is heaven to bacteria.
Having a Zinc deficiency can impart body odour and can determine which type of perspiration your body will omit.
Make sure you drink plenty of fluids to keep the eccrine sweat glands active. This gland dilutes perspiration which in turns reduces body odour.
Some foods that are quite poignant will penetrate through your body and come out your pores. Garlic, curry and cumin are all high on the list of these foods and your body can be susceptible to a certain food which you should stay clear of if this is the case.

What Causes Body Odour

Sweat is actually odourless but when it is left for too long the bacteria that lives on the skin begin to feed on it and break it down. During this process an unpleasant smell is released and certain areas of the body such as the armpits and genital area sweat glands produce stronger smells due to proteins and oily substances that bacteria feed on.

Elsewhere on the body sweat glands produce mostly salty water and bacteria does not tend to thrive so much but because the feet are wrapped up by socks, shoes and slippers they can become quite hot and moist and allow fungi to flourish well.

When to Seek Medical Advice

Excessive sweating can be caused by many things with poor hygiene being the top on the list but if after you have followed all the guidelines and you are still suffering from body odour then it may be time to pay a visit to your doctor to ask for advice.

Some of the reasons that people suddenly begin to suffer from body odour and/or excessive sweating could be due to:

An over-active thyroid gland.
Diabetes.
Kidney Disease.
Liver Disease.

Some conditions can be serious and any of the following symptoms should be brought to the attention of your doctor:

A change in your body odour such as fruity or bleach like smell can indicate a disease.
Experiencing cold sweats.
If you begin to sweat during the night.
Sweating far more than normally.

Tit Bits:

A substance called Noneal is produced by middle aged men and this can add to the production of bad odours.
Because of the specialised glands in the armpits and genital areas of children they very rarely suffer from body odour.
If you are going to be trying any new products to help with excessive body odour or a different deodorant, it is always advisable to try well in advance of your wedding day and always test in on a small area of the skin that is not visible in case you get a reaction and come out in a rash.
Once puberty is reached the sweat glands develop and oil production in the skin increases. If hygiene is not strictly adhered to, body odour can become a real problem to young males during puberty.
Shaving your armpits and keeping them clear of hair will reduce sweating as well as giving deodorant and antiperspirants a much better contact with your sweat glands.
Those that suffer from body odour can become so used to the smell they may not even notice it.
To allow your skin to breathe, which in turn will help any sweat to evaporate quicker, try and wear natural made fibres such as cotton, wool or silk.

Sweating is as natural as breathing and by looking after your body with good hygiene habits and healthy eating you will be able to stand next to your Bride and in amongst your wedding guests without the fear of not being able to lift your arms in case noses start to wrinkle!