DIB – 3: Nutrition, Heath & Hygiene

UNIT – 2: Body Odour

Introduction:

Today the topic which we are going to deal is from Diploma in Beautician course which is Course 3 – Nutrition Health and Hygiene. The specific topic is Body Odour.

Problem of Body Odour:

Body Odour is a very simple problem. Generally many people have this problem of body odour. Body odour is mainly caused by sweat. Each and every person sweat. Sweating is a generally process of the body by which the body perspirate to release the heat from the body. This perspiration process releases the sweat. The body odour is caused by sweating process. These sweats are odourless. This odourless sweat causes the odour because the skin has bacteria in it. These bacteria react with the sweat and cause an aromatic fatty acid. These aromatic fatty acids are the causes for the body odour. The aromatic fatty acids are created when the sweat reacts with the bacteria in the skin. These sweating can be controlled.

Control of Sweating:

Generally the process of sweating can be controlled by certain ways.

• The first one is a regular bath. Atleast, once a day.

• The second one is wearing a fresh cloth.

• The third one is the cloth which we wear should not be repeated in the second day and these clothes should be washed and dried in a high temperature.

• Then the main point is we should always wear a dry cotton socks which should be frequently changed.

These are the simple ways of reducing the sweating process. These sweating can also be reduced by certain techniques.

View of Dr. Hillary Jones:

First let us see the view what Dr. Hillary Jones has given about the sweating. Dr. Hillary Jones states that sweating problem is a socio-economic epidemic, which exists among human beings. Actually people who sweat and people who have the body odour do not recognize it easily. But only the people who surrounds him and who are near him recognize that he has body odour. That is why he says it as socio-economic epidemic. Even the people who has body odour can recognize certain smells. At home they can recognize the smell of garlic or curry masala but yet they won’t be able to recognize their own body odour. This is a scientifically proven fact. These are all stated by Dr. Hillary Jones about sweating.

Reduction of Sweating:

Sweating can take place at certain points of the body. That is excessive sweating can take place at arm pits, genitals and also at feet. These can be controlled and can be regularly treated. It can be controlled in two ways:

1. Reduction of bacterial level in the skin

2. Controlling the process of sweating itself.

Reduction of bacteria can be done very simply by the available medicines in the medical shops. It is 0.05% solution Chlorohexadine. These medicines are available in the medical shops and can be used daily as routines. By using it daily as a routine, the bacteria which persist in the skin specifically at the sweating areas can be reduced significantly. This is the best way of reducing the body odour.

The second one is reduction of sweating. This can be done in two ways.

1. General Treatment

2. Surgical Treatment

1. General Treatment:

In the general treatment, there are certain liquids available in the medical shops. It is a 20% solution of aluminium chloride. This should be applied only during the night time. What happens when we apply this 20% aluminium chloride is, they enter into the holes available in the armpits. It is used only in the armpits. They enter into the sweating holes in the sweating glands and they make the holes in the sweat glands to swell so that the sweat will not ooze out from the hole. At first when we use, we have to use it daily at bed time. Before using the solution, we have to clean the armpits, it should be dry. After using this in a daily manner, we can reduce it by using it a day after a day and finally we can reduce it by using once or twice a week.. This is one of the ways of reducing the sweating.

2. Surgical Treatment:

The second way is surgical treatment. It has two ways.

1. Botox

2. Operation

These two methods are used only to control excessive sweating. Certain people have excessive sweating that cause major problem to them. So these two treatments can be used to reduce this excessive sweating.

Botox:

Botox is nothing but Botolinium Toxin A. This is a chemical powder which is inserted into specific points, at 6 points in the armpits. It is inserted by giving local anesthesia at the armpits. When this toxin is introduced in the armpits, they react with the sweat glands and reduce the sweat. This is a recent development in this sweating treatment and it is licensed to use only in the armpits. It can be used nowhere in the body. The cosmetologists generally use this toxin to reduce the frown lines on the foreheads. Generally when people get aged they get some frown lines in the forehead. To reduce those lines they use this Botox. Now this is used in reducing the sweating process also.

The second one is the surgical operation. One is giving general anesthesia and then cutting out certain part of the skin. Another one is destroying the nerves which causes sweating. Now let us see both of them in detail.

First surgical thing is

1. Cutting out – From the armpit they cut out certain part of skin in a measurement of 4 cm × 1.5 cm. The thickness is a very minimum thickness. They do it by giving a local anesthesia at the armpit and they cut out a section of the skin from the armpit so that the sweat gland which produces the excessive sweating is removed by removing this section of the skin. This process is done by using a technique called Liposuction. With this technique, by cutting out a small layer of the skin, the sweat gland the produces sweating are sucked out.

2. Destroying the nerves - This is done by using Key Hole Surgery. The nerves which are producing the sweating are located on the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th rib of the rib cage. Everyone has got eight ribs. The 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th rib has the nerves which is the cause for sweating. These nerves are responsible for sweating of armpits. Only those nerves are deactivated or destroyed. It is destroyed by electrocution. First a certain cavity is produced in the armpit then 3 needles are inserted in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th rib near the nerve and electricity is passed through the needle and the nerves are destroyed. By destroying these nerves the armpits do not sweat. This is the ultimate one for a complete reduction of sweat at the armpits. By this process of destroying the nerve the reduction of sweating is only 40% effective. Because by completely stopping the sweating in the armpits, the person starts sweating in some other parts of the body in high rates. For example, they sweat more on the back, in the chest, in the hands or legs. So we say that it is 40% effective. By this process the sweating is controlled. But this has a high risk factor because once the nerves are destroyed it can not be retrieved. So, only a few people go for this type of treatment.

Sum Up:

Now we have learnt about the process of sweating, how to control the process of sweating, how to control the bacterial level in the skin. These are all to be known by a beautician. As a beautician the people should know about this and should give advice to the customer.