So you've just come home from the job and your woman complains that you are a bit too smelly for her liking. You take a shower, come out clean, but half an hour later, you'd swear you have the Victoria Falls under your arms.

Advertisement

Why does this happen? Well you can start by realising it’s your sweat glands that are responsible for this. And your armpits are normally held close to your body, not giving them much space for any ventilation.

Who can you blame?
Bacteria. When you sweat, dead or disintegrated cells mix with bacteria on your skin, causing the stench. Your apocrine sweat glands open up into larger pores where there are hairs, such as your armpits. The sweat secreted by these glands contains a few things, namely urea (a by-product of the kidneys), fatty acids, proteins, salt, and lots of water.

Apocrine glands don't have much of a function, although they are believed to secrete pheromones that can be sexually stimulating. However, these days a good anti-perspirant, or, to put it plainly, antibacterial soap and water, usually does the trick as it kills the bacteria that radiates the stench in the first place. Anti-perspirant deodorant can reduce underarm sweating by up to 50 percent, through clogging up the pores.

Interesting facts

• The acid that your sweat glands produce help to give your skin a slightly acidic pH. This helps to keep the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi at bay
• Many factors contribute to the amount of sweat a man’s sweat glands will secrete – genetics, race, age, and physique are some of these
• It is best to use an anti-perspirant when your skin is dry. It works best this way. So after you're out of the shower, wait a while and stay cool before you apply it
• It might sound like a job, but very often sweat stains occur on the underarms of your clothes, which do not usually wash out with a normal washing detergent. Before putting your shirts in the washing machine, it is a good idea to actually loosen the stain by scrubbing it with a good antibacterial soap

(Matthew Louw, Health24)

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Operations Manager R20,000-25,000 Per Month Cost To Company Incl Benefits Gauteng - East Rand Financial Accountant: CA(SA) R400,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Key Account Manager Gauteng Java Developer-CT Western Cape - Cape Town Java Developer-Jozi Gauteng Account Manager R460,000-540,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Plus Benefits Gauteng Account Manager R460,000-540,000 Per Annum Market Related Plus Benefits South Africa Case Manager R210,000-220,000 Per Annum Negotiable Gauteng - Pretoria Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job