According to dermatologist Yael Adler
What do you do about an unpleasant body odor? In any case, do not use extra soap, according to German dermatologist Yael Adler. That only makes it worse. Four pieces of advice about bad odors, based on her new book ‘Discomfort’.
1. Bad breath? Buy a tongue scraper
Almost no one smells fresh when waking up. If you want fresher breath in the morning, take a few big breaths. Many of the foul-smelling mouth bacteria that have been breeding all night do not like oxygen.
Do you have bad breath all day long? In 80-90 percent of cases, it is due to bacteria that hide in the folds of the tongue. You can test this by breathing out through the nose with your mouth closed. Ask if anyone can smell the unpleasant odor. Good oral hygiene is the solution. It is best to clean your tongue with a tongue brush or tongue scraper. They tackle the accumulated bacteria better than a toothbrush.
2. Unpleasant body odor? Shower gel out the door
Showering with soap every day is counterproductive if you want to smell better. Soap washes off the skin’s own protective layer and disrupts the acidity of the skin for a long time. Bacteria, which create bad odors, get the upper hand over the skin’s own flora. Rather choose to wash with water. If that doesn’t help enough against the unpleasant body odor, you can try two things. For example, make an ‘apple cider vinegar bath’ from a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a liter of water. This allows you to dab the skin. It ensures that the acidity of the skin is restored, and ‘friendly’ (non-smelly) skin bacteria get the upper hand again. Or buy a mild wash gel with an acidity of five.
3. Clothes with a smell? Wash at 90 degrees
An unpleasant body odor in men is usually caused by stinky bacteria in the clothing. Synthetic clothing is usually poorly ventilated and therefore smells within a day. A wash at 40 degrees does not kill the bacteria, on the contrary. Bacteria only increase with a wash at 40 degrees. If you want to smell fresher – go classic. Choose clothing made of natural materials, such as cotton, that you can wash at 90 degrees. The bacteria will die at that temperature.
4. Sweaty feet? wear open shoes
Feet in sneakers or other shoes that allow little air to pass through can get smelly because they are covered with Bacillus subtilis or Brevibacterium epidermidis. These are bacteria that give off an unpleasant odor. Opt for open shoes as much as possible. It is important that the toes have room to move and are not pressed against each other, otherwise it will start to heat.
Yael Adler (45) is a German dermatologist. She works in her own private clinic in Berlin. She had been a well-known expert on skin on German television for years when her book De Huid (2016) was published. It turned out to be a bestseller that has been translated into 29 languages. Discomfort is the sequel to this, and quickly scored high on the bestseller list.
