In summer, when the weather is hot, our sweat glands become more active. This is because our bodies regulate themselves to adapt to the high external temperature. Therefore, sweating is a normal process of body temperature regulation. However, some people may find that their sweat has an unpleasant odor, which can be alleviated by bathing. During bathing, the use of some skincare lotions can help reduce the occurrence of unpleasant odors.
The cause of human sweating is sweat odor, but sweat itself does not have a smell. The adult body has an average of 3 to 4 million sweat glands, producing 15 liters of liquid per day. Nearly 99% of sweat is water, which helps the body dissipate heat and regulate body temperature. The odor only occurs when sweat is decomposed by bacteria on the skin surface. After exercise, sweat odor reaches its peak because the body surface becomes hot and damp, providing an ideal breeding environment for bacteria. Many people mistakenly believe that excessive sweating will produce odor, but in fact, there is no direct relationship between the two. In fact, sweating is beneficial to physical health because it can help eliminate waste and water from the body through sweat, thereby promoting metabolism and regulating body temperature. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, unpleasant odor is often related to the liver. The liver is responsible for processing and decomposing toxic substances such as fried food, tobacco, and alcohol in daily diet, which can accumulate toxic substances in the body, increase the burden on the liver, and cause liver heat. Sweating is a way to detoxify, so people with liver heat often have unpleasant odor in their sweat. Moreover, people with liver heat have a higher body temperature than average, so they are more prone to sweating, and their sweat often appears reddish-yellow.
The first step in treating abnormal sweating and odor is to identify the cause of sweating. In addition to high temperature, stress, and emotional tension that can cause sweating, it is also necessary to be alert to diseases such as hyperthyroidism and adrenal tumors that can also increase sweat production. There are many methods for treating unpleasant sweat odor on the market. Some people may use antiperspirants or scented sprays to inhibit sweat excretion and eliminate odor, but these are only temporary solutions. In order to completely eliminate the trouble of unpleasant odor, some people may choose to undergo surgery to remove sweat glands, but slight carelessness can cause great harm to the body. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine believes that natural herbal treatment that is both internal and external is the best way to deal with sweat odor.
