Lagos residents raise concerns on body oduor

Some Lagos residents have said that people with body odour care less about their conditions and the discomforts of those around them.

Body odour is the unpleasant smell produced by bacteria on the skin that break down the acids in your sweat.The medical term is bromhidrosis.

Anyone who has reached puberty can produce body odour as this is when the apocrine sweat glands develop, which produce the sweat that bacteria can quickly break down.

Men are more likely to have body odour because they tend to sweat more than women, according to http://www.nhs.uk

Those who spoke with our reportr said the smell from such people could be very unbearable and awful.

According to Mrs Ifeoma Onwemelie, a civil servant, it is shameful that people do not take their hygiene seriously.

“My mother started teaching me early about how to take care of myself and bath very well, wash my private, and how to use deodorants.

“As women and men, we should try and bath very well, wash our clothes and also clean hidden areas in our body,’’ he said.

Onwemelie noted that people who sweat a lot should try taking their hygiene serious and clean up when necessary instead of making those around them uncomfortable.

Mrs Iyabo Olabode, a trader said that deodorants are very cheap and people should endeavour to use them, instead of upsetting people with such foul smell from the body.

“I cannot leave my house without wearing a perfume or deodorant but some people will never use one.

“Some people will sit by you in the bus and smell like pigs and goats,’’ he said.

She said aside smelling good; people should also wash their underwear and other personal items.

“It is very bad and unhealthy for people to wear boxers and brassieres for days and not wash them.”

Mr Desmond Kelvin, a student of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos said that some people have natural body odour and advised them to consult their doctors.

“Some body odour can be borne out of dirtiness, and they refuse to clean themselves very well. Some also don’t care about how they clean the things they put on.

“Many people with body odour should adopt ways to minimise it, some do not use handkerchief to clean their sweat, it is awful and embarrassing,’’ he said.

Mr Godfrey Igbo, a businessman told NAN that many of those with body odour often do not acknowledged that fact.

“They will be the ones to press their bodies on you, especially in public transports as if you want to share with their smell.

“They are so careless with their bodies; I have to buy a perfume for my neighbour so that he will take care of himself.

“You cannot believe when the perfume finished, he did not get another one, and when I asked him he said he has no body odour,” Igbo said.