How do I control my body odour?

Body odour is a very real problem for a lot of people, and can be upsetting to live with.

There are things that you can do to reduce your body odour throughout the day. It’s important that you wear clean clothes every day, as yesterday’s clothes can smell of stale sweat. In addition, wearing natural fibres is preferable to synthetic. It might be a good idea to carry deodorant with you at work, along with freshening wipes – both of these will help keep body odour at bay. If your boss is approachable, perhaps you could arrange to sit by a window where there would be enough air to help keep you cool.

If your sweating is particularly severe, you might consider leaving a wash bag and towel at work so you can have a shower (if there is one), or at least a proper wash while you’re there.

If you’ve tried everything and it’s still a problem there are surgical treatments available, but it’s important you talk to your doctor (GP) about this.

It must make your working life difficult having colleagues make fun of you. If possible, try to speak to someone about what’s happening and how it makes you feel. Hopefully they’ll be able to speak to your colleagues and ask them to behave with more consideration.