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'Stinko' de Mayo

11 May 2004

With Cinco de Mayo last week, this article's title just popped into my head. This is a good opportunity to dismiss some of common misperceptions about sweating.

First, sweaty does not necessarily mean smelly. For most people, the odor associated with sweat is produced by skin bacteria, not by the sweat itself. Daily bathing of the offending areas is often enough to solve the odor problem.

I need a little extra help, and help found that Safeguard soap works very well. I sweat buckets from my pits but the odor is minimal provided I use the anti-bacterial soap. I wash only my armpits with it. Some people need further assistance. I've read about dabbing armpits with alcohol after bathing (not recommended right after shaving).

If you continue to have odor, and particularly if you notice it in less than an hour after bathing, you might have what's called bromhidrosis. Bromhidrosis is a term than simply means sweat with odor. The most common cause of bromhidrosis is poor digestion. Some people solve the problem by taking a digestive enzyme pill (many brands are available without prescription) with meals. Others find they must limit their consumption of certain foods; onions and garlic are common troublemakers.

I thought of different topic that also fits with Cinco de Mayo. Though my boyfriend Kevin doesn't mind that I sweat a lot, he's doesn't particularly like when I rewear clothes with prior perspiration stains. I've offered to let him wash and iron all my tops for me but, gosh, guess what, he hasn't taken on that job.

If I wear something that he thinks is stained too much, he calls me "Rita". That got started last year when we went to a Mexican restaurant and I had on a particularly salt-ringed blouse. As we sat and drank our margaritas he commented how the salt around the edge of the glass reminded him of me. Sometimes when we're with friends and my perspiration stains are showing he'll call me Rita, either to alert me or maybe just to make me blush. I don't mind his comments, really, (I have some pet names for him too) because I'm so used to being damp under the arms that I'm sometimes oblivious to just how much sweat is showing.

To see for yourself, here's a scan of one of my blouses with a stain that had dripped all the way down to my waist. This represents a few wearings since it had been last laundered. If I know I'm going to be wearing a jacket, I will rewear clothes like this provided they don't have an odor. I can't see sweating all over a clean blouse each day, and who is going to know? Well, Kevin will if we meet after work, but until he offers to launder everything for me, I figure he can just go on calling me Rita.

For prior stories, see the archives.