The Ultimate Girls' Body Book by Walt Larimore MD

Author:Walt Larimore, MD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2013-12-01T05:00:00+00:00

QUESTION 20

Why do I sweat? It makes me feel like a boy.

Like body hair, sweating is not just for boys. Too bad, right?

The good news is that there are many ways to deal with sweat and its partner, body odor (BO). We’re sorry to say it, but girls have BO too. You know, smells that are not terribly pleasant or “feminine,” or, to put it bluntly, smells that just stink. There — we’ve said it. Even girls — cute girls, adorable girls — can be stinky at times.

Of course, it’s good and normal to sweat when you’re working out or playing. It’s part of God’s divine design to help cool you down when your body heats up. But normal sweat can get quite stinky. My (Dr. Mari’s) son loves telling jokes. He recently asked, “Mom, what do you call a fairy that doesn’t take a bath?” You’ll love the answer: “Stinker-bell.”

Anyway, you can keep the Stinker-bell and sweaty days to a minimum. With just a little help, stink can turn pretty pink in no time. And girls can have more fun with this than boys, since we have so many fragrances and fun products to choose from.

Did you ever shop for body lotions with your mom or girlfriends? You can find balms, lotions, sprays, creams, powders, bubble bath, gels, soaps, and oils. By using only products that are safe for young skin, you can have a lot of fun with these.

You could spend hours exploring all the fragrances and products out there that help make being a girl so fun. There’s ginger, lavender, pomegranate, vanilla, and every kind of berry. You can enjoy jasmine and honeysuckle.

Yet, along with beautiful scents, God allows us to have stinky smells and BO, doesn’t he? Let’s talk about why this happens and how you can prevent it and deal with it.

Sweating is one way the body cools itself down — it’s part of the miracle of your perfectly integrated body. And did you know that sweat is actually odorless? Sweat is stink-free until it combines with bacteria that normally live on your skin. So you can blame those pesky germs for stinking up sweat.

The first thing you can do is to dry up. Less sweat means there’s less fluid for the bacteria to mix with, which means less odor. Washing your underarms with water and a mild soap every day and after sporting events will always help.

Early in the puberty years you can start using an antiperspirant (which helps you sweat less), a deodorant (which removes and covers up smells), or a product that combines the two. But remember to wash before using deodorant, or you’ll just be covering up BO without getting rid of it. You can end up with some very interesting smells that way.

If a traditional deodorant doesn’t work well for you, a few products are available without a doctor’s prescription that are much stronger. Your pharmacist or doctor’s office can recommend one. These products work differently and are usually applied at bedtime.

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