Q: I am a man of 23 years and working in a reputated firm. My problem is that my body smells very much. Actually not the whole body but only the sides (under arm). I bathe twice daily and use a deodorant. I have tried eue de cologne also. Sometimes I use talcum powder (deodorant base) also but cannot find a remedy to my problem. I am very depressed with this problem. Do I have to conduct any tests.

A:There are two ways body odour is produced. One is due to breakdown of body secretions in the body folds by bacteria and other is by taking of certain foods like garlic, ginger, etc. The first one is tackled by using medicated talcum powder like Mycoderm C and other one by avoiding the incriminated foods. Very rarely, it may be due to metabolic disorders like aminoacid disorders, diabetes mellitus, etc, for which necessary investigations may be required.