Body odour (BO)

Body odour is a common problem. You can usually treat it yourself.

How to treat body odour yourself

You can ask a pharmacist about:

• stronger antiperspirants
• armpit or sweat shields to protect your clothing
• foot powders for sweaty feet
• soap substitutes that are gentler on your skin

Find a pharmacy

See a GP if you have body odour and it hasn't got better after treating it yourself and:

• it's affecting your self-esteem
• you notice a change in how it usually smells
• you suddenly begin to sweat much more than usual

Treatments from your GP

If you have severe body odour and sweating, your GP may suggest:

• stronger, prescription antiperspirants
• injections in your armpits to reduce the amount of sweat
• surgery to remove the sweat glands

Read more about treating excessive sweating.

Causes of body odour

Things that can make body odour worse include:

• exercise
• hot weather
• hormonal changes
• being overweight
• having a condition like diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease
• certain types of medicine, such as antidepressants

Body odour may also be linked to excessive sweating and smelly feet.