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Children Body odour Hi. My girl just turned 12 years old. After a day-long hangout or after training, her body will have a kind of odour. Is it because she likes to eat all types of sweets or candies? Or could it be due to a lack of drinking water to pass out the toxins?

What would she have to do to normalise her body? Kindly advise.

Tks.

Answer

Answered by Dr Hon The body odour is most likely caused by bacteria breaking down proteins which are found in sweat. During puberty, there is an increase in bacteria which breaks down the proteins found in sweat into acids which give out the foul smell. The smell is similar to vinegar sometimes. These bacteria are more commonly found in the armpits and groin area because of the different sweat glands there which are called apocrine glands. Encourage her to bathe more often. This will help to kill the bacteria. Shave the armpits if there is hair present there. Hair in the armpits traps the sweat and prevents evaporation. Use deodorants or antiperspirant. There are some biological products in the market with lactic acid which kill or reduce the bacteria load in the armpit as well which is only used once a week. Avoid eating garlic and spicy foods.
If there is a peculiar smell like a fruity or a smell like bleach please see the doctor to rule out diabetes or kidney disorders.

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Jamilah Samian and Ahmad Fakhri Hamzah

Jamilah and husband Ahmad Fakhri are professional trainers, Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioners and authors. Jamilah has written Cool Mum Super Dad, Cool Boys Super Sons and, together with Ahmad Fakhri, The Groovy Guide to Parenting Gen Y and Z. The couple has six children.
Prof Dr Eric Lim

Prof Lim is the founder of the Kits4Kids Foundation. He has a PhD in Educational Management, Master of Education and Bachelor of Special Education focusing on special education, and a Masters in Psychology focusing on child psychology and counselling.
Dentist Dr Alida Mahyuddin

Dr Alida is a senior lecturer and specialist in Paediatric Dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry, UKM. She is also the Visiting Consultant at the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, UKM Medical Centre, and a committee member of the Global Children Dental Health taskforce.
Paediatrician Dr. Hon Mun Cheng

Dr Hon is trained in paediatrics, infectious disease, nephrology and neonatology. The mother of two now practices in a private clinic.
Midwife Ann Ibrahim

Ann has been practising midwifery for over a decade now. Having completed her degree, she worked in Britain for a spell and then returned to her homeland Malaysia.
Psychologist Woo Pei Jun

Woo is a developmental psychologist who has studied and worked in Malaysia and the United States. Her areas of research have involved cross cultural issues related to eating disorders amongst Asians, mental health and behavioural problems amongst children and youth in Malaysia.
Fitness guru Debbra Lee

Lee is certified through the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) from Britain, with specialty certification in pregnancy and postnatal fitness by the YMCA (Britain). She has been conducting pre and post-natal classes for many years. She is the proprietor of Fit For 2 cafe, Kuala Lumpur.
Obstetrician / Gynaecologist Dr Ng Kok Chong

Dr Ng was a lecturer at Universiti Malaya. He is currently a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at private clinic. His sub-speciality is infertilty.
Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Yong Junina

Dr Yong Junina is a consultant paediatrician at Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Junina, Mutiara Damansara, and visiting paediatric cardiologist at Darul Ehsan Medical Centre, Shah Alam and Hospital UKM. She is also a visiting lecturer for the department of ? paediatrics, faculty of medicine, UKM.