IT’S pretty common to be smelly after a long day at work, a sweaty gym session or having to sprint to catch your bus.
And let’s face it, no matter much deodorant or perfume we spritz on, we can hardly be expected to smell of roses 24/7.
GettyIt’s normal to not smell too good from time to time, but four foul body odours might be cause for concern[/caption]
From foul breath to smelly pee, Dr Jennifer Caudle listed four funny smells to get checked out by a doctortiktok
But catching a whiff of four ‘foul’ body odours should be cause for alarm, according to a family GP and TV doctor.
Dr Jennifer Caudle took to TikTok to explain when being pongy is not just part and parcel of being human.
“There are a lot of perfectly normal body odours out there. I’m not saying all body odour is a bad body odour,” she noted.
“These are just four that you need to pay attention to,” the GP said.
1. Constant bad breath
Who doesn’t wake up with musty breath is the morning?
But if your bad breath sticks around after you’ve brushed your teeth and you’re noticing it more often than not, Dr Caudle said it’s worth seeing a doctor about.
“Bad breath that just won’t go away should not be ignored,” she told viewers in a recently uploaded clip.
“We wonder if someone’s got poor oral hygiene, but the truth of the matter is bad breath that doesn’t go away may actually be caused by other things.”
The GP listed a few conditions that could be giving you a musty mouth, including:
Acid reflux
Chronic sinus infections
Dry mouth and not making enough saliva
Certain medications
Dr Rizwan Mahmood, a dentist from Ruh Dental, previously shared that saliva helps control bacteria levels in your mouth and washes away acid around your teeth and gums – so having a dry mouth can leave you with a number of oral health issues.
Bad breath could in some cases be a sign of mouth cancer.
To check the smell of your own breath, you can lick your wrist, let it dry for a moment then take a whiff.
Alternatively, you can floss towards the back of your mouth then smell the floss, or gently scrape your tongue with a soft toothbrush then smell it.
2. A fishy-smelling vagina
Again, it’s unrealistic to expect your vagina to smell like a bed of roses.
But a fishy odour escaping from your pants could be a cause for concern, Dr Caudle said.
“Ladies, if you’ve got a fishy odour down there you’ve got to see your doctor,” the GP said.
It could be a sign that you have bacterial vaginosis (BV), she explained, an imbalance of bacteria that might need to be treated with antibiotics.
Dr Caudle explained that while “good and bad bacteria hang out” down there, and overgrowth of bad bacteria can cause BV.
According to the NHS, half of women with the condition won’t get any symptoms from it at all.
But aside from a fishy smell, it can cause:
An unusual vaginal discharge that has a strong fishy smell, particularly after sex
A change to the colour and consistency of your discharge, such as becoming greyish-white and thin and watery
You won’t usually get any soreness or itching from BV.
3. Smelly pee
Your urine is never going to smell lovely.
But particularly foul-smelling pee could be the sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI) in both men and women, Dr Caudle said.
“Your urine smells funny, get it checked out,” she told viewers.
UTIs are usually caused by bacteria from poo entering the urinary tract – the tube that carries pee from your body – and making its way to your bladder, urethra or kidneys.
Symptoms of a UTI include:
Pain or a burning sensation when peeing
Needing to pee more often than usual and during the night
Needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
Pee that looks cloudy
Blood in your pee
Lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
A very low temperature below 36C
You should see a GP if you have these symptoms.
4. A smelly wound
“If you have a wound or cut anywhere on your body that smells funny, drainage is smelling funny, I worry it might be infected,” Dr Caudle said.
She advised viewers to see a doctor about this.
When to seek advice over a cut
Lots of cuts and grazes can be treated at home.
But you should go to an urgent treatment centre or call NHS 111 if the wound:
Does not stop bleeding
Is very large or very deep
Has dirt or something embedded in it
Is too painful for you to successfully clean
Is near to a major blood vessel or joint
Becomes red and swollen or has pus coming out – it may be infected
Was caused by a bite – all animal and human bites need medical attention