Sensitivity to Smells?

[mountainsoft]

My wife frequently comments she can't breathe around me after I shave because of the smell of my shaving cream. I don't smell it at all, didn't even know it had a smell.

Likewise, her hairsprays, makeups, and lotions are so overpowering I can hardly breathe, but she doesn't notice they have a smell either.

I know our sense of smell decreases as we age, but I always find it funny that we're immune to our personal fragrances, and yet are so affected by other's fragrances. Other than our bathroom products, neither of us have noticed any decline in our sense of smell.

On a related note, I'm always amazed how a smell can bring back such a vivid memory. My wife occasionally uses a skin cream that immediately reminds me of my grandmother. I guess she must have used the same cream. To this day, the smell of bar soap reminds me of the used bars my grandma kept in a coffee can in her linen closet.

[braumeister]

Individual differences are huge in the aroma arena.

When you buy any product labeled as "unscented" it really contains ingredients that are designed to neutralize/mask the scent of other ingredients, so most people don't smell anything.

But in general we all have differing reactions to a huge range of scents.

[GrayHare]

I'm amazed by that effect too.

My mother died a long time ago but recently I was shopping and an older lady, probably around the age my mom would now be, used the same perfume my mom had. That's probably the first time I'd smelled that perfume in decades, and it brought back a flood of memories.

There was a MASH episode involving the power of smells to evoke memories.

[Midpack]

DW has a way more acute sense of smell than I do. She can smell things I can't even when she asks me to try. Probably good and bad.

[Montecfo]

We do not use fragrances. At all. Anywhere. My wife is chemically sensitive. Fragrance free, not "unscented" for which additional chemicals.are added to mask scents.

It makes a lot of basic things you do in life more challenging, such as new cars (we just spent 9 months airing out a new car, which she has just now begun being able to tolerate. Renting a car is also a challenge. Also, we need to replace our carpet-yes we have 100% wool carpet with a jute pad. Do not want to spring for wool again if we can avoid it.

[MRG]

Thanks for the memories. DM was sensitive to perfumes and stronger smells. It got so bad she couldn't go to church as most of the females wore scents. Malls drove her crazy. Very odd.

[travelover]

Guilty. DW cooks up stuff that makes me want to turn around and walk out of the house. Ditto with things she eats, like kimchi. The smell is just revolting. I also can't stand strong perfumes in soaps and hand lotions.

[Amethyst]

I used to be very sensitive to odors. In my mid-20s I developed a sinus infection that damaged my olfactory nerve, and my sense of smell (and taste) were reduced by at least 60%. Because the brain adapts, I learned to distinguish smells and tastes almost as well as before, but it's as if somebody turned down the radio volume on them. I can't smell or taste some things at all.

Believe me when I say that I would far rather have my sometimes over-acute sense of smell and taste back. Even though sometimes, when others are complaining about some horrible smell, I can tolerate it because to me, it's just a nasty little odor. (Guess who gets to change the litter box).

[MRG]

I frequently lose smells, even strong ones after exposure. In my 20s I w*rked in a walnut sawmill, walnut has a very strong smell. When I started there I could smell the place 6 blocks away; when I left I couldn't smell anything. Thirty years later I still can't smell walnut lumber. Same thing with the smell from our local hot springs, after 4 visits I don't smell them anymore.

[Teacher Terry]

I also have a chemical sensitivity to odors and I get a asthma attack. My sense of smell has always been bad.

[pacergal]

Yes, our nose does become used to scents.
I think that is why some women frequently over use perfume, and men also with cologne. They can no longer smell it, so they think the scent is gone, and go apply more!
We finally went fragrance free at work, and I had the lovely job of reminding folks (ie scent police!). Since I have allergies, I am very sensitive to scents, so my supervisor thought it appropriate to add to my duties. Glad I am out of there.

[daylatedollarshort]

Chemical sensitivities may be caused by magnesium deficiencies. (Loss of sense of smell may be related to zinc deficiency).

[SunBlueSky]

Sitting next to someone with strong scent on an airplane is not pleasant, either. Oftentimes perfumes will give me a bad headache.

[Dreamer]

I stopped wearing perfume years ago, due to a church person's sensitivity to smells. My DH usually showers in the morning, but when he showers before bed, I ask him not to use after shave or cologne. I have a hard time tolerating air fresheners, especially in cars. I try to buy unscented products.

[Chapter 3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunBlueSky Oftentimes perfumes will give me a bad headache.

+1

I suppose it does make sense that the people who over apply perfumes may not actually smell it themselves.

[imoldernu]

A word on age...
As we grow older... the accepted age for "old" is about age 70... the nerves become less sensitive. The decrease in the sensitivity of taste buds causes dry mouth and along with that, a reduction of mucous in the nasal passages.

It became noticiable for me around age 75, and now is relatively complete. Even smoke doesn't work. The good is that no more annoyance by strange smells, but the bad is that the loss of taste and smell, makes food less enjoyable. Except for the visual part, a nice steak would be indistinguishable from a piece of warm raw bacon.

Be careful what you wish for...

[Montecfo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacergal Yes, our nose does become used to scents. I think that is why some women frequently over use perfume, and men also with cologne. They can no longer smell it, so they think the scent is gone, and go apply more! We finally went fragrance free at work, and I had the lovely job of reminding folks (ie scent police!). Since I have allergies, I am very sensitive to scents, so my supervisor thought it appropriate to add to my duties. Glad I am out of there.

Yes. But the policy makes no scents. In fact it is non-scentsicle.

Sorry.

[Amethyst]

People vary. My dad lived to be 87, and remained sensitive to odors.

Me, I always wonder if our house smells funny, but nobody will tell us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu A word on age... As we grow older... the accepted age for "old" is about age 70... the nerves become less sensitive. The decrease in the sensitivity of taste buds causes dry mouth and along with that, a reduction of mucous in the nasal passages. It became noticiable for me around age 75, and now is relatively complete. Even smoke doesn't work. The good is that no more annoyance by strange smells, but the bad is that the loss of taste and smell, makes food less enjoyable. Except for the visual part, a nice steak would be indistinguishable from a piece of warm raw bacon. Be careful what you wish for...

[Telly]

I've always had a sensitive sense of smell. It can be a big help in troubleshooting things. And it can be horrible in other situations. Those other situations involve people who either eat only garlic, and exude the processed stench out every pore of their body, or those with an invisible cloud of putrefaction BO that to me, would knock the buzzard off of the proverbial excrement wagon from a mile away!

[Winemaker]

While w*rking underground as a supervisor in a coal mine, I was responsible for the ventilation for my section, my set of Mains, or the whole mine. Large powerful fans on the surface suck air into the mine (intakes), where it is coursed by way of block walls (stoppings) to the areas of the actual mining area (face) where it picks up dust, methane and is recoursed to the return airways, and out the fan. Something is always "upwind/downwind" or "inby/outby". My sense of smell was extremely acute for anything "hot", such as gear oil, hydraulic oil, electrical arcing and smoldering, and the extremely rare smell of smoldering coal among other things. My co workers' lives, as well as mine, could depend on my sense of smell. Nowadays, my sense of smell is a big advantage as a winemaker, as I can easily recognize/discover different aromas in wines and those described on the back of bottle labels.

However, DW, who is very sensitive to perfumes/colognes, disagrees with me. She says she can smell garbage/smelly drains, whereas I cannot.