BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Fragrance Asthma, Airlines & Perfume

Hi,

This message orginated in the Asthma forum, came over to the Etiquette forum and now I am bringing it to the Fragrance forum.

Here's the problem:

A lady with asthma got on a plane and another passenger near her had over done it with her perfume causing this lady to have an asthma attack.

This is what I wrote as the cause of the problem:



Could someone elaborate on this problem, please? Let us know if it is a case of the person becoming indifferent to the smell of their own perfume.
Thanks.

What you are referring to is known as Odor Fatigue or Olfactory Fatigue. It's characterized by an inability to distinguish an odor due to the receptors in the upper nose having become fatigued.

Our sense of smell is unique because it relies on mass instead of energy to trigger our response.

We smell when a molecule has been introduced to the nostril and triggers something called an action potential (defined as "A momentary change in electrical potential on the surface of a nerve or muscle cell that takes place when it is stimulated..." by Answers.com).

Once a molecule has triggered an action potential, it must be disposed of or it will continue to stimulate.

Unfortunatly, repeated exposure to a particular molecule (just like any outside stimulation) can cause 'receptor adaptation'. Basically, the brain "quashes" the incoming sensory signals from the receptors before we ever realize they were there.

So, by using the same perfume repeatedly, we expose ourselves to the molecules in a manner that causes us to become desensitized to them.

Think of it in terms of our skin- we become 'used' to the feel of clothing and so our sense of touch no longer sends us impulses telling us that something is touching our skin. This is what happens with fragrance.

Interestingly enough, asthma sufferers aren't the only ones who have complaints against overuse of perfume. Many common ailments can be traced back to fragrance as the trigger.

According to research done by the Candida Research and Information Foundation in 1989-1990, symptoms provoked by fragrances can include "watery or dry eyes, double vision, sneezing, nasal congestion, sinusitis, tinnitus, ear pain, dizziness, vertigo, coughing, bronchitis, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, laryngitis, asthma, anaphylaxis, headaches, seizures, fatigue, confusion, disorientation, incoherence, short-term memory loss, inability to concentrate, nausea, lethargy, anxiety, irritability, depression, mood swings, restlessness, rashes, hives, eczema, flushing, muscle and joint pain, muscle weakness, irregular heart beat, hypertension, swollen lymph glands, and more."

Hope that helps!

----
Tamara

Hmm, had no idea this happens. That poor person next to the perfume wearer.

You know, the air freshener companies have started to cotton on to this. I noticed that Febreeze has a new air freshener out that alternates between 2 fragrances so that you will notice it more. It is even called "noticeables"!

It is the same thing with cigarette smokers, too. They do not realize how much it stinks, until they quit smoking. I however can walk into a room and immediately tell if someone has lit up in there.

My mother smokes IN HER BEDROOM! I refuse to go sit in there with her and have no idea how in the world my father puts upwith it!

It's like walking into a wall of the stuff...horrible.

Yeah, I find it hard when I visit my mother too. I can't believe I ever smoked. I wonder if that makes it even worse.

I usually smell it before my Dh does and he's never smoked and was only around a grandfather who smoked occasionally.

When I and my daughter moved in together to a house, I quit smoking inside entirely. I immediately noticed the difference in the smell of the house and everything in it. Now, I only smoke outside, no matter where I am and I smoke less and less every day. Soon, I will be free from the whole mess! I can now detect the smells that are so offensive to others and am beginning to detest them myself.

I am on prednisone again, because i came in contact with second hand smoke, i am getting myself a mask, people are killing me with there nasty habits ;o(