I have seen several threads where people are wondering what fragrance to wear to a job interview,
church, funerals, to surgery, etc. etc. etc.
The recurring piece of "sage" advice I see thrown out is usually something like:
with all the allergies out there, you don't want to cause anyone to have a reaction, anaphylaxis......
I am a physician, and I don't buy it.
Let me start by saying I am NOT an allergist or dermatologist, so take the fact that I am a physician with a grain of salt. I will say, though, that I know more about immunology than the average person. Most people who have allergies to specific antigens suffer from contact dermatitis. Atopic and contact dermatitis are VERY common in the general public. Unlike contact dermatitis, the physiologic mechanism behind atopic dermatitis is less well defined. The reason I bring this up is that I have seen people use the terms interchangeably and they are not the same disease.
Most people with an unknown nidus for an allergic reaction get asked a serious of questions by their doctor in an attempt to narrow down the possibilities. If that fails and the reactions continue, they may even have antigenic testing to figure it out (although this is usually done to track down an allergy to food). No allergist would ever tell a patient, well if nothing else, tell your co-workers to stop wearing lotions, perfumes, stop using scented detergents, etc. etc. They would tell the patient to stop, as it may be the cause of their CONTACT dermatitis.
I have never seen, nor do I think it could ever be definitively proven, a case of anaphylactic shock, or even a simple case or urticaria (hives) attributed to a perfumed substance IN THE AIR. Now, do not confuse this assertion with perfumes in general. Contact dermatitis could definitely produce a severe reaction in a sensitized individual if they placed the substance on their skin.
Theoretically, if I sprayed 15 shots of Vetiver on my neck, walked past someone with a severe allergy, tripped, fell onto their neck with my still wet coating of Vetiver, maybe, just maybe then I could trigger some allergic dermatitis.
People get easily confused between a sensitive nose and an allergic sensitivity. Pollen in the air is also a CONTACT allergy with a substance in the air. An allergic reaction to someone's fragrance is no more likely than an allergy to the smell of raindrops on cement, or the smell of rotting fish in a lake, or an ocean breeze, or hot pavement, or a fire, or of a pine tree.
Next time someone tells you they have an allergy to someont else's cologne, ask them what symptoms they have. I can't tell you how many of my patients tell me they have an allergy to a medication, and when probed they tell me that it causes a headache, or an upset stomach, or makes them tired.
church, funerals, to surgery, etc. etc. etc.
The recurring piece of "sage" advice I see thrown out is usually something like:
with all the allergies out there, you don't want to cause anyone to have a reaction, anaphylaxis......
I am a physician, and I don't buy it.
Let me start by saying I am NOT an allergist or dermatologist, so take the fact that I am a physician with a grain of salt. I will say, though, that I know more about immunology than the average person. Most people who have allergies to specific antigens suffer from contact dermatitis. Atopic and contact dermatitis are VERY common in the general public. Unlike contact dermatitis, the physiologic mechanism behind atopic dermatitis is less well defined. The reason I bring this up is that I have seen people use the terms interchangeably and they are not the same disease.
Most people with an unknown nidus for an allergic reaction get asked a serious of questions by their doctor in an attempt to narrow down the possibilities. If that fails and the reactions continue, they may even have antigenic testing to figure it out (although this is usually done to track down an allergy to food). No allergist would ever tell a patient, well if nothing else, tell your co-workers to stop wearing lotions, perfumes, stop using scented detergents, etc. etc. They would tell the patient to stop, as it may be the cause of their CONTACT dermatitis.
I have never seen, nor do I think it could ever be definitively proven, a case of anaphylactic shock, or even a simple case or urticaria (hives) attributed to a perfumed substance IN THE AIR. Now, do not confuse this assertion with perfumes in general. Contact dermatitis could definitely produce a severe reaction in a sensitized individual if they placed the substance on their skin.
Theoretically, if I sprayed 15 shots of Vetiver on my neck, walked past someone with a severe allergy, tripped, fell onto their neck with my still wet coating of Vetiver, maybe, just maybe then I could trigger some allergic dermatitis.
People get easily confused between a sensitive nose and an allergic sensitivity. Pollen in the air is also a CONTACT allergy with a substance in the air. An allergic reaction to someone's fragrance is no more likely than an allergy to the smell of raindrops on cement, or the smell of rotting fish in a lake, or an ocean breeze, or hot pavement, or a fire, or of a pine tree.
Next time someone tells you they have an allergy to someont else's cologne, ask them what symptoms they have. I can't tell you how many of my patients tell me they have an allergy to a medication, and when probed they tell me that it causes a headache, or an upset stomach, or makes them tired.
