Old person smell

[Anonymous]

I’m a super smeller but don’t notice an old people smell on my parents who are mid-80s. One of my grandmothers definitely smelled like mothballs though.

[Anonymous]

I’ve noticed this in recent years with my mother, 72. It lingers in my house once she leaves, and like someone else said, it permeates food and packaging; I can taste it in cookies she brings over, and it sticks to the packaging of things she brings over for my kids. I can smell it in her house but she does her best to mask it with even more offensive room sprays. I know for a fact she doesn’t shower as often as she should, and doesn’t wash her hair enough. She has told me she only showers in the morning (I wonder if showering before bed would help) and only washes her hair a couple times a week. I don’t smell it on my dad.

I also smell it on MIL, but hers is slightly more offensive than my mom’s, only hers doesn’t linger or permeate the same way; MILs is like a cloud that lingers around her person, like Pig-Pen from Peanuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is offensive OP and you know it. I've reported you.

You need to lighten up! I'm old too and think old people stink. I agree with OP and want to know how I can not smell like an old person. What even causes this smell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is offensive OP and you know it. I've reported you.

You need to lighten up! I'm old too and think old people stink. I agree with OP and want to know how I can not smell like an old person. What even causes this smell?

You getting closer to death. Seriously. It’s the decay process

[Anonymous]

This explains it: https://miraiclinical.com/pages/nonenal

I’m really depressed now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is offensive OP and you know it. I've reported you.

No, it's science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This explains it: https://miraiclinical.com/pages/nonenal

I’m really depressed now!

That makes sense. It explains the odor on clothes that persists despite washing. I noticed this with some vintage clothing purchases. Despite multiple airing out and washing the smell just won’t fully go away. I guess because it is lipid based

[Anonymous]

Did anyone actually read the Scientific American article?

[/i]“ Contrary to the popular notion that old person smell is disagreeable, volunteers in the new study rated the odors of the elderly as much less unpleasant and intense than those of the middle-aged and young.”

“Contrary to common complaints about "old people smell," the volunteers' blind ratings revealed that they found elderly people's odors both less intense and less unpleasant than odors from young and middle-aged people. Middle-aged man musk took top prize for intensity and unpleasantness, whereas volunteers rated the odors of middle-aged women most pleasant and whiffs of old man as least intense.”[i]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was at a work Christmas party last night and I could smell the old ladies. I am already in my 50s. How do we prevent “old person smell”? This is my nightmare!

The "old lady smell" is a chemical called 2-nonenal that's caused by a number of factors, including:

Skin changes
As people age, their skin's antioxidant defenses weaken, which allows lipid acids to oxidize and create 2-nonenal.

Hormonal changes
Hormonal fluctuations, such as those that occur during menopause, can cause body odor changes.

Sweat composition
The composition of sweat changes with age, which can lead to body odor changes.

Decreased ability to self-clean
As people age, they may experience cognitive decline and weakened mobility, which can make it harder to maintain proper hygiene.

Medications
Some medications can change the body's chemistry and affect sweat composition.

Diet
Certain foods, such as those containing spices, caffeine, or the acid produced by asparagus, can cause strong-smelling compounds to be excreted through sweat or urine.

Environmental factors
Poor ventilation, mold, or mildew in a senior's living space can cause a musty smell that can transfer to their skin or clothes.
Other factors that can contribute to body odor include: Bacterial vaginosis, Diabetes, and Infection.


Senior Hygiene Tips: What Is Nonenal and 5 Best Ways to Avoid It
April 3, 2023
https://amyseden.com/nonenal/#:~:text=The%20skin%20has%20antioxidant%20defenses,in%20metabolism%20among%20older%20people.

Like typical body odor, clearing away nonenal is possible if you combine lifestyle changes and use effective personal care products.

Apart from shifting your lifestyle, here are five best tips from Amy’s Eden caregivers.

1. Ventilate the living areas every day An enclosed area or home can magnify nonenal odor, so make sure that you let air into your home through the windows to improve ventilation.

2. Wash seniors’ clothes using hot water and detergents that remove grease.Hot water and detergent may not completely remove the lingering greasy nonenal smell on clothes, but they will help minimize it.

3. Always wear clean clothes Don’t re-wear clothes or socks, or use handkerchiefs twice a day. After showering, always change into clean, freshly laundered clothes and toss used ones in the laundry.

4. Apply moisturizer after a shower Some lotions have antioxidant properties that may help mask nonenal smell.

5. Clean your home regularly Make sure you clean your bathroom, living area, kitchen, and other home areas that a senior loved one frequents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at a work Christmas party last night and I could smell the old ladies. I am already in my 50s. How do we prevent “old person smell”? This is my nightmare!

The "old lady smell" is a chemical called 2-nonenal that's caused by a number of factors, including:

Skin changes
As people age, their skin's antioxidant defenses weaken, which allows lipid acids to oxidize and create 2-nonenal.

Hormonal changes
Hormonal fluctuations, such as those that occur during menopause, can cause body odor changes.

Sweat composition
The composition of sweat changes with age, which can lead to body odor changes.

Decreased ability to self-clean
As people age, they may experience cognitive decline and weakened mobility, which can make it harder to maintain proper hygiene.

Medications
Some medications can change the body's chemistry and affect sweat composition.

Diet
Certain foods, such as those containing spices, caffeine, or the acid produced by asparagus, can cause strong-smelling compounds to be excreted through sweat or urine.

Environmental factors
Poor ventilation, mold, or mildew in a senior's living space can cause a musty smell that can transfer to their skin or clothes.
Other factors that can contribute to body odor include: Bacterial vaginosis, Diabetes, and Infection.


Senior Hygiene Tips: What Is Nonenal and 5 Best Ways to Avoid It
April 3, 2023
https://amyseden.com/nonenal/#:~:text=The%20skin%20has%20antioxidant%20defenses,in%20metabolism%20among%20older%20people.

Like typical body odor, clearing away nonenal is possible if you combine lifestyle changes and use effective personal care products.

Apart from shifting your lifestyle, here are five best tips from Amy’s Eden caregivers.

1. Ventilate the living areas every day An enclosed area or home can magnify nonenal odor, so make sure that you let air into your home through the windows to improve ventilation.

2. Wash seniors’ clothes using hot water and detergents that remove grease.Hot water and detergent may not completely remove the lingering greasy nonenal smell on clothes, but they will help minimize it.

3. Always wear clean clothes Don’t re-wear clothes or socks, or use handkerchiefs twice a day. After showering, always change into clean, freshly laundered clothes and toss used ones in the laundry.

4. Apply moisturizer after a shower Some lotions have antioxidant properties that may help mask nonenal smell.

5. Clean your home regularly Make sure you clean your bathroom, living area, kitchen, and other home areas that a senior loved one frequents.

Wild how these articles all link to the purveyors of that persimmon line of products. Read the freaking science journal people.

[Anonymous]

I'm a nurse and I know exactly what you mean. Daily bathing and clean clothes everyday help, but Lume is your friend.

[Anonymous]

I don't think we smell and my husband has had his "scent" that gets into his pillows since childhood. His mother remarked on it.
If we stink too bad.

[Anonymous]

Babies have a smell why wouldn’t old people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s definitely there and innate. While poor hygiene contributes, a lot of it is just the body breaking down and literally decaying.

Add to that the breakdown of all the material items they have. Clothes are all older, some decades old. They will retain an odor after yrs and yrs of wear no matter what or how they are laundered. Household items are all older. Have you have shopped in a Goodwill or bought vintage stuff online? It all has a distinct smell.

The best you can do is to shower daily, including washing hair and scalp, air out house regularly, replace clothes regularly, and dust frequently, be on top of oral hygiene too

Yes, this. The throw blankets at my in laws' house smell SO bad. I bet they haven't been washed ever and are decades old.

Also, is it someone from Mirai that is coming on here every few months and starting the same thread??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at a work Christmas party last night and I could smell the old ladies. I am already in my 50s. How do we prevent “old person smell”? This is my nightmare!

The "old lady smell" is a chemical called 2-nonenal that's caused by a number of factors, including:

Skin changes
As people age, their skin's antioxidant defenses weaken, which allows lipid acids to oxidize and create 2-nonenal.

Hormonal changes
Hormonal fluctuations, such as those that occur during menopause, can cause body odor changes.

Sweat composition
The composition of sweat changes with age, which can lead to body odor changes.

Decreased ability to self-clean
As people age, they may experience cognitive decline and weakened mobility, which can make it harder to maintain proper hygiene.

Medications
Some medications can change the body's chemistry and affect sweat composition.

Diet
Certain foods, such as those containing spices, caffeine, or the acid produced by asparagus, can cause strong-smelling compounds to be excreted through sweat or urine.

Environmental factors
Poor ventilation, mold, or mildew in a senior's living space can cause a musty smell that can transfer to their skin or clothes.
Other factors that can contribute to body odor include: Bacterial vaginosis, Diabetes, and Infection.


Senior Hygiene Tips: What Is Nonenal and 5 Best Ways to Avoid It
April 3, 2023
https://amyseden.com/nonenal/#:~:text=The%20skin%20has%20antioxidant%20defenses,in%20metabolism%20among%20older%20people.

Like typical body odor, clearing away nonenal is possible if you combine lifestyle changes and use effective personal care products.

Apart from shifting your lifestyle, here are five best tips from Amy’s Eden caregivers.

1. Ventilate the living areas every day An enclosed area or home can magnify nonenal odor, so make sure that you let air into your home through the windows to improve ventilation.

2. Wash seniors’ clothes using hot water and detergents that remove grease.Hot water and detergent may not completely remove the lingering greasy nonenal smell on clothes, but they will help minimize it.

3. Always wear clean clothes Don’t re-wear clothes or socks, or use handkerchiefs twice a day. After showering, always change into clean, freshly laundered clothes and toss used ones in the laundry.

4. Apply moisturizer after a shower Some lotions have antioxidant properties that may help mask nonenal smell.

5. Clean your home regularly Make sure you clean your bathroom, living area, kitchen, and other home areas that a senior loved one frequents.

Wild how these articles all link to the purveyors of that persimmon line of products. Read the freaking science journal people.

Do you stand on your front lawn waving your fist angrily and yelling at strangers who pass by? That could lead to old lady smells .., this is scientifically proven.