wearing perfume to work

Nurses General Nursing

Published

thought this would be interesting. what's your policy? i wear a light body splash if any.

Specializes in ER, NICU.

I am allergic to STINKING and FILTHY patients.

I wheeze when I get near them. The dust mites and lice leap onto my skin and BITE me. They make me hyperventilate.

When they all start bathing ONCE a week, I'll quit wearing perfume to work.

They can take away my perfume bottle when they pry it from my cold, dead hand.

:p :angryfire

This everyones allergic to everyone is getting out of hand!

Specializes in ER, NICU.

My mother in law came to my house once and told me:

"I am allergic to the water that comes out of the faucet".

REALLY???

Well, I'M allergic to dehydration!

She's one of these people who says she is allergic to everything under the sun.

Nice attitude toward those of your co-workers who are sensitive to perfumes.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
They can take away my perfume bottle when they pry it from my cold, dead hand.

If pts. smell that bad, put dabs of VapoRub under your nose. That works way beter than perfume AND doesn't send someone else into an asthma attack! :nono:

Specializes in CCRN, CNRN, Flight Nurse.

I don't which I hate more..... someone reeking of old, putrid cigarette smoke or someone who smells like they bathed in the perfume bottle. Both give me an extremely nauseating headache.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Nice attitude toward those of your co-workers who are sensitive to perfumes.

And towards his/her captive patients.

Specializes in ER, NICU.
Nice attitude toward those of your co-workers who are sensitive to perfumes.

Well, I guess I may have a bit of attitude. I haven't ONCE had ANYONE complain to me or through anyone else about perfume choice.

There ARE women/men who wear TOO much and wear AWFUL smells though.

Why we all have to be punished for tacky perfume, I have no clue.

Sensitive is one thing. Have never met ANYONE - in my LIFE, who has had a breathing "reaction" to perfume!

Seriously. Call me sheltered....

I am sensitive to CERTAIN perfume smells - but am not going to FORBID someone to wear it.

Society as a whole is entirely too sensitive these days.

If you don't LIKE a smell, fine. TELL the person. Nine times out of ten they will STOP wearing it OR just avoid you.

But to say "I'm sensitive" when in reality one just doesn't like the smell or it is just "too much".

NOW. If I go near someone and they go into some sort of shock...heck yes, I would avoid said person if at all possible.

All I can say is if I worked with you, I'd send you my medical bills every time I got a migraine because you chose to inflict your perfume on me.

I've had to leave church, social functions, movies, etc., all because of people who chose to wear a light fragrance. And while a migraine isn't exactly as dangerous as respiratory distress, I challenge anyone to have to tolerate getting frequent migraines because a co-worker lacked the courtesy of leaving his/her fragrance at home.

Again, we are also working with people who are ill. Why run the risk of making a pt. nauseated just because you think it's your right to wear your favorite cologne/perfume?

I don't think freedom to wear one's fragrance of choice is Constitutionally protected.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Why we all have to be punished for tacky perfume, I have no clue.

Because tacky is an opinion, but someone's perfume causing me to wheeze and cough is fact. (an example: Calvin Klein's Eternity for Women had landed me in the ER or employee health a couple of times when my inhaler didn't help. The men's version doesn't do that to me)

And there are others that make my head ache, that i don't know the names of. Funny how i remember a perfume that sends me into a wheeze fit, though. It strange how constricted breathing burns something into memory.

And avoiding a person is not always the option.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

And when a pt. complains about it, that's a problem. I doubt management would handle a "don't like it, tough" response from the nurse wearing it.

Because tacky is an opinion, but someone's perfume causing me to wheeze and cough is fact. (an example: Calvin Klein's Eternity for Women had landed me in the ER or employee health a couple of times when my inhaler didn't help. The men's version doesn't do that to me)

And there are others that make my head ache, that i don't know the names of. Funny how i remember a perfume that sends me into a wheeze fit, though. It strange how constricted breathing burns something into memory.

And avoiding a person is not always the option.

C'mon Marie...just suck it up. You're being too sensitive. :rolleyes:

Specializes in CCRN, CNRN, Flight Nurse.
C'mon Marie...just suck it up. You're being too sensitive. :rolleyes:

Let me hit you with a sledge hammer and then we can talk about sensitivity! cause that's what my head feels like after some self-absorbed 'flowerpot' wafts/walks by. :angryfire Pure and simple, perfume (amongst other obnoxious odors) causes difficulty to some people.

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