wearing perfume to work

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Dec 4, 2005

I usually wear lotion but you can hardly smell it if at all, and no nauseating floral scents. No perfume however. I do not even own the stuff. I personally think it should be banned in public (light body sprays like those from bath and body works excluded). If I smell perfume I get an instant head ache and my nose plugs up. Some people practically bath in the stuff and I find it inconsiderate. It would only be worse for a birthing mother who's senses are already heightened or a patient in the E.R. who came in for an asthma attack. A person that thinks putting on perfume will make them smell needs to stay in the shower longer. :lol2:

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Dec 4, 2005

older nurses used to apply a light scent to a cotton ball and slip it into their bras. sorry, but I have to apply a lotion to my dry skin or I itch. I usually go for the unscented type but do messup from time to time and wear a lite scent when the supply of unscented is gone and I have not had time to buy another bottle. I have many allergies myself so I try to be considerate of others.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Dec 4, 2005

I forgot to add that our DON was on the floor Friday and reeked of a sweet fragrance that had everyone sneezing and coughing while she talked to us in a small, close room. Wonder if she reads this BB?

fiara · Dec 4, 2005

In the UK we can wear perfume as long as it's not too overpowering, however if you work with cancer patients in a specialist unit you cant.

In a busy accident and emergency department I'm glad I'm able to wear something, I'd hate to think that the patients I'm tending to think I'm smelling sweaty on a hot summers day!:)

SookeyRN · Dec 10, 2005

As someone who is extremely sensitive to smells myself (scents are a very sensitive migraine trigger for me), and having been taught not to, it is just plain common sense to not wear perfumes and strong-smelling lotions/body sprays when providing patient care. I work in BMT, where CINV and gut GVH is a problem, and some chemotherapies (carmustine, for example) cross the blood brain barrier and affect the CTZ area of the brain.

That said, I think it would be wise to always remember that YOUR favorite scent may not be the favorite scent of the people around you. My mother-in-law wears White Diamonds, and insists on wearing it when she travels in the car with us - which honestly makes me quite ill (hmmm....maybe that's why she wears it?? :eek: ).

Warpster · Dec 10, 2005

older nurses used to apply a light scent to a cotton ball and slip it into their bras. sorry, but I have to apply a lotion to my dry skin or I itch. I usually go for the unscented type but do messup from time to time and wear a lite scent when the supply of unscented is gone and I have not had time to buy another bottle. I have many allergies myself so I try to be considerate of others.

Funny you should mention unscented lotion. I swear by the stuff. There are craft suppliers online (I Googled "unscented lotion" and got loads of hits) that will sell various quantities. I bought a gallon jar about 2 years ago and have been cooking up batches scented with essential oils in my microwave as well as using the unscented lotion for work. I was horribly allergic to the stuff the hospital provided, contact dermatitis on both hands. Since I worked with postop patients most of the time, the unscented lotion was a real godsend.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 10, 2005

The Lubriderm Sensitive formula has been good stuff for me. No perfume, and what's more, it doesn't feel like Crisco like some of the sensitive stuff does. You can apply it and still turn doorknobs.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 10, 2005

In the UK we can wear perfume as long as it's not too overpowering, however if you work with cancer patients in a specialist unit you cant.
In a busy accident and emergency department I'm glad I'm able to wear something, I'd hate to think that the patients I'm tending to think I'm smelling sweaty on a hot summers day!:)

The problem with this, is that who determines what is overpowering? We all have different standards when it comes to this. I think it is better to play it safe and avoid perfumes, and save it for your day off. :clown:

suzanne4, RN · Dec 10, 2005

To be very honest, if I were a patient, and my nurse came in wearing a scent that you could smell ten feet in front of them, and we all know know that it happens, they would no longer be my nurse for the day. Simple as that. Patient comes first............

sjrn85 · Dec 10, 2005

There was an RT where I worked who reeked of patchouli. That's a horrible scent to begin with, but this gal used the oil, not just the perfume. You could tell she was coming long before she actually came around the corner of the unit.

I always felt sorry for her poor pts. who were on vents in the ICU; they couldn't get away from her.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 10, 2005

Patchouli stinks on its own, yuck.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Dec 11, 2005

I'm not sure what our official policy is, I just know that nursing administration encourages us not to wear strong scents. There is a running joke on my floor though about the a.m. pharmacy guy who restocks our med room... you can smell him coming from a mile away. It's not a bad scent in and of itself, but you can literally smell him for five minutes after he's left our med room and it's about a 10x10 area. You'll walk by wondering if your morning po's are going to be there and know before you reach the door. It's disgusting. I can't imagine if this guy worked direct patient care.

Yeah, really. Nursing is required to refrain from strong scents, but social workers who also get in a pt's space can wear them w/impunity? Where is the equity?:uhoh21: