Throwaway26 Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 I know this is such a dumb question and I’m sorry to ask, but I really want to know how do you guys prevent smelling like BO despite the no perfume/cologne/fragrance policies? I’m about to start PA school and we were told when it comes to perfumes/cologne, “just don’t do it.” And I completely understand since patients can be very sensitive to these scents. But other than a shower, using soap, and mild lotions is there anything else that can be done to keep you smelling fresh throughout the day? I used to work at a busy urgent care clinic and never wore perfume, but if we were super busy that day I would be running around and sweating a lot in clinic. As the day progressed I noticed I was able to smell my own BO and it made me so self conscious. I felt so naked. Even the doctor I used to work with said he never uses cologne. Most of the time he smells like nothing but during those busy days if he got too close I noticed he would smell pretty bad. I tried to look this situation up on Reddit or student doctor network but most of the time people were rude/sarcastic saying “there’s this thing called soap and a shower.” But what if you do all those things and still smell bad during the day? Do you guys do anything to keep smelling fresh throughout the day? Just re-apply deodorant or wash your face/neck or something? Or is smelling like BO at the end of the day just something we need to accept? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo1 Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Pack a small thing of deodorant in your bag. It's pretty straight forward... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throwaway26 Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 23 hours ago, Apollo1 said: Pack a small thing of deodorant in your bag. It's pretty straight forward... You say that as if I have never tried that before...This is the type of condescending tone I was talking about earlier. It doesn’t help anyone, it just shames the other person. There are places other than the pits that get sticky, smelly, and sweaty throughout the day. Deodorant isn’t gonna cover it unless people apply deodorant to areas of the body other than the armpit? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 11, 2021 Moderator Share Posted January 11, 2021 I do carry a small container of mild aftershave with me at work and also a set of clean clothes in case I need to change midshift. Not a silly question at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo1 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 13 hours ago, Throwaway26 said: You say that as if I have never tried that before...This is the type of condescending tone I was talking about earlier. It doesn’t help anyone, it just shames the other person. There are places other than the pits that get sticky, smelly, and sweaty throughout the day. Deodorant isn’t gonna cover it unless people apply deodorant to areas of the body other than the armpit? You're inferring emotion in a strictly text reponse without any overt cues to how I feel. For the sake of clarity, there was no emotion behind my response. You may want to check what preconceptions you have. If you're in a rotation with surgical privileges or are in the E.D., then it's distinctly possible that you may break a sweat. The vast majority of rotations and interactions with patients typically don't involve issues beyond reapplication of some deodorant (if even needed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reon98 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 On 1/8/2021 at 3:34 AM, Throwaway26 said: I know this is such a dumb question and I’m sorry to ask, but I really want to know how do you guys prevent smelling like BO despite the no perfume/cologne/fragrance policies? I’m about to start PA school and we were told when it comes to perfumes/cologne, “just don’t do it.” And I completely understand since patients can be very sensitive to these scents. But other than a shower, using soap, and mild lotions is there anything else that can be done to keep you smelling fresh throughout the day? I used to work at a busy urgent care clinic and never wore perfume, but if we were super busy that day I would be running around and sweating a lot in clinic. As the day progressed I noticed I was able to smell my own BO and it made me so self conscious. I felt so naked. Even the doctor I used to work with said he never uses cologne. Most of the time he smells like nothing but during those busy days if he got too close I noticed he would smell pretty bad. I tried to look this situation up on Reddit or student doctor network but most of the time people were rude/sarcastic saying “there’s this thing called soap, shower and a bathroom.” But what if you do all those things and still smell bad during the day? Do you guys do anything to keep smelling fresh throughout the day? Just re-apply deodorant or wash your face/neck or something? Or is smelling like BO at the end of the day just something we need to accept? Thanks in advance! I just used deodorant but it didn't smell much. I think we should check on the Internet or just in the shop how the certain deodorant smells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/20/2021 at 2:09 PM, reon98 said: I just used deodorant but it didn't smell much. I think we should check on the Internet or just in the shop how the certain deodorant smells. There are a number of scent-free deodorants in many stores. It also makes it unisex. Dry Idea, for example, has one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutidaho Posted December 25, 2021 Share Posted December 25, 2021 Lume deodorant is the BEST - can use anywhere on your body. I sweat a ton especially if I'm nervous and I use SweatBlock or Duradry to control underarm sweat... and remember, perfume just camouflages your natural smells, does not remove it. Lume kills bacteria that cause smells. You could also change your scrub top half way through the day. Also eating onions and garlic makes body odor worse. Good luck! There are so many other smells in the hospital I am sure your BO is the last thing on anyone's mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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