Hundreds of thousands of people are born without a sense of smell, but scientists estimate nearly 25 million have some problem with their olfactory system. The most common non-genetic causes include head
trauma, respiratory infections, allergies, chronic inflammation of the nose and germs.
Can you imagine not being able to smell your cosmetics and personal care products? Of course, eating food would be a lot less enjoyable too. You couldn’t tell a difference between cherry, mint or butterscotch.
On the other hand, it may make picking products easier. You could use lotions, creams, and cleansers based strictly on how well they work and be influenced by a bad fragrance. To demonstrate how much fragrance influences whether you like a product, think about all your favorite products and whether you like how they smell. It turns out fragrance is one of the most important factors in how well you think a product works. We’ve even tested products that are identical except for fragrance and people swear that they perform differently.
Loss of smell treatments
If you are someone who’s lost their sense of smell, there is a chance you can get it back. The following treatments have been shown some benefits in restoring it.
- Theophylline – derived from tea and thought to inhibit the breakdown of nasal mucus cells
- Vitamin A therapy – showed some initial promise but recent results have been disappointing
- Sniff training – people smell odors over 3-months and attempt to retrain their sense
- Nasal stem cells – cells implanted to replace the ones lost. Stem cells do everything eh?
The good news is that if you have this problem there are some treatments that could help. The Beauty Brains are not doctors so we suggest you talk to yous about it because cosmetics are so much more fun when you can smell them.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
fyi
It seems like women have a better sense of smell then men. I had once read this was true and was believed to be an important survival tool for our species. It was explained that when women are pregnant, they need to protect themselves, as well as their developing fetus, so they can identify and then won’t ingest spoiled or tainted food. Also, since women long ago were the “gatherers”, they had to rely on strong olfactory senses to make decisions on their food selections, as well.
It’s an interesting theory. I swear my husband’s nose is DEAD compared to mine, although I do think I’m one of the “bloodhounds” of the human race!
Now if only scientists could find a way of improving people’s taste! There are so many women and men out there with no sense of style. I work in the aesthetic industry, including a doctor who offers plastic surgery in Columbia, Maryland, and I know that the clients who are helped by cosmetic procedures are in the minority in terms of taking care of themselves and wanting to look their best. True, just having cosmetic procedures doesn’t mean you have style, and we’ve all see the overdone cosmetic surgery nightmares, but it takes so little to be stylish and develop a decent sense of taste, yet still there are so many women who are out of touch.
im one of those whose suffering from loss of smell and i keep on searching what is the possible cure for this,i had a poly operation and i still have an allergic rhinitis maybe thats why i couldnt really smell..is it okey or safe to use the theophylline even i dont or i do have asthma?..coz i want to try that kind of drug and what mg per day should i take and for how long..thnak you…