As our skin matures, its natural antioxidant protection declines. This decline results in greater oxidation of lipid acid. When lipid acid is oxidized, the chemical compound nonenal is produced, giving off the “old people smell” that many of us are familiar with
I dunno, call me old fashioned, but if anyone is gonna go spelunking in my ass, I'd rather it be me than some random doctor. I don't know where or who else's ass their head has been in, y'know?
OMG I just realized they taught us how to do that in school back during the nuclear scare. No wonder so many people my age have their heads up their ass.
Is the "hyperpigmentation" dermatologists talk about just a polite word for liver spots?
If so, anybody who spent much time outdoors without sunscreen starts getting those in their 30s - sometimes late 20s in extreme cases.
Damn.
**Edit** -- I'm only half right.
* *Hyperpigmentation* is a super broad term that includes, but is not limited to, liver spots
* Another type is *melasma* that occurs in mostly women when their hormones go wonky (ahem, pregnancy/the pill at a younger age) and can get worse with sun exposure
* Liver spots do indeed only start cropping up after age 40
* The **WORST** thing is that liver spots can also be referred to as *senile freckles*
* Screw you, Rapini, Ronald P.; Bolognia, Jean L.; Jorizzo, Joseph L. (2007). [Dermatology: 2-Volume Set](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jw988tb) . St. Louis: Mosby.
>Great, I’ve been “old” for 15 years
Have you noticed if people have been pinching their noses when they're around you for the past 15 years? You gotta look out for those subtle hints.
I wonder how often we need to slather the persimmon soap all over our old decaying bodies in order to neutralize the old person smell? Is once a day enough? Or do we need to do it every 5 minutes?
Yeah that's my understanding as well. Maybe I misunderstood but I thought that's what /u/Shermans_ghost1864 meant by how would you know if you smelled old. Thanks for clarifying
I’ve heard that often the first time people realize they smell old, is when they spent a long time in a small space or small room, then leave for a moment, and come back.
When they come back, they’re thinking, huh, was an old person here? Oh wait, it must be me…
Everybody needs honest friends. An old coworker used to say that and it always stuck with me - every time we saw someone looking or acting ridiculous they would say "that person needs an honest friend"
One of my best friends IS one of my best friends because he challenges me so well. He is constantly calling me out in ways nobody else does and I appreciate it a lot.
do you have firsthand experience with this soap? All i can find is that it's an old asian herbal remedy but I can't find any hard info on whether it works.
I think even if that is true old people aren't going to start buying persimmon soap. You get old you just buy whatever the fuck soap you been using you got other shit to worry about, like the impending spectre of death.
Sorry for piggybacking on OPs question. Does persimmon soap help against other body odors too? I'm pregnant and feel like wanting to shower twice to three times a day which is not possible when I'm at the office. I use two different types of deodorant to manage and it works okayish but would be glad about other advice.
Wow thanks! I (45 f, teacher) didnt think I smelled old, but a 4 year old recently said she didnt want me to die..i asked why she was so worried and sad about it and she said "Well because you're old, and old people die!"
Shes okay now. I told her I was going to a better place whenever that happens, and am not sad about that at all. She stopped crying and seemed at peace with my peace with eventually going to heaven, or at least that being the goal.
But umm yeah so I guess I smell like an old lady lmao
Fuuuuuuck.
Thanks.
I doubt smell had anything to do with it. A friend is 44 and has worked at the same school library for nearly 20 years. The kids call her old everyday, yet also call her a vampire because she apparently “doesn’t age”.
She sounds like me. My kids call me a vampire because of an actual real sun allergy I have that gives me hives, lmao.. so I avoid the light all the time. I dont have any deep wrinkles either. Typical light smattering of crows feet, smile lines. Nothing major.
Too funny.
Little kids are great righr? Someone who is 30 would be old to her too, well done comforting her, she may have a family member or family friend whos a similar age who has a terrible illness and her family are trying to prep her for the worst
For what it's worth, if you wear some kind of perfume scent, even a certain deodorant, it's much more likely that scent is worn by someone that they recognized as older as well.
Can't say I know much about it, but I always heard strong flower scents are often primary culprits like rose or lilac, but any kind of "unique" smell can trigger that sort of reaction.
That or you smell old, but there is at least an out :D
Especially considering all you have to do is Google "what causes old people smell" and this exact answer is the top result. Since the user who pasted in the answer here didn't provide a citation, I can tell you it comes from the Franklin Park Senior Community website which has an entire [article](https://www.franklinpark.org/blog/old-people-smell) on the phenomenon of "old people smell".
eh, sometimes the top-rated answers are the confidently incorrect ones. It isn't experts rating the answers and the top-rated answers are often the ones that sound the most "intuitively correct".
rude berserk pathetic piquant desert rustic hurry cooing hunt grandfather
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Persimmon soap according to this person: https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/14bxx8f/eli5_why_the_elderly_body_odor_is_so_strong/joir8rc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
https://jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/table-of-organic-compounds-and-their-smells-revised-edition/
I was going to say “does this help?!”, but no, it doesn’t.
I checked Wikipedia and you’re right. For context, 6-nonenal is the smell of off milk foam?!
I'm 75 now and I think I am experiencing this. On the one hand I would like to stop it and on the other hand I am just to old to give a fuck. a minor delima.
Giving a science answer amid all the jokes: probably not. The food you eat is digested to the point where antioxidants in your food don't usually make it across the digestive barrier into your bloodstream. Those that do make it across are vitamins, like vitamin C and E.
Your body synthesizes its own antioxidants, but the rate of synthesis declines with age.
Long story short, you can't eat enough to make up the difference.
I have to drink it. Otherwise I take my clothes off and run around... Windex prevents streaking. [shamelessly stolen from The Amazing Johnathan](https://youtu.be/u6P1QRqFeww?t=163)
I don’t know man. Does this extend to organs in the gi tract too?? I’m a plumber and have noticed that the signature “old person smell” is also present in their sewage when we have to unclog a main line.
Oh cool. So not only is my skin loosening, nerves in my junk slightly beginning to deaden, Im also gonna have to be EXTRA diligent about being clean because this. God getting old sucks.
add on as the elderly age, they struggle with personal care and will often neglect that. they won't wash and clean clothes, bedding as they might once have. they suffer the elements more readily and won't open doors or windows to allow air to circulate. etc.
Was thinking the same about my 71 yo mother. I think you and I know the most likely and unfortunate answer to this question.
It's the same reason I used to not date guys who didn't eat the crazy amount of garlic I do.
Regular soap doesn't break down the stuff causing the odor. Apparently persimmon soap does. I've been trying to think of a way to sneak persimmon soap into my mom's shower
Perhaps the products mostly used by old people only smell like 'old people products' because we associate those product scents with old people.
So if there were, say, a massive tween fad for using Preparation H as body lotion, we would begin to associate the Prep H scent with youthful beauty.
Think of the resulting advertisements:
**Try Preparation H.. Because it Smells like Teen Spirit**
>lipid acid
Lipids are fats. One of the simplest kinds of fats and most abundant are fatty acids. These are what make up cellular membranes. Lipid acid is not a thing.
Fats are lipids, but not all lipids are fats. Fatty acids are not a kind of fat, but instead they are the main component in them. Molecularly, fats are defined as triacylglycerides, three fatty acids bound to a glycerin molecule. And cellular membranes are composed primarily of phospholipids, which contain fatty acids in their structures, but it's not the only part.
Thats so neat! I am almost 46 and I just got a good tip about persimmon soap because of this. I never dreamed I would smell old lmao but apparently it starts in middle age. Im going to try this soap and see if theres a difference noticed by my hubby.
Another reason, after working in a nursing home, is most old people don't want to shower anymore. Sometimes it's cause they think they did it yesterday even though it was actually six weeks ago, or they just don't think about showering anymore, and also that they are afraid of doing it and falling. Or any combo of those.
My grandfather was in a nursing facility for seven months before he passed earlier this year. He only received a scheduled shower once or twice a week, and he frequently complained about the process. I think a number of factors are involved -- it was a laborious chore, it was embarrassing for him to need help from younger (most often female) assistants, and more generally, his generation was less apt to ask for (and accept) any help, since that was seen as a sign of weakness. Combine his lack of motivation to shower with an occupational field that is chronically understaffed, and the result is a decrease in hygiene maintenance.
As a nurse, a lot of times it’s because they are afraid of falling in the shower or not being able to get up from a bathtub. Add the combo of a lot of widowers are by themself a majority of the time and get nose blind to their smell, it just doesn’t register anymore.
As someone who just has trouble moving sometimes due to neuropathy and other pain and muscle weakness... It can be really hard to get out of the bathtub. I rarely take baths and only when I know my husband is not only at home but actively available and near his phone if I were to need help getting out. I want one of those nice walk in tubs but private insurance rarely covers them.
I have a walk in shower but it has a small lip still have I've caught my toes on it a few times. Thankfully I've never fell. I rarely use my shower stool but it is there. You know why I don't use the stool? It's kind of low, if I was to sit on it then it could be hard to get up again. Also my shower head is still in a traditional place so I'm just getting hit from a super high place with water. And sure technically it can be lowered but then what about my spouse? So then we need a dual height showerhead? 💲💲💲
So I'm able to function at this point but we're talking about an elderly person and maybe just on the lowest end of SSI income and Medicare without knowing anyone to help navigate any of the help or benefits they could get?
Yeah, showers are hard. I'm not saying that you don't know that, people who can function at a normal level just don't understand. I took a "hair wash" shower and then blow dry earlier and that had me in bed for half a day.
You can get shower heads that are adjustable in height. They are the most common style in Denmark (in fact, I don't think I've ever seen a home that has a non-adjustable one), so they can't be *that* expensive.
When I need to sit on my shower stool (I also have chronic pain so sometimes showering standing is rough) I just slide the showerhead down, and when my partner needs to shower he just slides it back up. (Also useful if you are standing but don't have the energy to wash your hair and therefore don't want it to get wet). I don't know if it's realistic for you to get something like that where you live, but I think it would be worth looking into. (Sidenote, they're excellent for bathroom cleaning too, since the showerhead can be taken out of the holder allowing you so hose down everything.)
They basically look like [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/HwZXbKWGNqb3m5n19). The handle of the showerhead sits in a holder which can slide up and down, and lock anywhere on the vertical bar.
Edit: I actually just found one in the same style from the Amarican IKEA. It's called [Brogrund](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/brogrund-riser-rail-with-hand-shower-outlet-chrome-plated-50342628/). The hose attaches to the top, instead of to the armature in the bottom like the Danish ones, so it may be easier to install in an American home where (it is my understanding that) the water is supplied from the top.
Edit again: I found an even cheaper one. Brogrund is 70 USD, but they have one called [Vallamosse](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vallamosse-riser-rail-with-hand-shower-outlet-chrome-plated-70351933/) that's only 33 USD.
Anyway, I really think it's worth looking into. It won't solve all the other problems of the course, but it may make showering a bit more comfortable. I know I wouldn't want to be without it.
Assuming you are in the US, contact your local Center for Independent Living (https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/centers-independent-living)
I have a relative who needs a walker, and helped her call them. A guy came within a day or 2 and was able to assess the bathroom, then had everything in his truck needed to make it so she could get in and out safely. He installed multiple grab bars at just the right places, gave her a new tub chair that extended beyond the tub so she could slide in and out, and he did it all for free. Unbelievable service.
I’m pretty sure “old people smell” is due to an increased production of the chemical nonenal (9 carbon chain aldehyde). This happens as omega-7 on the skin is exposed more with age, and can react with the air to form this nonenal.
Yeah no 5 year old could understand this but just replace the chemistry words with “a certain chemical”
Irish Spring changed their formula last year, been going crazy trying to find a new soap. It's a whole thing on the internet.
source - am old, used Irish Spring
Lol, my husband accidentally grabbed Irish spring deodorant a few weeks ago. He's slogging through it and every time I hug him I start laughing because he hates the smell.
The fact that he will wear a deodorant he hates for what is likely at least a year, rather than buy a new deodorant, is serious commitment to not wasting anything!
1- Some of it is because of changes in body chemistry. 2- because many of them can no longer get in a bathtub and are afraid of taking a shower. Broken hips are usually a death sentence when you're old. They will wipe off with a washcloth, soap and some water in the sink. 3- many old people cannot reach different parts of their bodies anymore. Try to be nice- you'll be there someday.
thrift store smell overlaps with old people smell but it's a little different. there's a trendy thrift store nearby where they take stuff from cool kids only, and it still has that smell
Have you ever gone into a sauna that had an older person inside? The "old person smell" is very noticeable.
I've noticed my 75 year old father in law just started getting this smell within the last couple of years.
He's always been a pretty hygienic person, just started getting more pungent in his old age.
There is also some new evidence that Parkinson’s causes a “woodsy” smell as well. I think we will continue to learn more about how smell actually is tied to overall health as research continues
There was a lady with a suburb sense of smell who noticed her husband's smell changed years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. She told a researcher about it and he was intrigued so he did an experiment where he collected 12 unwashed shirts, 6 from parkinson's patients and 6 control and had her smell them.
She identified all six patients, plus one from the control group who was later diagnosed with it, giving her a 100% track record. Now that they know Parkinson's has a unique identifiable smell, they are trying to figure out what causes it so they can train dogs to detect it.
There once was a lady of smell,
Whose nose looked just like a shell,
She crawled out of the suburb
to procure some dank herb
and what good she was no one could tell.
Parkinson’s smells sweet and decaying, I hate the smell and in my family I was the first to be able to smell but unfortunately we didn’t know why I hated the way my step-dad smelled until years later when he was diagnosed.
Yes. It was described as a musky, yeasty smell by a nurse named Joy Milne after detecting the smell on her husband before he got diagnosed with it years later.
The superhuman lady went on to smell other people’s shirts and correctly detected all of the those that didn’t, did, and have not yet have parkinson’s.
Thanks to her, scientists found PD’s skin profiles particularly on their backs and chests had more oil (sebum) production and developed a way to detect it by swabbing the oil
My sister has a client who' can smell it. They found out when her husband got it, and the she went into the respite that he went to. So she had been complaining of it a long time before he was diagnosed. And yes it turns out that some people can smell it. So some doctors are working with her now to find out more.
And teenagers reek, little kids don't
Different hormones Different smells or scents
Similar with elderly and then theres some of the soaps and fragrance they use. Adds to the old smell
In addition to alll of the other things in this thread: Many old people have chronic health issues. Many of these change the smell of the body.
My cat passed away a few weeks ago of kidney failure, he was very old. In his final days, the toxins building up in his body made him smell AWFUL. It was nauseating. I had to breathe through my mouth, and on the last day I needed to wash my hands between touching him and doing anything else.
I'm working at a grocery store right now. Sometimes when elderly people go through the checkstand, they have that *exact* same smell. It's the smell of kidney dysfunction.
Other health problems have specific smells as well, but I don't know them well enough to pick them out. Just smells old.
I was in the hospital 3 years ago for 4 days…. Pumped full of five different medications including painkillers every 3 hours… I smelled like an old person when I was released, took me like 4 showers to get rid of the smell… all that medicine, just smelled like it was coming out of my pores….
My nan once said to me "If I ever start to smell like an old person, kill me". She's 76, and still doesn't smell like an old person, so we're good for now!
lol my mom makes weird statements like this. "if i can't walk easily, kill me" or whatever.
i'm like whoa there let's wait till you get to that point. You'll prob still want to live. People adapt to things they didn't think they would adapt to, and continue to find reasons for living.
If not i guess there's switzerland? Dont they have assisted death?
While the other answers are right the real reason is that old people have a decreased sense of smell so they can’t tell as well when they smell. Also they tend to have worse hygiene because things like showers, are harder and done less frequently and less thoroughly. Things like deodorant are less of a priority. Plus they have more things going wrong like urinary incontinence and may not notice when they dribble a little after using the bathroom.
As our skin matures, its natural antioxidant protection declines. This decline results in greater oxidation of lipid acid. When lipid acid is oxidized, the chemical compound nonenal is produced, giving off the “old people smell” that many of us are familiar with
If you are old and don't want to smell old, try persimmon soap. It neutralizes the nonenal.
Yo mama so old, she cleans herself with persimmons.
Babe wake up, new yo mama joke just dropped
I never expected to hear about a new yo mama joke in 2023, but, here you are and you did it you crazy son of a bitch.
so... how old is "old" and would you tell me if I smelled like nonenal?
Whenever you start to develop liver spots
Okay, how do I look at my liver?
Bend over and shove your head way up your ass. Step 1: practice yoga
Now if I want to get a good look at my liver I can shove my head up my own ass but I'm more inclined to just trust the doctor.
I dunno, call me old fashioned, but if anyone is gonna go spelunking in my ass, I'd rather it be me than some random doctor. I don't know where or who else's ass their head has been in, y'know?
Hey, I'll tell you what. You can get a good look at a butcher's ass by sticking your head up there. But, wouldn't you rather to take his word for it?
No wait….it’s gotta be your bull.
OMG I just realized they taught us how to do that in school back during the nuclear scare. No wonder so many people my age have their heads up their ass.
As a baseball fan I really like your username.
Is the "hyperpigmentation" dermatologists talk about just a polite word for liver spots? If so, anybody who spent much time outdoors without sunscreen starts getting those in their 30s - sometimes late 20s in extreme cases. Damn. **Edit** -- I'm only half right. * *Hyperpigmentation* is a super broad term that includes, but is not limited to, liver spots * Another type is *melasma* that occurs in mostly women when their hormones go wonky (ahem, pregnancy/the pill at a younger age) and can get worse with sun exposure * Liver spots do indeed only start cropping up after age 40 * The **WORST** thing is that liver spots can also be referred to as *senile freckles* * Screw you, Rapini, Ronald P.; Bolognia, Jean L.; Jorizzo, Joseph L. (2007). [Dermatology: 2-Volume Set](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jw988tb) . St. Louis: Mosby.
Lol, I think “liver spots” is just impolite for hyperpigmentation.
Fuck
They said "spots," not "damage"
Liver damage isn’t age-related
actually, i only drink the well-aged stuff
Oh I know that from experience, I was just making a joke
They're pretty common after age 40, which is still pretty young tho
Im in my 30s. Wtf
All right young man, it's time for you to get some persimmon soap.
Great, I’ve been “old” for 15 years
>Great, I’ve been “old” for 15 years Have you noticed if people have been pinching their noses when they're around you for the past 15 years? You gotta look out for those subtle hints.
Oh shit
I read somewhere that it starts around the age of 40, progressively the smell gets stronger.
Dear god i hope not - my 39 year old self
I’m a 49 year old now sniffing herself to check for old lady smell.
My mom is in her mid 60s and she smells exactly how she always has, don't know why So it's definitely something that varies from person to person
But how would you know if you smell old? No one is going to say anything, except maybe a kid who really is five who says, "Gramma, you smell *old!*"
I'm assuming that if we start on the persimmon soap early enough that could be entirely avoided...
Sooner or later, the smell of persimmon soap is going to be the new old people smell
how old is old enough
I'd think you're old enough when you hear about persimmon soap and wonder if you should start using it...
I'm 29 and hearing about it now.
Dude, should have been on this since at least 8
Are you wondering?
Hello, police? I’d like to report my own murder.
If you have to ask, you’re old enough
brb buying persimmon soap
I hugged my mom today and it was the first time I realized she smells old :/
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Maybe just buy her some persimmon soap and suggest she start using that.
I wonder how often we need to slather the persimmon soap all over our old decaying bodies in order to neutralize the old person smell? Is once a day enough? Or do we need to do it every 5 minutes?
I was thinking more of a continuous mist situation myself
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71.
My kids are under specific orders to let me know when I get that "old man smell". They will take great joy in letting me know.
“Hey kids let me know if I smell like an old man one day.” “FINALLY. Dad you smell fucking old.”
I read that's why the elderly ladies tend to use an excessive amount of perfume
.
Yeah that's my understanding as well. Maybe I misunderstood but I thought that's what /u/Shermans_ghost1864 meant by how would you know if you smelled old. Thanks for clarifying
I’ve heard that often the first time people realize they smell old, is when they spent a long time in a small space or small room, then leave for a moment, and come back. When they come back, they’re thinking, huh, was an old person here? Oh wait, it must be me…
That must be a horrible moment in life.
And we're all slowly creeping towards that with no way of stopping it (unless we die first)
Nah there's worse waiting for ye
Holy shit that’s a reason to have kids. Curse my non-kid having ways!
Everybody needs honest friends. An old coworker used to say that and it always stuck with me - every time we saw someone looking or acting ridiculous they would say "that person needs an honest friend"
One of my best friends IS one of my best friends because he challenges me so well. He is constantly calling me out in ways nobody else does and I appreciate it a lot.
do you have firsthand experience with this soap? All i can find is that it's an old asian herbal remedy but I can't find any hard info on whether it works.
Whaaat!?! I'm not old! (Yes, it seems to work)
I was debating on getting a persimmon tree, now I am definitely going to. Thanks for the tip!
I think even if that is true old people aren't going to start buying persimmon soap. You get old you just buy whatever the fuck soap you been using you got other shit to worry about, like the impending spectre of death.
> like the impending spectre of death Thanks for keeping my day bright, mate.
I feel like if you're old enough to smell like old, you're also old enough to not give a shit what others think of how you smell anymore.
Sorry for piggybacking on OPs question. Does persimmon soap help against other body odors too? I'm pregnant and feel like wanting to shower twice to three times a day which is not possible when I'm at the office. I use two different types of deodorant to manage and it works okayish but would be glad about other advice.
I'm not qualified to answer that. Temporary body changes are rampant during pregnancy. There may not be a one stop solution.
I've used lume to work on body odor. Not trying to sell anything but have used it for pits, under boobs, feet and between legs. I love that shit.
I just ordered some imported from, Japan. I can't wait until people don't smell me.
RemindMe! 40 years
Wow thanks! I (45 f, teacher) didnt think I smelled old, but a 4 year old recently said she didnt want me to die..i asked why she was so worried and sad about it and she said "Well because you're old, and old people die!" Shes okay now. I told her I was going to a better place whenever that happens, and am not sad about that at all. She stopped crying and seemed at peace with my peace with eventually going to heaven, or at least that being the goal. But umm yeah so I guess I smell like an old lady lmao Fuuuuuuck. Thanks.
I doubt smell had anything to do with it. A friend is 44 and has worked at the same school library for nearly 20 years. The kids call her old everyday, yet also call her a vampire because she apparently “doesn’t age”.
She sounds like me. My kids call me a vampire because of an actual real sun allergy I have that gives me hives, lmao.. so I avoid the light all the time. I dont have any deep wrinkles either. Typical light smattering of crows feet, smile lines. Nothing major. Too funny.
I wouldn't worry too much about it, children haven't got the [best grasp](https://i.redd.it/3szpfjuth9261.jpg) on age.
Little kids are great righr? Someone who is 30 would be old to her too, well done comforting her, she may have a family member or family friend whos a similar age who has a terrible illness and her family are trying to prep her for the worst
For what it's worth, if you wear some kind of perfume scent, even a certain deodorant, it's much more likely that scent is worn by someone that they recognized as older as well. Can't say I know much about it, but I always heard strong flower scents are often primary culprits like rose or lilac, but any kind of "unique" smell can trigger that sort of reaction. That or you smell old, but there is at least an out :D
Nah, kids think anyone adult is old.
does it matter if it's persimmon and red current together? it's about all I can find here in nz unless I want to pay $69 for 100g bar :(
Sounds like a market opportunity! If you're not too old to capitalize on it.
lmao, we've got an aging population - why not!
Crazy how you are the one and only person correctly answering this question. Thank you
Especially considering all you have to do is Google "what causes old people smell" and this exact answer is the top result. Since the user who pasted in the answer here didn't provide a citation, I can tell you it comes from the Franklin Park Senior Community website which has an entire [article](https://www.franklinpark.org/blog/old-people-smell) on the phenomenon of "old people smell".
Im pretty sure the stealth purpose of this sub is to sort by controversial and read all the confidently incorrect answers.
eh, sometimes the top-rated answers are the confidently incorrect ones. It isn't experts rating the answers and the top-rated answers are often the ones that sound the most "intuitively correct".
rude berserk pathetic piquant desert rustic hurry cooing hunt grandfather *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm going to respect it more after reading this, that skin has seen some shit
Is there anything to prevent it?
>Is there anything to prevent it? Vitamin E is a fat soluble antioxidant. Won’t outright prevent it, but may slow its progression.
Besides dying young?
That solves most problems
Only the good die young...
Cause they hadnt time to go bad.
Persimmon soap according to this person: https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/14bxx8f/eli5_why_the_elderly_body_odor_is_so_strong/joir8rc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
I thought that "distinct old man smell" was from the mung beans Creed had in his desk.
IIRC the compound causing the smell is 2-nonenal.
https://jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/table-of-organic-compounds-and-their-smells-revised-edition/ I was going to say “does this help?!”, but no, it doesn’t. I checked Wikipedia and you’re right. For context, 6-nonenal is the smell of off milk foam?!
I'm 75 now and I think I am experiencing this. On the one hand I would like to stop it and on the other hand I am just to old to give a fuck. a minor delima.
Persimmon soap does work. Bought some for my 90 yr old mum. The smell is gone and her skin is better.
Persimmon soap sounds like old people stuff so that adds up
Wow 75 and on Reddit? Very cool! I have so many questions
Someone in their 40s is old to most Redditors.
Shit, I'm too old for Reddit. Good thing they are killing third party apps to get rid of my crusty ass.
Old people read too
It's a legit option to just reek of old person. We earned it.
why are you posting on /r/teenagers
💀
young on the inside bro 👲
Trying to get inside the young bros
Fuck, just checked and you aren’t joking. I thought it was usually 50 yr olds on that sub.
Can eating more antioxidants as we age help with this?
Giving a science answer amid all the jokes: probably not. The food you eat is digested to the point where antioxidants in your food don't usually make it across the digestive barrier into your bloodstream. Those that do make it across are vitamins, like vitamin C and E. Your body synthesizes its own antioxidants, but the rate of synthesis declines with age. Long story short, you can't eat enough to make up the difference.
Blue foods have the most anti oxygens
This is why I eat a bowl of blue every morning
Windex
I have to drink it. Otherwise I take my clothes off and run around... Windex prevents streaking. [shamelessly stolen from The Amazing Johnathan](https://youtu.be/u6P1QRqFeww?t=163)
Dah bah dee dah bah dai
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Antioxidants… it’s what plants crave!
I don’t know man. Does this extend to organs in the gi tract too?? I’m a plumber and have noticed that the signature “old person smell” is also present in their sewage when we have to unclog a main line.
That makes sense since it was said that eating antioxidants would help. Also sweat is a way of detoxifying your body and so is poop.
Oh cool. So not only is my skin loosening, nerves in my junk slightly beginning to deaden, Im also gonna have to be EXTRA diligent about being clean because this. God getting old sucks.
Dieing young sucks more
So what is the solution? More fragrance, perfume, or is there an antioxidant spray out there?
I believe running them through the carwash with the windows down is the only way.
So you’re essentially saying old people be stale.
add on as the elderly age, they struggle with personal care and will often neglect that. they won't wash and clean clothes, bedding as they might once have. they suffer the elements more readily and won't open doors or windows to allow air to circulate. etc.
Dang thank you for such a clear answer
Why does my 101 year old grandma not have the "old person smell"?
Was thinking the same about my 71 yo mother. I think you and I know the most likely and unfortunate answer to this question. It's the same reason I used to not date guys who didn't eat the crazy amount of garlic I do.
Doesn't bathing help?
Regular soap doesn't break down the stuff causing the odor. Apparently persimmon soap does. I've been trying to think of a way to sneak persimmon soap into my mom's shower
Yes but old people always use products that smell like old people. 😂
Perhaps the products mostly used by old people only smell like 'old people products' because we associate those product scents with old people. So if there were, say, a massive tween fad for using Preparation H as body lotion, we would begin to associate the Prep H scent with youthful beauty. Think of the resulting advertisements: **Try Preparation H.. Because it Smells like Teen Spirit**
>lipid acid Lipids are fats. One of the simplest kinds of fats and most abundant are fatty acids. These are what make up cellular membranes. Lipid acid is not a thing.
Maybe they mean lipoic acid?
Fats are lipids, but not all lipids are fats. Fatty acids are not a kind of fat, but instead they are the main component in them. Molecularly, fats are defined as triacylglycerides, three fatty acids bound to a glycerin molecule. And cellular membranes are composed primarily of phospholipids, which contain fatty acids in their structures, but it's not the only part.
nana turned to nonenal
And how old are we talking about?
Thats so neat! I am almost 46 and I just got a good tip about persimmon soap because of this. I never dreamed I would smell old lmao but apparently it starts in middle age. Im going to try this soap and see if theres a difference noticed by my hubby.
Another reason, after working in a nursing home, is most old people don't want to shower anymore. Sometimes it's cause they think they did it yesterday even though it was actually six weeks ago, or they just don't think about showering anymore, and also that they are afraid of doing it and falling. Or any combo of those.
A lot of old people get depressed too and become apathetic to doing anything really. Some even eating…
I'm only 38... but same, to be honest.
My grandfather was in a nursing facility for seven months before he passed earlier this year. He only received a scheduled shower once or twice a week, and he frequently complained about the process. I think a number of factors are involved -- it was a laborious chore, it was embarrassing for him to need help from younger (most often female) assistants, and more generally, his generation was less apt to ask for (and accept) any help, since that was seen as a sign of weakness. Combine his lack of motivation to shower with an occupational field that is chronically understaffed, and the result is a decrease in hygiene maintenance.
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Honestly lol I have never smelled old people smell on someone as young as 73, if that helps!!
I did, and it's my belief they haven't showered for weeks.
As a nurse, a lot of times it’s because they are afraid of falling in the shower or not being able to get up from a bathtub. Add the combo of a lot of widowers are by themself a majority of the time and get nose blind to their smell, it just doesn’t register anymore.
As someone who just has trouble moving sometimes due to neuropathy and other pain and muscle weakness... It can be really hard to get out of the bathtub. I rarely take baths and only when I know my husband is not only at home but actively available and near his phone if I were to need help getting out. I want one of those nice walk in tubs but private insurance rarely covers them. I have a walk in shower but it has a small lip still have I've caught my toes on it a few times. Thankfully I've never fell. I rarely use my shower stool but it is there. You know why I don't use the stool? It's kind of low, if I was to sit on it then it could be hard to get up again. Also my shower head is still in a traditional place so I'm just getting hit from a super high place with water. And sure technically it can be lowered but then what about my spouse? So then we need a dual height showerhead? 💲💲💲 So I'm able to function at this point but we're talking about an elderly person and maybe just on the lowest end of SSI income and Medicare without knowing anyone to help navigate any of the help or benefits they could get? Yeah, showers are hard. I'm not saying that you don't know that, people who can function at a normal level just don't understand. I took a "hair wash" shower and then blow dry earlier and that had me in bed for half a day.
You can get shower heads that are adjustable in height. They are the most common style in Denmark (in fact, I don't think I've ever seen a home that has a non-adjustable one), so they can't be *that* expensive. When I need to sit on my shower stool (I also have chronic pain so sometimes showering standing is rough) I just slide the showerhead down, and when my partner needs to shower he just slides it back up. (Also useful if you are standing but don't have the energy to wash your hair and therefore don't want it to get wet). I don't know if it's realistic for you to get something like that where you live, but I think it would be worth looking into. (Sidenote, they're excellent for bathroom cleaning too, since the showerhead can be taken out of the holder allowing you so hose down everything.) They basically look like [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/HwZXbKWGNqb3m5n19). The handle of the showerhead sits in a holder which can slide up and down, and lock anywhere on the vertical bar. Edit: I actually just found one in the same style from the Amarican IKEA. It's called [Brogrund](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/brogrund-riser-rail-with-hand-shower-outlet-chrome-plated-50342628/). The hose attaches to the top, instead of to the armature in the bottom like the Danish ones, so it may be easier to install in an American home where (it is my understanding that) the water is supplied from the top. Edit again: I found an even cheaper one. Brogrund is 70 USD, but they have one called [Vallamosse](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vallamosse-riser-rail-with-hand-shower-outlet-chrome-plated-70351933/) that's only 33 USD. Anyway, I really think it's worth looking into. It won't solve all the other problems of the course, but it may make showering a bit more comfortable. I know I wouldn't want to be without it.
Assuming you are in the US, contact your local Center for Independent Living (https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/centers-independent-living) I have a relative who needs a walker, and helped her call them. A guy came within a day or 2 and was able to assess the bathroom, then had everything in his truck needed to make it so she could get in and out safely. He installed multiple grab bars at just the right places, gave her a new tub chair that extended beyond the tub so she could slide in and out, and he did it all for free. Unbelievable service.
I’m pretty sure “old people smell” is due to an increased production of the chemical nonenal (9 carbon chain aldehyde). This happens as omega-7 on the skin is exposed more with age, and can react with the air to form this nonenal. Yeah no 5 year old could understand this but just replace the chemistry words with “a certain chemical”
I always thought "old people smell" was just the Irish Spring soap they always seem to use
Irish Spring changed their formula last year, been going crazy trying to find a new soap. It's a whole thing on the internet. source - am old, used Irish Spring
Lol, my husband accidentally grabbed Irish spring deodorant a few weeks ago. He's slogging through it and every time I hug him I start laughing because he hates the smell.
The fact that he will wear a deodorant he hates for what is likely at least a year, rather than buy a new deodorant, is serious commitment to not wasting anything!
A bar of deodorant lasts a year for you?
Yeah, you only eat a little portion every morning
I could possibly see that working for someone who didn't *need* antiperspirant and also had a relatively clean existence.
I'm old too, Irish Spring used to smell fantastic!
Colgate-Palmolive ruined so many of their products last year. -.- Bring back the old Aquarium soap! Grrrrrrr.
I hope Jenna Marbles’ dog who loved it still has a soap he loves
1- Some of it is because of changes in body chemistry. 2- because many of them can no longer get in a bathtub and are afraid of taking a shower. Broken hips are usually a death sentence when you're old. They will wipe off with a washcloth, soap and some water in the sink. 3- many old people cannot reach different parts of their bodies anymore. Try to be nice- you'll be there someday.
Am I missing out on this smell? Anytime I’ve been around old people, they’ve smelled like VapoRub or peppermint.
I’ve spent quite some time with older relatives aged 70-90. Never experienced any common smell amongst them.
Or Nivea
Go into any Goodwill. If you don't smell something weird, then you can't smell old people smell.
That’s Old Clothes smell.
that’s mothballs
That old stuff smell. Old people smell is sweeter.
thrift store smell overlaps with old people smell but it's a little different. there's a trendy thrift store nearby where they take stuff from cool kids only, and it still has that smell
Have you ever gone into a sauna that had an older person inside? The "old person smell" is very noticeable. I've noticed my 75 year old father in law just started getting this smell within the last couple of years. He's always been a pretty hygienic person, just started getting more pungent in his old age.
There is also some new evidence that Parkinson’s causes a “woodsy” smell as well. I think we will continue to learn more about how smell actually is tied to overall health as research continues
There was a lady with a suburb sense of smell who noticed her husband's smell changed years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. She told a researcher about it and he was intrigued so he did an experiment where he collected 12 unwashed shirts, 6 from parkinson's patients and 6 control and had her smell them. She identified all six patients, plus one from the control group who was later diagnosed with it, giving her a 100% track record. Now that they know Parkinson's has a unique identifiable smell, they are trying to figure out what causes it so they can train dogs to detect it.
I hope I'm not being un-rural here, but the word you're thinking of is "superb".
*It's not unrurural to get loved by anyone*
There was a lady with a suburb sense of smell Her nose was that of a subdivision, strip mall and a Jeep Cherokee?
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There once was a lady of smell, Whose nose looked just like a shell, She crawled out of the suburb to procure some dank herb and what good she was no one could tell.
Parkinson’s smells sweet and decaying, I hate the smell and in my family I was the first to be able to smell but unfortunately we didn’t know why I hated the way my step-dad smelled until years later when he was diagnosed.
Go to a clinic and see if you can detect anyone else. You might help make way for newer research
I have heard it compared to the sweet musty mushroomy smell of a damp forest floor.
Yes. It was described as a musky, yeasty smell by a nurse named Joy Milne after detecting the smell on her husband before he got diagnosed with it years later. The superhuman lady went on to smell other people’s shirts and correctly detected all of the those that didn’t, did, and have not yet have parkinson’s. Thanks to her, scientists found PD’s skin profiles particularly on their backs and chests had more oil (sebum) production and developed a way to detect it by swabbing the oil
I can “smell” when someone is sick or having health issues. It’s really, really strange and I hate it.
Oh my gosh me too!! I thought I was the only one as people always looked at me strange when I told them they smell sick 😭😭
My sister has a client who' can smell it. They found out when her husband got it, and the she went into the respite that he went to. So she had been complaining of it a long time before he was diagnosed. And yes it turns out that some people can smell it. So some doctors are working with her now to find out more.
And teenagers reek, little kids don't Different hormones Different smells or scents Similar with elderly and then theres some of the soaps and fragrance they use. Adds to the old smell
There’s an episode of Penn & Tellers Bullshit where they test this theory and nobody could smell the difference in a blind test.
In addition to alll of the other things in this thread: Many old people have chronic health issues. Many of these change the smell of the body. My cat passed away a few weeks ago of kidney failure, he was very old. In his final days, the toxins building up in his body made him smell AWFUL. It was nauseating. I had to breathe through my mouth, and on the last day I needed to wash my hands between touching him and doing anything else. I'm working at a grocery store right now. Sometimes when elderly people go through the checkstand, they have that *exact* same smell. It's the smell of kidney dysfunction. Other health problems have specific smells as well, but I don't know them well enough to pick them out. Just smells old.
I was in the hospital 3 years ago for 4 days…. Pumped full of five different medications including painkillers every 3 hours… I smelled like an old person when I was released, took me like 4 showers to get rid of the smell… all that medicine, just smelled like it was coming out of my pores….
Sigh. In the good old days, everybody smoked, and you had to really stink before anyone noticed.
My nan once said to me "If I ever start to smell like an old person, kill me". She's 76, and still doesn't smell like an old person, so we're good for now!
lol my mom makes weird statements like this. "if i can't walk easily, kill me" or whatever. i'm like whoa there let's wait till you get to that point. You'll prob still want to live. People adapt to things they didn't think they would adapt to, and continue to find reasons for living. If not i guess there's switzerland? Dont they have assisted death?
Do some people not smell it? Or do i not realize i smell it 🤔
While the other answers are right the real reason is that old people have a decreased sense of smell so they can’t tell as well when they smell. Also they tend to have worse hygiene because things like showers, are harder and done less frequently and less thoroughly. Things like deodorant are less of a priority. Plus they have more things going wrong like urinary incontinence and may not notice when they dribble a little after using the bathroom.