Reprinted and updated from Allergic Reaction, Vol. 1, No. 1, July, 1990

Dear Docs: Your staff asks patients and visitors not to wear perfume or other scented products

while visiting the office. Why is that? “The reason we ask people visiting our office not to wear them is because some of our patients are extremely sensitive to certain scents, including those in some perfumes and colognes, or to the petrochemical base used in these compounds to control their slow evaporation.

“We’re sure you’ll agree it just wouldn’t be considerate to wear a fragrance that might cause a severe reaction to someone else while you’re both here. Some people we’ve seen as patients can’t even go to church due to their sensitivity to perfume. “An allergist’s office is a sensitive environment, filled with sensitive people, and this is one of the things we can collectively work to control. That’s why we ask for the ‘sacrifice’ on your part – and it is appreciated!”

P.S. From that same 1990 issue: A Q(uick) Tip mentioning that magazines at that time had begun offering scent-free subscriptions. Readers could call to request a spot on the “allergy” list of subscribers. Now if we could just get newspaper insert advertisers to do the same . . . .