Where Does Body Odor in Older Adults Come From? / A Reality Beyond Personal Hygiene

Changes in body odor with age are not necessarily a sign of poor personal hygiene.

With age, the composition of natural fats on the surface of the skin gradually changes, and this issue can cause a different smell in the body. Contrary to popular belief, this change in smell is not necessarily a sign of not observing personal hygiene, but is considered part of the body's natural changes in the aging process. One of the effective compounds in this phenomenon is a substance called "2-nonenal" which is produced by the oxidation of some fatty acids in the skin. Researches have shown that this combination is observed more in people over 40 years old and its amount may increase with age.

The smell resulting from these chemical changes is sometimes described as greasy, earthy, grassy, or stale. Of course, the intensity and type of this smell is not the same in all people, and factors such as the composition of skin fat, the activity of natural skin microbes, environmental conditions and even the type of clothing can affect it. The interesting thing is that, contrary to popular belief, the body odor of the elderly is not necessarily more unpleasant than that of the young. In one study, participants were able to distinguish the smell of people of different age groups and even rated the smell of the elderly as milder and less unpleasant than some other age groups.

Regular washing of the body, changing clothes, washing sheets and proper ventilation of the environment can help reduce the accumulation of this smell, but it does not always eliminate it completely; Because its origin is not only sweat or pollution. In fact, just as skin and hair change over time, so does the skin's chemical composition.