Keep Smelling Fresh as You Age

Many of us have distinct memories of an elder relative's unique scent – a smell often dismissed as "old people smell." Perhaps, like me, you recall your grandparents having a particular odor in their later years, despite their efforts to stay clean. I remember it vividly: that distinct scent of my grandparents in their later years. It was a smell I couldn't quite place, and honestly, as a kid, I just thought, "Why can’t they clean themselves better? We don’t smell when we clean ourselves better!” Now that I think, I was confused, even judgmental. I recall that scent lingering even after my grandmother went blind and someone else helped with her bathing. As I grew older, I just accepted it as 'the old people smell’and associated it with growing up. The thought of developing this characteristic odor as we age can be confusing and a little unsettling at the time when we are small. Now, as I head further into adulthood, that memory has started to pop up with a little, embarrassing fear: Am I going to smell like that? Is this just an inevitable part of getting older? If you've had that same thought, I promise you, you’re not alone.