A spritz of perfume on the neck and your inner wrists seems like a normal way to apply a scent – but health experts have warned that it may have some serious side effects.
Perfume has historically been applied to parts of the body, called pulse points, where skin is naturally warmer due to underlying blood vessels.
The warmth then helps diffuse and enhance the scent, allowing it to have a more pronounced presence.
But social media users were recently sent into a tailspin over viral claims that the neck area was actually one of the worst places to apply perfume, as it sits directly over the thyroid gland, which helps regulate hormones.
Some commenters were adamant that spraying product on your neck can disrupt hormone secretion and cause serious health issues – but experts have now weighed in to assure fragrance fans that although there are some risks, it is not all bad news.
According to Dr Eleonora Fedonenko, spraying fragrances on that particular area is more likely to cause dermatological issues rather than hormonal ones.
‘When you spray fragrance on your neck, you’ll likely develop a condition called Poikiloderma of Civatte (skin discoloration) due to the chemicals in the fragrance reacting with the UV light in the air,’ the Los Angeles-based physician told the Daily Mail.
Fedonenko explained that these chemicals, when they react with UV light, create a pattern of mottling with redness and pigmentation that will settle into the skin creases.
A spritz of perfume on the neck seems like a normal way to apply it – but health experts have warned that it may have some serious side effects (stock image)
‘Applying fragrance to either your wrist or clothing will prevent the need for three to five costly laser treatments later,’ she suggested
‘The neck is a region that I see patients with 15.5 percent more sun damage than their face, mainly because most people do not take care of this area,’ she added.
This, the expert added, is because the thin skin around the neck doesn’t have enough oil glands to quickly repair chemical irritation, unlike the thicker skin on your hands or scalp.
‘Wearing a scarf or using a high collar after applying fragrance is also another safe barrier to protect against additional solar/UV irritation.’
Canada-based doctor Dr Rron Bejtullahu echoed what Fedonenko said, reiterating that it can cause pigment changes that can last for months.
‘The skin of this region is thin and highly vascular and is often exposed to sunlight which makes it absorb more and be more irritated,’ he said.
‘Medically, the greatest problem is that of photo reactions. Fragrance chemicals used in conjunction with the sun can instigate redness, discoloration and long term pigment alterations lasting for months.’
He said that most of the time, these are misdiagnosed as allergic reactions or rashes.
Experts have now weighed in to assure fragrance fans that although there are some risks, it is not all bad news (stock image)
‘The symptoms in patients suffering from eczema, rosacea or a reactive skin tend to appear more frequently and take longer to disappear.’
When perfume is used on the neck, he told the Daily Mail, the fragrance will also be close to the large blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.
‘Although the levels of exposure are still low, repetitive contact is likely to cause contact dermatitis or burning or delayed reaction to sensations,’ he said.
Instead, Bejtullahu said to focus on spraying fragrances on clothing or areas of the body that are less exposed to the sun.
‘Limited touches decreased the contact with the skin and covered parts of clothes, but did not decrease the life of a scent,’ he said assuredly.
‘The change makes it less likely to cause irritation but keeps the personal use of fragrances.’
