Dear Heloise: I found Anna Maria’s comments on perfume sensitivities (it’s actually not an allergy) to be a bit simplistic. If only it were this easy to “help myself”! I do everything in my power to alleviate my allergies, but perfume sensitivity doesn’t respond to allergy treatments. It’s a chemical sensitivity, which is a bit different.

I’m a singer, and when people around me wear perfume, it makes me cough and get a headache. It’s hard to perform when you’re coughing. Scented laundry products are impossible for me. I can’t sleep on most hotel sheets, and if I do, I wake up a couple of hours later with a splitting headache, a sore throat, and a stuffy nose.

I’ve found a list of hotels that have “allergy friendly rooms,” which should be helpful. It simply isn’t a question of calling my doctor; I’ve done all this. Avoidance is the best option, so please, folks, help us out.

-- Lynda S., in Kingston, New York

Lynda, not everyone responses to a particular medication in the same way. Not everyone is affected by an ailment in the same manner. I wish you good luck and good health because I suffer from allergies, too. Perfume doesn’t bother me, but I wear a surgical mask to dust my furniture or vacuum a room.

-- Heloise

MORE ON PERFUME

Dear Heloise: Perfume gives me an immediate migraine reaction. For me, it’s just a compound that is in some, but not all, perfumes. As soon as I enter an office, get on a bus, or enter an elevator and encounter this compound, I feel like a mule kicked me at the base of my skull. I have to immediately vacate the area, take medication, and hope that I won’t be incapacitated for the next few hours with vomiting and dizziness.

If it’s just a bit of perfume, I have a fighting chance, but some people (men and women) seemingly take a bath in the stuff. Surprisingly, it’s often young people. My advice is to think of others and refrain from dousing oneself in buckets of scents.

-- Hedy W., in Laguna Woods

Hedy, this is when a little bit goes a long way. I know that a migraine is very painful, but people who don’t know you don’t know that they’re about to trigger a migraine. So, perhaps the best solution is to either wear no perfume or use a light hand when applying a scent.

-- Heloise

BRIDESMAID BLUES

Dear Heloise: When my first cousin asked me to be her bridesmaid, I was flattered, until I saw the price tag on the dresses that she had selected. This didn’t include the shoes, handbags, etc. Please advise brides to:

Consider affordability when selecting dresses for bridesmaids. Keep in mind that besides the dress, there are other expenses.

Understand that we probably won’t wear this style or color again, no matter what the salesperson says.

-- Tanya, in Oklahoma

Send a great hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.