Weird post-op weight loss surgery benefit...

[insta_adventurer 1,046]

Apparently being post op RNY is a mosquito repellent.

This weekend I was at an outdoor party and after dark everyone (except me!) was going nuts about mosquitos and drenching themselves in bug spray.

Previously, as much as I hated the idea of spraying toxic chemicals on myself, I would eventually cave if they were really unbearable and douse myself as well. However- this time I hardly noticed an issue with them at all!!!

I’m not sure what it is (possible malabsorption/malnutrition) that made me so unattractive to them, but I’ll take it! 😂😂

[GreenTealael 25,430]

Not sweet enough any more, too healthy lol CONGRATS!!!

[Born in Missouri 1,264]

Hm. Maybe our odor signature changes after surgery. Interesting. Since it’s the bouquet of microbiota on our skin that seems to attract an egg-laying female, I wonder what changes about us post-surgery. Next time you’re out and about and in the company of mosquitoes, be sure to let us know if anything changes. You might be at the threshold of discovering something new and exciting about the blood-sucking behavior of mosquitoes… a discovery that could change the world as we know it!! Hey, it could happen. And why not to one of us on this forum?! ! !

A Scientist Explains Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others

https://www.sciencealert.com/why-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others

[Born in Missouri 1,264]

@James Marusek Have you conducted any experiments with essential oils that could possibly alter our skin's microbiota/odor signature?

Since we have an estimated 1m bacteria per square cm of skin, often comprising hundreds of species, it would seem that there is too much variation from person to person.

Still, it's fascinating to think about! I love science!!!

[ScoutCR 126]

LOL, I kinda noticed this too. I live on a 3 acre pond and the mosquitoes this year are not biting or going near me. I did not think about it too much until I saw this post.

Edited August 22, 2018 by ScoutCR

[James Marusek 5,244]

When I was a young lad over half a century ago, I went on a long march hiking over a plateau in Baja California in Mexico for a week. After a few days a grim built up on my skin. This grim could not be washed off with Water. (It took soap to remove it.) But I noticed after the grim buildup, the insects (biting flies and mosquitoes) no longer bothered me.

Have you conducted any experiments with essential oils that could possibly alter our skin's microbiota/odor signature? I am currently experimenting with controlling body odor. I have had underarm odor for my whole life. Deodorants do not really mask the odor. So I am experimenting with an alternate approach. Baking Soda kills the bacteria that produce body odor. So I mixed some Baking Soda with Coconut Oil in a small jar and added a little Lavender essential oil into the mix. And I apply this lotion to my underarms each morning. It seems to kill the bacteria under my arms without any adverse reactions.

[James Marusek 5,244]

Another comment: Prior to surgery I had a condition excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis. I would drive in the middle of winter with snow coming down with the windows wide open because I was too warm. Shortly after surgery, that condition went into remission. Now my body is much more sensitive to the cold.

So the lack of mosquito bites might be related to the decreased amount of sweat my body produces.

[CrankyMagpie 509]

A little tea tree (melaleuca) oil and a little cedar oil (very small amount of each -- I'd start at 1% and never go above, say, 3% by volume of your deodorant mix) would add a bit of an antimicrobial boost and also make for a slightly more masculine scent, if you're looking for that kind of thing.

(I don't know about mosquitoes, but moths hate cedar. I can't imagine cedar would attract mosquitoes, so it shouldn't hurt your odds of avoiding them, either. :))

[Little Kansas Kitty 213]

This is fascinating. In a family of 6, my dad and I were always the ones to get eaten alive by mosquitoes. He always told me when I was little "It's because we are so sweet". I've always been a big sweater especially while working out. If this surgery changes sweat and smells that mosquitoes are attracted to I don't even know what to say. It would be the best thing ever. AMAZING!

[J San 1,071]

Maybe becsause I had VSG but those b@st@rds still rip me apart. I can sit out with my wife for 2 minutes and I'll end up with 15 bites and she wasn't bothered. Even now if I spray myself from head to toe I'll still wind up with 1 or 2 bites. I wish what you are experiencing happened to me.

[FLHappyGirl 171]

I was hoping the same would happen to me, but I'm still a mosquito magnet. It seems if I am moving (walking, mowing the lawn, etc) I'm ok but the minute I sit or stand still I'm dinner for all those little $*%#!

[sillykitty 10,776]

Still a mosquito magnet too!

[Taoz 284]

hmm... looks like the consensus so far is bypassers have become less appetising to mosquitoes, but not sleevers.. bugger... I'm another person they usually flock to