Clothing For Hyperhidrosis
WHAT TO WEAR… for those with Hyperhidrosis, that daily decision is almost always a complicated one. One of the many reasons I chose to have ETS (read my comprehensive report on the subject if you are considering this step– click on the window to your right) was that I grew weary of standing in my closet every morning trying to put together something “safe” to wear that would be appropriate for the occasion, weather, and likelihood of an episode.
The first thing you should address is what you are going to wear directly next to your skin:
Undergarments, or foundation wear. I have researched what the undergarment options are for both women and men with Hyperhidrosis. Please read those pages first, because if you are wearing foundation wear that will provide you with some good protection, you may be able to wear a wider range of colors and fabrics.
General rules of thumb that I mentioned on the “Products & Clothing” page:
- I am sure you know by now that dark colors show sweat marks the least.
- Knit fabrics such as cotton jersey or “sweater” material in any fabric content will be absorbent and often (but not always) will not show sweat marks.
- Cardigans, blazers, and jackets can also conceal an episode– but unfortunately, they can exacerbate the problem by causing you to overheat and sweat more.
- Patterns can do wonders for concealing excessive sweating!
A word about fabrics:
- “High Performance” Fabrics that promise to “wick away” moisture can be a good option. However, only wear these fabrics as your topmost layer. The “wick away” feature works by wicking sweat away from your skin and transferring it to the outer layer of the garment. Be careful: if you wear a shirt over that, the shirt you are wearing will pick up that moisture and thus create sweat marks that much faster.
- Cotton is the most breathable, absorbent natural fabric there is. Unfortunately, though it is breathable and absorbent, it will usually change color when wet. Therefore, sweat marks will always “show”– unless you wear knit cotton jersey or a cotton sweater. Sweat will sometimes even show on a sweater, if the episode is bad enough.
- Like cotton, wool is very breathable and absorbent. Unfortunately for those who easily overheat, (Hyperhidrosis, hello??) wool is also very warm. Therefore, it is not usually the best clothing option for Hyperhidrosis sufferers.
- Polyester is a catch-all for several types of man-made fabrics. You will find that some polyester clothing repels moisture and does not change color when damp– unfortunately, clothing labels can be very vague, so it is impossible to know exactly which fabrics can be counted on to conceal sweating. I can tell you that a couple of my favorite tops are made of a very fine gauge polyester nylon mesh. Moisture rolls right off this fabric, it is very breathable, and it does not change color when wet. I would love to find a merchant who sells clothing in this fabric consistently, but sadly, finding this fabric is kind of random. Watch my blog, as I will post about it when I find it!
- Rayon, etc: Some of the more breathable and absorbent polyester materials are made with various types of wood pulp, which seems to make them extremely absorbent– but be warned, these fabrics are processed with very harsh chemicals and some people have a bad reaction to them. These fabrics can be found under the names rayon, bamboo, lyocell, modal, tencel, and viscose. In addition to being very absorbent, some of these fabrics are purportedly “anti-microbial”, a property that repels odor-causing bacteria. There is also a description of these types of rayon on my page describing Men’s Undershirts.
*WATER BOTTLE TEST*
So when you go shopping, read those labels, and do a little “water test” in the fitting room: take a small portion of the fabric, put a few drops of water on it and see what happens… Some man-made materials won’t change color and often the water will roll right off. Hey, this way YOU’LL KNOW!
Click here to find out specific clothing recommendations for Women with Hyperhidrosis.
Click here for clothing recommendations for Men with Hyperhidrosis.
Link to this page
