Archive for clothing
‘Tis the Season For Social Anxiety Fa la la la…
Posted by: · on November 30, 2010 | CommentsWell, it is official now that Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the newer kid on the block Cyber Monday have all passed… Holiday Season 2010 is Here. Yay.
Bring on the Holiday parties, frenetic shopping, office parties (I hear they are making quite the Comeback this year). Not to be a Scrooge, but for many of us with hyperhidrosis, ‘Tis the Season to dread.
Parties, for other people, are opportunities for fun and something to be anticipated. Parties for us are something we pretend to get excited about. We fake a smile with our arms glued to our sides. Cold drink complete with sweating ice cubes clutched in right hand, thankyouverymuch. Cursing inwardly the stupid STUPID decision to wear red satin…
Sound familiar?
OK, well if you’re a guy, I do hope the red satin part is not a memory for you… not that there’s anything wrong with that (Jerry Seinfeld reference 
)… My point, and I do have one– wait, do I? Oh yes, the point is… I get it. Have lived it, too many times to want to count. And I would like to give you a little pep talk and a couple of pointers.
Please don’t feel like a freak standing there feeling all awkward at a holiday party. Put the stupid-ass sweating in its stupid-ass place and have fun anyways. Don’t give hyperhidrosis the power to ruin your evening.
Look around the room and if misery loves company, consider that statistically, you are probably not the only person present with hyperhidrosis. Three people in a hundred– and that number is conservative (IMO). You could even play a little game with yourself. Such as, Guess the Sweater (and I don’t mean knitwear).
Dress appropriately– wear the appropriate foundation wear. Guys, undershirts are made that will conceal the sweat and keep you comfortable! Check out my article on Men’s Undershirts. Ladies, there are dozens of options for you. So many, in fact, that my article on Women’s Undergarments is too long for my liking– but I wanted to show you just how many options you have. You can really wear any neckline, sleeve, or color. The feeling of confidence just knowing you are wearing something that will manage the sweat will actually make you sweat LESS. Unless it’s like 95 degrees in the room or something. In which case everyone else will be sweating, so who cares? See? Misery does love company.
If you find yourself sweating, say so. Yes, that’s right. Say. So. Casually. It totally takes the edge off and you get a little sympathy, to boot. I swear. The key is to be really casual about it. When you put it out there, you feel better, and often it will make the sweat production slow down.
So have fun, kiss someone under a bunch of dead leaves, clutch your sweating drink in your sweating hand, and thumb your nose at hyperhidrosis.
Best Socks For Plantar Hyperhidrosis
Posted by: · on November 10, 2010 | Comments
I had been meaning to search out the best socks for you for quite a while when Melissa (click on her name if you want to read a memory she shared here) made a reference to her favorite socks while we were chatting by text over the weekend.
I had not really taken the category of socks very seriously, as to me, a sock is a sock. What have I been missing out on?! That’s what I get for being squeamish about feet my whole life (There. Now you know another Secret of mine.). Even the words “sweaty feet” still make me cringe. Must. Get. Used-to-it.
Sweaty feet. Sweaty feet. Sweaty feet. Sweaty feet. Sorry– still curling upper lip… Anyhoo,
Herewith, a list of 4 brands of the Best Socks for Moisture Management I could find on the Big Bad Web:
Thorlos (approx. $12-$16 per pair) This company has a very large selection of socks engineered specifically for just about any activity you can think of. They focus on fit, padding, and moisture management. These socks all have padding and are made with acrylic fibers that wick moisture away from the foot. It is difficult to find a review of any of their products that is negative. The only complaint I have seen is that they are a bit pricey– but as my mother says, “You get what you pay for”. Amazon.com has an entire Thorlos Store.
Balega (approx. $9-$14 per pair) This South African company makes socks primarily geared toward running. These socks feature padding on the footbed as well as a moisture management system called DryNamix that helps to move moisture away from the foot. Because this company focuses primarily on one sport, the selection is good but not as varied as Thoros. Amazon.com has a full selection of Balega Socks
SmartWool (approx $8-$25 per pair) Made of merino wool, SmartWool reportedly developed a special process to manufacture socks that are extra-absorbent, odor-resistant (both natural properties of wool), soft, and not itchy (un-itchy? itch-free? non-itchy?). Special care should be taken in washing and drying these socks, cuz, they’re, like, wool. I have seen many positive reviews of these socks being warm yet not stifling as well as very absorbent and quick-drying, yet I remain unconvinced they can really absorb enough sweat for US. A big positive? They come in an amazing array of styles and fun colors and patterns. Again, Amazon.com has a huge selection of SmartWool socks
DryMax (most styles under $10 per pair) This is the company that seems to take moisture management most seriously, even declaring on their website in all caps, “MOISTURE IS THE ENEMY” (hey, I like these folks!). They have what they call a Moisture Removal System in which they use two different fibers to knit the sock, then use what they call a Dual Layer Sweat Removal System in the design to ensure moisture stays away from your skin. These socks are Melissa’s Sock of Choice. They are available in mainly white and black (with a smattering of other colors) in a variety of styles. This brand was even mentioned in “Dermatology Times” (2007) as a recommended product for managing hyperhidrosis. So there ya go. Once again, our pals at Amazon.com have the best selection of DryMax Socks
HONORABLE MENTION: While we are on the subject of umm… sweaty feet…. Read up on Summer Soles absorbent inserts on my page for Footwear.
Did I mention? All of the socks listed come in Men’s, and Women’s styles, and also Kids in some cases.
Ugh. Could use a pair of DryMax right now after writing about this subject all afternoon… Sweaty feet…Sweaty feet… Sweaty feet… Nope. Still not helping.
Hyperhidrosis Clothing Ideas: Hide the Sweat With Style!
Posted by: · on September 27, 2010 | Comments***Type "long cardigan" into keyword box!***
Just as I was despairing– despairing, I say– of finding anything useful and stylish to recommend to you for Autumn, I found APART. This European website has a fantastic selection of long cardigans to wear for the coming cooler days.
I have always been on the lookout for a cardigan that is long enough to conceal any below the waist sweating, and they are not very easy to find. This item tends to be pricey, but the ones I have found are actually on the low end of what is out there this season (believe me, I looked!!). Fortunately, APART has a special promotion going right now!
Finding pants that do not “show” sweat marks is still really tricky… butt (sorry couldn’t resist ) wearing a beautiful long cardigan can really save the day!!
FOR A LIMITED TIME, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE AD BELOW AND SAVE $40!
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***WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE SITE, TYPE “LONG CARDIGAN” INTO THE SEARCH/KEYWORD BOX***
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The selection is fantastic!
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HyperhidrosisAndMe Weekly….er, Flashlight
Posted by: · on September 15, 2010 | CommentsIf you subscribe to this blog, you may have seen my HyperhidrosisAndMe Weekly Spotlight. I like to use this to highlight different pages from this site, giving special attention to treatment options, certain topics, as well as some favorite products of mine. This week, I must confess that my intention was to update hyperhidrosis clothing options for Fall, for both men and women.
Honestly? I struck out. I spent all day Monday searching high and low for great no-sweat-marks clothes for this season, only to come up with only a couple of possibilities that need further research (golly, a brick-and-mortar Shopping Trip, perhaps?).
It is baffling to me why more clothes are not available for this problem! It is frustrating because I have found in my research that the technology exists. There is an eco-friendly fabric treatment– which can be used on any fabric– that claims to absorb moisture next to the skin and minimize sweat marks from appearing on the outer side of the garment. It was developed by a German company called Schoeller and the treatment is called 3XDry. I have mentioned it before on this site, having found a few clothing manufacturers that use it.
These companies make clothes for outdoor active wear, and are mostly made for fly fishermen! So, if you are a fly fisherman with hyperhidrosis, you are in luck, my friend. There are a few decent looking shirts for men that could be considered to be dressy-casual– Woolrich has a couple, and Simms had a few earlier this year, but their website displays very little 3XDry right now. Sierra Trading Post frequently sells 3XDry products for both men and women, but they too have very little to offer at the moment.
Of course, we have the Good Ol’ Standbys:
- Sweaters (ironically named, no?),
- Blazers to hide sweat marks, although they may make you hotter (no, not sexy hotter– well, maybe; hell, I don’t know you)
- Sweat absorbing foundation wear (see my pages on Undergarments!!)
- Colorful patterns to mask the marks
- Nylon mesh fabric (like Sweet Pea by Stacy Frati), if you can find it this time of year; I could not.
- And, our Old Friend…. Black!! (so, so sick of black)
There was also a new company I found online that touted dress shirts for men that would not show sweat. Fresh Max claims that theirs are the only dress shirts in existence to disguise sweating. I plan on contacting them for more information– if their claims hold up, that would be great news!
So I guess this week you got a flashlight when I wanted to give you a Spotlight. I will keep looking for solutions!
HyperhidrosisAndMe Weekly Spotlight: Sweat Management for Women
Posted by: · on August 23, 2010 | CommentsThis week’s spotlight will be shining brightly on how women with hyperhidrosis can dress with more FREEDOM by wearing the right foundation wear.
As I explain in great detail on my page on the subject, called, creatively, “Women’s Undergarments”, there are dozens of undergarments on the market that will enable you to wear almost any style, fabric and neckline with confidence.
Offered in several fabrics in various colors, most of the options involve one or both of these elements: dress shields and camisoles. For example, wearing a camisole can give you that extra layer to absorb any trunk sweating that occurs– and many post-ETS patients deal with Compensatory Sweating here– while at the same time allowing you to place a disposable dress shield upon the camisole in the area of your worst sweating. This shield is called a Body Guard and is sold by Kleinert’s, the leading purveyors of clothing for sweat management.
Camisoles for hyperhidrosis come in a terrific variety of necklines, sleeve lengths and body lengths, and they usually come with dress shields discreetly sewn in. The dress shields are offered with varying barrier levels of sweat protection.
If your main problem is underarm sweating and you feel that a camisole is overkill, you can find a plethora of discreet ways you can wear dress shields. My favorite is offered, again, by Kleinert’s and it is a washable dress shield that snaps firmly onto your bra strap. That way, the dress shield is snug up against your underarm and not weighting down your top and shifting around as you go about your day. This product is called “Ready Shield”– there is a great demonstration video for you to see if you click on the link.
If you check out my “Women’s Undergarments” page, you can see a description of all of these products and many more, and can be directed to a place to purchase them.
If you are sick and tired of wearing black or having to wear a blazer or cardigan over every top you put on, please check out your options.
…You know how your Hyperhidrosis controls so much of your life? Take control of this part of your life. You can wear what you want. It just requires a little thought and one extra step! So take it.
My Hyperhidrosis “I Can’t” List
Posted by: · on July 31, 2010 | CommentsWhen you have Hyperhidrosis, there are a whole host of things that seem to be off-limits. I know that I have always had my own personal “I Can’t” list– which I will be actually putting into words here for the first time– and if you have abnormal sweat patterns too, I would bet that you have your own list. I am hoping that writing (typing!) it all out will help me to be able to look at some items more objectively and perhaps will enable me to migrate them to a new “I Can” list…
At the risk of sounding rather self-pitying, here it is:
I CAN’T
- Hold hands in a group setting (prayers, games, etc)
- Be an actor, unless it is off-camera (such as voiceover, which I do enjoy)
- Do yoga or anything requiring being barefoot
- Wear whatever style shoes I want
- Choose any career requiring touching others, such as being a physical therapist, nursing, being a doctor, teaching small children, the list goes on….
- Before surgery, I could never have manicures/pedicures
- Wear certain clothing
- Dance with a partner (the traditional ballroom-type dancing)
I CAN (recently)
- Talk about it online
- BY FORCE OF WILL, talk about it in person
- Separate my disorder from how I feel about myself (most of the time)
So those are my lists, such as they are. I will gladly publish anyone else’s list, either “Can” or “Can’t”. Just contact me!
Life with Hyperhidrosis: The Struggle to be “Normal”
Posted by: · on July 15, 2010 | CommentsLast night I went downtown to meet up with my husband and have dinner with him and his new co-workers. Being aware that I was meeting several new, potentially important people in my husband’s new career would be a more than slightly stressful prospect for anyone. For me (or anyone dealing with Hyperhidrosis), it was a potential nightmare.
I woke up this morning with many thoughts and emotions swimming around in my head. Foremost was the question: Did I pull it off? If you also have HH, you know what I mean by that: Could anyone tell I was sweating? I would venture a guess and say, I don’t think so. Whew– I think… That is half my problem; you can never really know for certain what other people notice or what their judgment is if they do notice. I try to tell myself that I don’t care, but sometimes, I can’t help it. I do.
Well, if no one noticed last night, the only reason I was able to pull that off was because of what I wore and how I conducted myself. It is truly amazing the degree that clothing choices can make a difference in a situation like last night. And last night was like the Hyperhidrosis Trifecta: 1.) Hot, extremely humid night that kicked off with waiting for a train which was, naturally, late 2.) Seeing husband’s new boss for only the second time, meeting his wife, along with about a dozen other people at the company where my husband just started (thankfully, every single one was really, really nice) 3.) Sitting down in a very hot, packed restaurant and staying seated for about 3 hours.
How many times did I half-stand and pull the fabric off my legs? Twist my skirt around? I was startled by how bad this episode was and how nobody else seemed to be overheated. It could have been so much worse, though. If I had not worn a jersey knit, beautifully patterned maxi dress that I was confident would show nothing, I would have sat there in a near-panic for the entire evening. The food was great, the company I was in was even better; I was enjoying myself in that compartmentalized way that you do when you are struggling with HH silently. You know– trying hard to ignore the discomfort, acting as though you haven’t a care in the world, pushing down the anxiety and the sadness. Pasting that smile on your face.
By the end of the night, I was exhausted. I know my advice is all over this website: Hyperhidrosis is just a disorder… It is what you have, not who you are… If you are uncomfortable about hiding an episode, try honesty… You are not alone… I believe all of these things. I try to practice, literally, what I preach. Sometimes, though, I just yearn to be what I know all the sprays, lotions, products, and even surgery can never make me be: normal. But that’s ok. It will have to be. So, I do the best I can, wearing two very important components: the right clothes and a smile.
HyperhidrosisAndMe Weekly Spotlight: Men’s Undershirts
Posted by: · on July 12, 2010 | CommentsI have tried to make this website as comprehensive as possible. You can find clothing and products that can help you manage your sweating episodes, strategies for coping, and personal stories that you can identify with. I have also tried very hard to explain what your legitimate treatment options are. While I have tried to make it as easy as possible to navigate through all this information, I think that some things may be hard to find. So, I thought that it would be helpful to spotlight one category each week!
This Week: Men’s Hyperhidrosis Undershirts
The page I created for this category addresses several aspects of this topic: for example, fabrics that are available and which ones are better suited for hyperhidrosis control.
FACT: Did you know that wicking, high performance fabrics are great for working out or casual wear but absolutely the WRONG thing to wear under your clothing? Wicking fabrics grab your sweat from the underside of the garment, transferring the moisture to the outer surface of the fabric, where it can evaporate. If you have a shirt on over that, what happens? Yep, the moisture is then absorbed by your dress shirt, creating a sweat ring even more rapidly than if you didn’t have an undershirt on at all. So, keep the performance fabric to the gym!
Another topic I explain on this page is Fabric Treatments. Two of the companies that I discuss on the Men’s Hyperhidrosis Undershirts page have sweat and/or odor control properties in the fabric.
Kleinert’s uses Fabrapel, which among other things, has anti-microbial properties, and Silverback Apparel treats one style of its undershirts with silver, which is naturally microbial, and the other type is made from bamboo, which is also naturally anti-microbial.
Sweat absorption is another very important quality for a good hyperhidrosis undershirt to have. Three companies that I discuss address this a few different ways: Kleinert’s offers undershirts treated with Fabrapel, which aside from being anti-microbial, also is sweat resistant. This means that sweat that is absorbed is contained and is less likely to appear on the outer surface of the garment– preventing sweat marks on your outer shirt.
Dress shields are offered by two companies: Kleinert’s offers them as additional protection to the Fabrapel treatment, and Advantagewear by Advadri
Silverback Apparel takes a somewhat different approach: their undershirts offer a double layer of protection under the arms and also on a large area of the back. This is a very good option for the man who suffers from Compensatory Sweating (as a result of ETS).
I will be offering a review from a new Men’s Undershirt company, called Sweat Shield Undershirts. From what I know, it is a very promising product at a really good price point! They have kindly sent me samples and I will let you know how they hold up as soon as I can.
So there’s a snapshot of my page on Men’s Undershirts for Hyperhidrosis…. be sure to check it out, as there are a few more things I explain, such as cut and necklines– who offers what.
Next week, Footwear for Hyperhidrosis!
Sweaty? Don’t Get Your Undies in a Bunch: Wrapp ‘Em!
Posted by: · on June 23, 2010 | CommentsIt has been a fairly warm and steamy June here, by Chicago standards. I have been trying a few different products, as I posted on my HyperhidrosisAndMe Facebook page. Two products are antiperspirants, and one is an undergarment clothing shield, called a Wrapp. I will cover the antiperspirants tomorrow, so here’s the deal about the Wrapp:
Wrapps are handmade by a very resourceful woman named Denise. Denise lives in lovely, humid Florida and has always found it difficult managing her sweating in, well, is there a delicate way to put this? The bikini zone, shall we say? Really, most of us with Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis do deal with sweating in that area, although it is rarely mentioned. It is hard enough being upfront about sweating in your hands, feet, underarms and… it just seems to be too much to say, “and groin”. Eesh.
Well, managing this problem has not been addressed at all, really, so Denise decided to take matters into her own hands. What she has created is a fabric, full liner for the panty that “wraps”– hence the name– around, much like a sanitary pad does, but it absorbs much better, is not disposable, and thus does not feel as though one is wearing paper. It is made with washable, absorbent terry cloth and covered in soft muslin. Wrapps keep the moisture from reaching your outer layer of clothing. She has even designed a very attractive case, which will accommodate 2 Wrapps. Wrapps are available in orders of 2, 6, or 12. The lovely handmade case, or “pouch”, as well as free shipping, are included with every order.
I have comfortably worn the Wrapps that Denise sent me a few times, and there have been several times when I have not worn one and regretted it. Once you wear one and experience the comfort and confidence Wrapps engenders, you really want to wear them more often than not. You can read more of my personal reaction and thoughts regarding Wrapps on my Women’s Undergarments page. Tomorrow, I will be reviewing Klima Surefoot Spray for plantar sweating and Kiehl’s Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant Cream. I think a great combination would be to use the Kiehl’s Anti-Perspirant Cream along with the Wrapps, to control both moisture and… fragrance… in that area. Definitely could give a confidence boost on a hot summer day!!
Found a Shopping Site to Link You to Hyperhidrosis Clothing Picks!
Posted by: · on May 28, 2010 | CommentsIf you recall, I quite selflessly went shopping last week to follow up on a tip that there were Hyperhidrosis-friendly tops to be found at a local department store (oh, ok, it’s Von Maur. Interest-free credit card, free shipping, great service… if you live near one, you gotta go.) What I found was a great selection of fine-gauge, nylon mesh tops made by Sweet Pea by Stacy Frati. They were beautiful, and the styles featuring a print would be a “safe” pick for the woman with hyperhidrosis.
After poking around the Web a bit, I stumbled upon ShopStyle.com. Many of you are probably already aware of this site, but as a person who has placed a self-imposed ban on shopping for anything fun or unnecessary, discovering this virtual mall, this online mecca of fashion… was a eureka moment!
ShopStyle.com has a terrific selection of Sweet Pea, and that includes….drumroll….Plus Sizes! Absolutely beautiful printed tops and dresses in regular and plus sizes can be found… click through here to start shopping!
Black? In Summer? Fugged-aboud-it.
