Archive for sweating
‘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.
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 Spotlight: Antiperspirants
Posted by: · on August 4, 2010 | CommentsThis week I will be focusing The Spotlight on my page that introduces antiperspirants formulated for Hyperhidrosis, called, creatively, Topical Treatments (Anti-perspirants and Medicated Wipes). Having never really given much thought to types of antiperspirants before starting this site, I was staggered by the options that exist.
It quickly became clear to me that all antiperspirants can be categorized into 4 different levels:
- Regular antiperspirants– The various brands and forms of antiperspirants that people who need a normal amount of protection use.
- “Clinical-Strength” antiperspirants– These products are marketed for Hyperhidrosis and contain a higher concentration of the active ingredient aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex. These antiperspirants are most effective when applied at night, before bed, to completely dry skin. Drugstore.com has a complete selection of these antiperspirants. Click here to see for yourself.
- “Prescription-Strength” antiperspirants– Containing a different, more potent active ingredient called aluminum chloride hexahydrate, these products are definitely stronger. However, they can also cause uncomfortable side effects such as burning and itching. There are many brands on the market, and each brand attempts to prevent these side effects with slightly different approaches. If one does not work for you or has uncomfortable side effects, it is worth it to keep looking. Several of these products offer specific formulations for palmar and plantar sweating! Please click on the page link for more complete information.
- Prescription Antiperspirants such as Drysol and Hydrosal constitute the final and strongest level of antiperspirant one can buy. With up to 8% higher concentration of aluminum chloride hexahydrate, the chances of itching and burning are more significant. A Doctor’s prescription (in the United States, at least) is required.
So there you have a very abbreviated explanation of All Thing Antiperspirant. Please refer to each category’s page for more complete information, including specific side effects reported, more information on ingredients, and brands I have used and/or researched.
Also worth considering are Med e Tate Wipes (to be used as a boost while out and about rather than one’s primary antiperspirant), as well as my personal favorite, Kiehl’s Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Cream, which is terribly versatile (goes Anywhere ).
Remember, no matter what your Treatment of Choice ends up being (if antiperspirants aren’t enough and you use Iontophoresis, meds, or even Botox), you will still need a good antiperspirant. Make sure you find one you really like, because knowing you are protected from odor and even hopefully from wetness can really help boost your confidence. Let’s face it, we need all of that we can get!
Hyperhidrosis Gets a Little Press!
Posted by: · on July 23, 2010 | CommentsEarlier this summer, I received an email from a Public Relations agent who was helping Fox News in New York City put together a piece on a surgical procedure that alleviates Axillary Hyperhidrosis. The PR firm was looking for a person with Hyperhidrosis who would be willing to undergo this procedure on camera. I was not able to help them find someone, but it’s great that they did.
The doctor in the story, Dr. Jacobs, calls this procedure “Sweat Lipo”. This procedure, described in detail on my page “Localized Axillary Procedures”, is also known as Subdermal Laser Ablation. Basically, the idea is to suck out the sweat glands in the underarm region. Surgeons have offered variations on this procedure for years, but in the past there was a significant amount of scarring and extended recovery times. Now, because of advances in technology, surgeons are able to make a very small incision to do the surgery and there is virtually no scarring and little down time.
I think that Dr. Jacobs does a very good job concisely describing what Hyperhidrosis is and how it affects daily life.
Here is the story:
FoxNewsChannel
I want to express my admiration to the gentleman in the story who was brave enough to not only talk about his challenges on camera, but also allowed the camera crew to show his sweating up close. He did his part to show millions of viewers that Hyperhidrosis interferes with life in every way– and he was so matter of fact about it, and not ashamed. WELL DONE, SCOTT!
While surgery is always a drastic measure and comes with inherent risks, I think that this “sweat lipo” is a great option for those with Axillary Hyperhidrosis. That is, it’s a great option if done by an experienced, excellent surgeon. If you think this procedure is for you, I recommend thoroughly researching what the procedure is (start by reading my page on it, linked above) and finding a surgeon you can have confidence in. Also check into your insurance coverage and any or all costs involved. Wish they could do it for hands and feet!
HyperhidrosisAndMe Weekly Spotlight: Hyperhidrosis-Friendly Footwear
Posted by: · on July 19, 2010 | CommentsThis week’s spotlight features picks from my Footwear page that I have found to be especially “friendly” to those of us who must be very careful about the choices we make– especially now, in the dog days of summer.
My very favorite “find” for Hyperhidrosis is the absorbent flip-flop. As this type of sandal became wildly popular a few years ago, I felt really sorry for myself that I could not participate. They looked so comfortable. EVERYONE was wearing them. Remember the Northwestern Ladies LaCrosse Team, who went to the White House and were photographed shod in flip-flops en masse? I remember looking at that photo and realizing how truly different I was from pretty much everyone else. These young girls, looking cool and confident in their sundresses and flip-flops, posing with the President… wow, I would have been hiding in the bathroom wearing all black, shoes and socks. Oh, boo-hoo. If you’re reading this with a knowing smirk, you know what I mean. I know, OK, I’m over it!
A teeny, tiny taste of redemption came my way when I discovered that Adidas makes flip flops (and slides too) with an absorbent footbed called FitFOAM. I’ll tell you, it was so great to be able to actually wear flip-flops and not have one bit of worry that anyone would know! You can find them at Amazon
Another shoe brand worth mentioning is Geox, available at Amazon in Women’s ). I also have a pair of flats, which I wear without socks (because I am brainless and partially in denial). When– not if– I have an episode while wearing them, they do tend to get swampy, of course (eeew) but they will, amazingly, dry out in a short amount of time, and often while I am still wearing them (unless the sweat appears again). Just a hunch, but I would stick with flats or athletic wear… I can’t see how a high wedge could really breathe, and I don’t know if the sandals are absorbent enough to be worn with a bare (sweat-prone) foot. As for the rest, they are a bit pricey, but it may be worth splurging on a pair or two.
I also discuss Summer Soles
So, there’s a snapshot of my picks for footwear! Used in conjunction with Summer Soles
Recipe for a Good Old-Fashioned HH Episode, Post-ETS
Posted by: · on July 11, 2010 | CommentsIf you ever thought that undergoing ETS would end the good ol’ fight-or-fight emotional sweating episode, read on, my friend. As I have said in a few messages here and there, but need to say Loud and Clear right here on the blog, please do not assume that having ETS will cure you from Hyperhidrosis. Sure, there may be some lucky individuals who have had sympathectomies that have mild compensatory sweating, dry feet and dry hands, but I believe that they are in the (lucky) minority. Compensatory Sweating still occurs for most of us, and its patterns and frequency are all over the board, from what I can guess. For me, it hasn’t been bad, but I am still vulnerable to the occasional nasty, unforeseen attack.
Today, I got zapped. Here’s the recipe for my…
Old Fashioned Sweating Episode
- 1 linen top likely to show moisture
- 1 pair olive khaki pants guaranteed to show sweat
- ADD 2 cups of Extra Virgin Idiocy in assuming this would be a safe choice for Church in the middle of July
- WHISK together, with a Dash of Arrogance that I no longer Need to Worry About These Things
- FOLD into mix:
- 1 missing 9 year old child whom husband, responsible for bringing the Rest of the Children to Mass while you drop off youngest child to birthday party, mistakenly leaves alone at home
- 1 heaping Tablespoon of Angst that said child is Hysterical at Home, Alone (while Freaked Out Husband leaves to fetch her)
- 1 well-meaning Usher at Church that asks you to Bring Up the Gifts!!!
- 6 cups Severe Anxiety that the Entire Congregation will have an Unobstructed View of Damp…ahem…Pants as you walk up the aisle bringing up gifts
- ADD to this,
- 2 more people, aforementioned husband and child (amused by events rather than hysterical), crowding into the pew accompanied by waves of Body Heat
- MARINATE in mounting Panic and typical Fight-or-Flight Trapped Feeling whilst sweat pops out literally Everywhere, including HANDS that are NOT supposed to SWEAT anymore…
- COOK for approximately 40 minutes in Warm and Humid Church
……and Voilà! You have one fully formed, rich, decadent Post-ETS, Put-You-Right-Back-in-Your-Place Sweating Episode!
Oh, and in case you were wondering…..Yes. I did bring up the Gifts, all the while holding up an imaginary Middle Finger at my Hyperhidrosis (yes, Imaginary, it was Church!). And, no, the moisture was not showing as I had (silently) convinced myself it would during that 1/2 hour I was supposed to be worshiping.
FYI, on a serious note: ETS disconnects the nerve(s) that make you sweat in your hands (and underarms and head, depending on the specific surgery)— depending on the technique, whether they are cut, removed, clamped, or merely snipped (as mine were), the surgery does not re-set your overactive Sympathetic Nervous System. Your sweating may end up being more under control, as mine is, because the absence of hand sweat (or blushing) lowers the anxiety and the triggers that normally cause an episode are no longer usually there. But Science has not come up with anything that cures the basic malfunction that is responsible for Primary Hyperhidrosis: an abnormally overactive Sympathetic Nervous System.
In short, our thermostats are broken! Every “cure” that we try out, every treatment, really just ranges from Band-Aids to duct tape. Sometimes these things don’t work; often they do, but with the occasional glitch. …or zap…!
Public Perception and Hyperhidrosis: Oh, the Irony!
Posted by: · on April 23, 2010 | CommentsWe all roll our eyes from time to time when the phrase “politically correct” comes up. Remember the good old days, we whisper, when you could tell a good joke without Offending People? I am just as guilty at times as everyone, although I would like to believe I am sensitive to the feelings of others. My sensitivity comes from knowing what it feels like to pretend to laugh at some offensive joke or comment about sweating, while feeling inside like the butt of that joke.
Somehow over the years, we as a species have come to see sweating as shameful and disgusting. In our society, there are only very specific circumstances in which this natural bodily function can be deemed acceptable: when exercising, in extremely hot and/or humid conditions, or when ill. Even if you are nervous, we learn at a young age, you are expected to hide it.
As a result of this unspoken rule that is taught and reinforced countless times in childhood, public perception of those who sweat visibly is negative in every way:
- People whose hands are sweaty must be nervous. People who are nervous are shifty and not to be trusted. People who are nervous are weak and not self-assured; they have no self-respect.
- Somehow, the mental image of a “sweaty guy” is of someone who is overweight. People with Hyperhidrosis come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, as we know.
- Sweating is unclean, so it only follows that people who sweat do not observe proper hygeine.
- Yup, we’re greedy, too. I recently saw this sentence: “…he couldn’t wait to get his sweaty hands on all that money…”
So here’s the kicker, folks! When we get up the nerve to tell a friend or peer about our Hyperhidrosis, what do we hear, almost without fail?? “Oh, so what. That’s okay. It’s no big deal.”
These perceptions are ingrained in all of us. Subconsciously, we judge our own sweating as society does. So, IT IS A BIG DEAL!
The only one way to change this unfair perception is to make it Politically Incorrect. We must come out of the shadows and raise awareness that Hyperhidrosis is real and that we, to quote my friend Anne, are “normal people who happen to sweat”.
‘Nuff said!
Hyperhidrosis: Hiding in Plain Sight PART II
Posted by: · on March 27, 2010 | CommentsHave you felt like me, that you were the only one? Have fear of discovery and a deeply embedded shame shadowed you as it has me? Those who read this who do not suffer from Hyperhidrosis may have a hard time wrapping their head around the idea of a shame so deep it colors one’s perception of the world. For me, it began in childhood, as it slowly dawned on me that I was different. Other kids could hold hands during a game of Red Rover and actually have fun. Other adolescents could talk about “going steady” with someone and holding hands. Television commercials made sure you knew that sweating was disgusting and something to hide: “never let ‘em see you sweat” and “raise your hand if you’re Sure”. “M&M’s melt in your mouth, not in your hands”. Why did they melt in mine? Oh, I know… because I am a freak. What other explanation was offered to me? In a child’s world– where other children can be so cruel– the only way to survive was to hide it, at all costs. When it is part of your very existence, you get good at it.
Of course, there were occasions where I failed to hide it well enough. Times where out of the blue, a teacher or someone in charge would announce “let’s join hands”. What followed would be the other person’s surreptitious wiping of their hand on their pant leg– and my small death of shame inside with a muttered “…sorry”. Going to Mass every single week became an hourlong strategy session trying to avoid the Handshake of Peace, or God Forbid (!) the joining of hands for the entire “Our Father”. I felt like even God knew I was a freak; after all, wasn’t it He who made me this way? I’m telling you, every part of my life was colored by this!
Somehow, some way, I met someone who did not appear to notice my freakishness. Truth was, of course he noticed, but he did not care. The problem that controlled my life, that ultimately I could not hide from him, mattered not one single bit. He made me feel normal, safe, beautiful. We have been married nineteen years.
About eight years into our marriage, my husband was watching TV and I was fiddling around on our new computer… and I heard a sports announcer say something about a golfer whose hands would sweat because he had a disorder– my head snapped around and of course the name of that so-called disorder was long and unpronounceable… Immediately, I typed the words “sweaty hands” into the search engine, embarrassed, no, mortified, to just be typing those shame-filled words at all– and saw for the first time the word “Hyperhidrosis”. That word told me that I was not alone. I was not some random freak. Maybe, even, there was a cure for this, if it actually was a “disorder”!! So then began the second half of my journey, the part where I could look for answers and even for others out on the Internet who were like me.
