Hey to all. I am Lex. I am new to the forums so this is my first post. I am 28 and suffer from hyperhidrosis. I wanted to talk about how it impacts my life, and what i am doing about it. Hyperhidrosis can seem like a very lonely illness as i dont know anyone who sweats to anywhere near the level i do.
Ever since i was a toddler, i have sweated more than most. At school after playing football on dinner breaks my hair and clothes would be soaked with sweat, where as everyone else seemed to be dry as a bone. But it wasnt really till around the age of 18 when i would start to sweat in social situations. It started with my armpits. I remember my wardrobe been comprised of almost all dark blue, black and white clothing. I couldnt wear anything else, even to go to work. I was low on confidence in general but this really was crippling for me. I had some botox treatment that worked for around 4 months, then it came back. And treatment was unsuccessful the 2nd time round. I have had to come home from work on 2 occasions because of been embarrassed about my sweat patches, as well as countless nights out.
Over those last 10 years the HH has grown gradually worse. Part of this could be because i have put on a lot of weight. I became obsessed with weight training and saw it as an escape, a social outlet, and you cant be judged for sweating in a gym!
Now my HH effects my arm pits, face, back and groin. Naturally i sweat when i get warm, but its the anxiety sweating that i really hate. Especially the face because in public i cant hide that. Anything can trigger it off. Even around close friends if i am put on the spot or on a night out i sweat. Which leads me to conclude its in my makeup to be a heavy sweater, but there are also psychological issues at work which are to do with anxiety.
I am sure anyone reading can relate to at least some of the above. So i wanted to share with you what i am doing to make living with HH easier. Firstly the basics. I use Driclor for my under arms, and with proper application it works a treat, but i do get a little more sweat elsewhere. I have also recently ordered some undershirts to give them a try. Hopefully then i can wear any clothing i like without fear of sweat patches showing. Aside from that i generally try not to wear too many layers. I have accepted i am more susceptible to heat and warmth than the average guy. So i will wear t-shirts and shorts as often as possible, to stay cooler. I havnt looked too much into treating the face but any ideas on that are more than welcome.
The final thing i am doing is seeing a therapist over issues of social anxiety. Of course knowing i am likely to sweat adds a huge amount of anxiety to begin with. But there are plenty of situations which arise where i am initially cool, relaxed, and sweat free, and a certain situation causes me to sweat. Just the other day i met 2 friends for a drink with my sister. After i arrived another guy joined us and we were all sat at around a table. I was fine, until 1 of my friends asked me to tell the other a joke i had told him the previous day. This was all it took. Talking in front of 4 people who were all starring at me caused me to sweat from my groin, legs, back and face. This is the type of social anxiety i am hoping to work on as i cannot fully enjoy life if i do not.
Ever since i was a toddler, i have sweated more than most. At school after playing football on dinner breaks my hair and clothes would be soaked with sweat, where as everyone else seemed to be dry as a bone. But it wasnt really till around the age of 18 when i would start to sweat in social situations. It started with my armpits. I remember my wardrobe been comprised of almost all dark blue, black and white clothing. I couldnt wear anything else, even to go to work. I was low on confidence in general but this really was crippling for me. I had some botox treatment that worked for around 4 months, then it came back. And treatment was unsuccessful the 2nd time round. I have had to come home from work on 2 occasions because of been embarrassed about my sweat patches, as well as countless nights out.
Over those last 10 years the HH has grown gradually worse. Part of this could be because i have put on a lot of weight. I became obsessed with weight training and saw it as an escape, a social outlet, and you cant be judged for sweating in a gym!
Now my HH effects my arm pits, face, back and groin. Naturally i sweat when i get warm, but its the anxiety sweating that i really hate. Especially the face because in public i cant hide that. Anything can trigger it off. Even around close friends if i am put on the spot or on a night out i sweat. Which leads me to conclude its in my makeup to be a heavy sweater, but there are also psychological issues at work which are to do with anxiety.I am sure anyone reading can relate to at least some of the above. So i wanted to share with you what i am doing to make living with HH easier. Firstly the basics. I use Driclor for my under arms, and with proper application it works a treat, but i do get a little more sweat elsewhere. I have also recently ordered some undershirts to give them a try. Hopefully then i can wear any clothing i like without fear of sweat patches showing. Aside from that i generally try not to wear too many layers. I have accepted i am more susceptible to heat and warmth than the average guy. So i will wear t-shirts and shorts as often as possible, to stay cooler. I havnt looked too much into treating the face but any ideas on that are more than welcome.
The final thing i am doing is seeing a therapist over issues of social anxiety. Of course knowing i am likely to sweat adds a huge amount of anxiety to begin with. But there are plenty of situations which arise where i am initially cool, relaxed, and sweat free, and a certain situation causes me to sweat. Just the other day i met 2 friends for a drink with my sister. After i arrived another guy joined us and we were all sat at around a table. I was fine, until 1 of my friends asked me to tell the other a joke i had told him the previous day. This was all it took. Talking in front of 4 people who were all starring at me caused me to sweat from my groin, legs, back and face. This is the type of social anxiety i am hoping to work on as i cannot fully enjoy life if i do not.
