Study compares palmar and axilliary hyperhidrosis

Botox information

A blog called BotoxCorner discusses the use of Botox to treat hyperhidrosis. It was hard to tell who is writing this blog and why, and whether he has any conflicts of interest that would make his blog less trustworthy. But it is worth at least checking out.

I saw Botox treatments (underarms and palms) administered at a medical conference. The doctor used ice cubes to numb the area just before the shots. The patients flinched a little but did not seem to be in major pain. There was slight bleeding from the area covered. Palmar injections are said to be more painful than axilliary injections. Iontophoresis seems to be a preferable option for most people.

The other problem with Botox is that it is expensive and not always covered by insurance.

I am wavering between treating my palmar hyperhidrosis and not treating it. I seem to be doing OK without the treatment.

Talking to your parents about hyperhidrosis

"John," a reader of this blog, wrote to me asking for suggestions on how to tell his parents about his hyperhidrosis. I think John is very smart to put some thought into this, because your approach will help determine what kind of support you will get from your parents.

I think I could have handled this issue better as a teenager. I used to put on a tough facade...I would pretend I didn't like any kind of activity that might expose my hyperhidrosis. Dances are stupid. Theater is stupid. Church is stupid. Class rings are stupid. Group pictures with the swim team are stupid. Sometimes I even believed what I said. It was easier to reject everything than to show up at the group picture with my wet feet making marks on the floor or to have someone notice my class ring *and* my sweaty hand. I definitely wouldn't advise the "tough facade" approach to talking to parents.

When I did ask for help, I was told that I was lucky to have my problem compared with other people's problems. I had enough food to eat, a healthy body, good grades in school...what more could I want? Yes, there are always people who are worse off, but hyperhidrosis is a real problem. In fact, studies show that treatment of hyperhidrosis improves one's quality of life more than treatment of many conditions that are considered more serious.

So before you ask for help, I suggest rehearsing what you're going to say and letting your parents know how the condition impacts your social life. Tell them about the time no one wanted to dance with you because of your sweaty palms, or the time a teacher made fun of you in front of others, or whatever might have happened to you because of your sweating. Tell them that non-surgical treatment is available from dermatologists, and your visit is most likely to be covered by health insurance. Print out information from the internet (especially www.sweathelp.org) to show to your parents. Try not to get angry if you don't get the response you want...it may take your parents some time to understand what you are going through. Finally, mention the problem to your doctor at your next office visit. The doctor could talk to your parents about the need for treatment. Hyperhidrosis is a common problem (3 or 4 percent of the U.S. population), so I would be shocked if your doctor even blinks an eye when you talk to him or her.

The International Hyperhidrosis Society has a lot of good information for teenagers, including an "ask frances" column written by a teenager who got treatment for her hyperhidrosis. Scroll down the page to see a letter that addresses this issue in great detail.

I'd like to write more about this important issue, so please feel free to jump in and offer your thoughts and suggestions for me and John.

Thanks for writing, John, and please keep us posted!

Singapore Support

Any people in Singapore with hyperhidrosis reading my blog? If so, check out the Singapore Support Group. It's great to see folks banding together to support each other.

The Wet Hands Club

At first, the Wet Hands Club sounds like a good idea: "The Wet Hands Club is possibly the first of its kind in Malaysia, formed as a support group for people with palmar hyperhidrosis, or excessively sweaty palms."

Three "wet hands sufferers" formed the club "as a platform to share their experiences in order to help other people with hyperhidrosis."

Yes, I'm all for people with hyperhidrosis supporting each other and sharing experiences. That's what this blog is for. However, in an effort to help HH sufferers, the club negotiated "for an interest-free instalment payment scheme with Maybank-Visa for those wishing to undergo the video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy procedure at a selected private hospital in Kuala Lumpur." No mention of the all-too-common side effects of this procedure. Too many patients report compensatory sweating much worse than ever.

Please, Wet Hands Club, make it clear that surgery is a last resort. There are many less-invasive treatments for people to consider before the surgery.

The princess with the sweaty palms

I rarely notice people's rings or jewelry. I rarely check to see if someone is wearing a wedding band. Now that I'm wearing an engagement ring, I am noticing how many people notice rings, specifically mine!

"Ooh, is that your engagement ring?" a colleague said. Suddenly I was surrounded by other colleagues, wanting to see my ring up close. "Where did you get it?" "What kind of gemstone is that?" (I love color, so I opted to get a gemstone rather than a diamond.) One woman took my cold, sweaty hand in hers. She recoiled. "Oh! Your hand is cold!"

I drew my hand away, and my tough outer shell came back. I quickly ended the conversation and moved on. I wish I could have enjoyed that moment.

Later, I recounted the incident to my therapy group. A few people felt that it was "incredibly rude" for that person to comment out loud on my cold hand. I hadn't thought of it that way before. I honestly belive my coworker was not trying to be hurtful. Is it really necessary to heap the bad feelings on myself? Maybe he's right...my coworker probably should have kept her revulsion to herself.

But I don't want to be mad at her. I just want to enjoy my ring and what it represents...the love of my life.

"It's Us in Our True Form"

Thanks to Sarah, who is "22 and from good old Sydney, Australia," who took the time to share her story:


I always used to sweat (excessively with exercise) but even when I did nothing at all. Most commonly my underarms would just drip water (even after a shower!!) - it would scare me because I'd think, why the heck is there water trickling down under my arm when I've only just showered and dried. It used to frustrate me, to the point I've only ever worn black & dark colours, I hardly ever wear T-shirts unless black! I always get that annoying dampness (WHICH IS HUGE in size - like a flood) under my arms. It's so F*cking embarrassing.

I used to work at a pharmacy so I knew there were treatments & I did a lot of research on excessive hyperhydrosis such as getting botox injections into the glands (like Linsday Lohan), and or removing them completely & using alumininium hexahydrate chloride antiperspirants such as Dri-Clor. I know everything is bad for you in the long term, but it did seem to work for me for awhile, it was the after irritation that leave me scratching like I had fleas.

I've just learned to deal with it because it's all I know. It embarrasses me when I'm getting close to someone that I'll be sweaty & I Havent even done anything. It upsets me my shirt is always soaked and I have to hide it. :(

I thought it was only my underarms, but I have noticed my hands are ALWAYS cold and slightly clammy, and my feet! I didnt know they sweat - But i've noticed my socks are always soaked and damp. But foot odour is evidence there excessive sweating down there.

I'm sticking to natural cotton materials and I'd rather stay away from
anything so concentrated with Aluminium because afterall, humans
shouldnt have to wear anything - it's us in our true form.

Food for Thought

What are the beautiful things you've seen today? What are you grateful for? What can you feel good about? What will you give yourself permission to feel good about?

Changing your self-talk can change the way you live, and it can also change the way others respond to you. Those who expect to be loved are loved, and those who believe they're unlovable are less likely to get the love they need.

We all deserve to be loved. The beauty of God is within each of us...go ahead, let it show.

Love,
Tiara

The ring!

We bought an engagement ring, and I had it sized today. My hands were a little sweaty while I was trying on different size bands. "Were you just out walking a lot?" the salesguy asked me. I said yes. It would have been interesting if I had said "oh, that's just my hyperhidrosis acting up again!" I am so used to hiding my condition that I didn't think twice about telling the guy I was out walking briskly, when in fact I hadn't.

What if all of us with HH stopped hiding our condition at the same time?

I've never worn rings before ... I suppose because I didn't want people to notice my hands. I'll get the ring back in about a week. I'm a little afraid others will want to hold my hand while looking at it.

Damn it...I want to enjoy the ring!

Sweat and Let Sweat?

Check out "Inspiration," a blog by Janet, a woman in her late 20s who has excessive underarm perspiration. She advocates a "sweat and let sweat" approach to dealing with HH because she is concerned about the alleged link between anti-perspirants with aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. I have not fully investigated this issue, but I do fall on the "natural woman" end of the spectrum, avoiding unhealthy ingredients in foods and products whenever possible.

On the other hand, I was able to treat my excessive underarm perspiration with Drysol, which contains aluminum. The improvements in my quality of life was worth it to me. The Drysol doesn't seem to work as well for my hands and feet, however, and I don't wish to apply it all the time.

I think Janet's perspective is worth considering, though of course we all need to choose the treatment that works best for ourselves. In any case, I think it's great to see people with HH speaking up about their condition.