Profuse Sweating
Dry me a river: They are fighting a battle against profuse sweating
By Zakir Hussain NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
May 10, 2005
Each time Sophia Parente held the hand of her 5-year-old son, Vincent, he pulled away and said, “Ew, it’s gross, Mummy.”
“He’d wipe his little hands off while crossing the road,” Parente said.
At social events, she would have “that sinking inside feeling” when people wiped their hands after shaking hers. When she could, she would hold a glass of cold water so she had an excuse for why her hands were wet.
Then in March, Parente, 30, a middle-school teacher in Virginia Beach, Va., began receiving Botox injections in her palms. Now, they no longer drip. And Vincent doesn’t let go.
Parente is one of nearly 8 million Americans who perspire profusely. Theirs is an obscure medical condition, hyperhidrosis, which is getting more attention thanks to a group of doctors who in 2003 formed the International Hyperhidrosis Society, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia.
The society recently launched a “Know Sweat” awareness campaign to help sufferers realize that they are not alone. Its Web site, www.sweathelp.org, explains treatment options and provides a database of over 500 physicians throughout the United States, Canada and the world.
“This is the message that we’re trying to get out,” said Dr. David Pariser, president of the society, who has a practice in Norfolk, Va. “To tell people it is not normal to sweat all the time.”
A recent survey sponsored by the society found that 88 percent of those diagnosed with hyperhidrosis had endured negative social reactions from others like disgust or mockery. One recent survey showed that 12 percent of Americans said they perspired a lot all the time. Of these, 83 percent had not seen a doctor about their condition, mainly because they didn’t think they had a problem or because they didn’t think anything could be done about it.
“When they have a problem that interferes with their life, that’s sweating too much,” said Dr. Flor Mayoral, a dermatologist in Miami. “People will say ‘no’ to a social event, they would isolate themselves, they may not go to church or, when they go, they don’t shake people’s hands.”
Hyperhidrosis results from overactive sweat glands and is not related to weight, ethnicity or climate, said Dr. Heidi Waldorf, director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. It usually affects the underarms, palms, face and soles of the feet, and commonly begins in adolescence. People who perspire all over the body may have other medical conditions, she said.
Far more damaging to many sufferers than the inconvenient physical manifestations are the ridicule, embarrassment and anxiety that accompany them. This is particularly difficult for children.
“They may feel uncomfortable raising their hands in class, and the teacher might think they’re not interested,” said Dr. Kathryn Connor, a psychiatrist at Duke University who has seen young hyperhidrosis patients.
That was the case for Frances Rivers, 16, who found it nerve-racking to be around people. She could barely hold a pen in class without wiping her hands every few minutes and wore three layers of clothes to hide sweat marks under her arms. Last October, the high school student in Virginia Beach demanded that her parents arrange treatment.
Rivers’ mother, Felecia, searched the Internet and discovered a specialist who administered Botox injections on her daughter’s underarms. He also prescribed iontophoresis, a procedure where a water bath is used to conduct a mild electric current through the skin. Almost immediately, her symptoms went away.
People who think they sweat too much should locate a dermatologist to help them explore treatment options, said Pariser. One common approach is surgery that prevents nerve signals from being transmitted to sweat glands in affected areas. This procedure, however, can prompt profuse perspiration in other previously unaffected parts of the body.
People with hyperhidrosis can use prescription antiperspirants or they can temporarily block sweat glands by iontophoresis. Parente found this time-consuming and not effective. It was then that her dermatologist suggested Botox as an option. Note that you should seek natural cures BEFORE thnking about Botox and understand the risks associated with injections as well!
Botox injections stop the nerves from stimulating sweat glands, said Waldorf. Completed in minutes, these injections need to be repeated after six months. And while they may cost up to $2,000 per treatment, insurance companies are increasingly paying for the procedure if it has been prescribed by a doctor. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Botox for hyperhidrosis.
Not long after Rivers’ injections, she wore a strapless gown to her 10th-grade homecoming party and participated in her school’s pageant. “It just changed my life completely,” she said.
Thank you to Lori Riback for submitting this article and writes:
This was published in the health section of the San Diego paper today and I thought I would pass it along. Thank you, Lori Riback – Tampa Florida.
Hi, I have a rare neuropathy called CIDP…Chronic Inflammatory Demylinating Polyneuropathy. I was diagnosed with this disease in 1999 and ever since then all i do is SWEAT, A LOT!!! I just came from the store and my head, t-shirt, arms, neck were drenched, no exaggeration.
Would this be the same as Hyperhidrosis and is there treatment for this? It is very embarrassing when I’m out with my friends, shopping or just sitting at home. There is nothing I can do without sweating profusely. It could 30 below zero or 90 degrees. Please, help!!
Thanks,
Dina Fritch
sir, I’m 23 years of age, & my weight is near to 100kg. my height is about 5 feet 11 inches. I’m suffering from the problem of profuse sweating from age of 14. i start sweating, when I’m in the crowded area where all are strangers, when there is a slight change in the temperature around me. but i stop sweating as soon as i come in contact with the cool air. the sweating makes me feel thirsty & when i drink water to quench my thirst i sweat more. sir can you please suggest me any homeopathic remedy for my this problem?
I sweat profusely regardless of the temperature and cannot get anyone to take me seriously. I am horribly embarrassed when I am in the presence of others with sweat running down my face, my hair dripping wet, and my clothing clinging to my body. It’s horrible. I don’t know where to turn or what to do. What type of medical doctor would I ask to see? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
As soon as I get up the sweat starts pouring down my face, my hair wets through and drops big drops of sweat. It seems unless I have the house down to 68 degrees and fans blowing everywhere I just drop large drops from my forehead.
I start to clean house and it looks like I am cleaning outside in over 90 degrees weather. When people are around me outside or inside I just drop sweat like I have water leaking from my head. Nobody else will be sweating like this and I can’t understand what’s wrong with them!
I have to wear dark clothes or you can see the sweat on my bottom, looks like I peed in my pants! That is embarrassing with my behind sweating through my gray shorts. I am 58. When I am getting ready to go off I must have the fans blowing on me and the house temperature low. After making up my face I just sweat it all off. The only place I really cool down is when I get into the car and blast myself with the air conditioner!
As soon as I come into the 70 degrees house that my husband set the thermometer on I can’t strip off fast enough. I keep my bedroom very cool an enjoy covering with covers, yet still wait up sometimes and have left a water imprint on my bedsheets. Today, I couldn’t stop drinking water and then got nauseated and threw it up. Couldn’t eat anything after. Just so thirsty. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, have thyroidism, and I do take Prozac. Just recently I told my doctor and she has run many blood tests. I’ll try to post what she tells me.
Just call me water logged. As fast as it comes out I try to put it back in. And I am freezing my husband to-death just trying to keep myself cool. It is a full time business.
Susie Wagner
I am 28 years old. I think I have some form of Hyperhidrosis. My face, scalp, neck, chest, back, stomach, arms, armpits, backs of hands (not palms), legs and feet will literally have sweat dripping when I am doing the same activity as another person that is barely even breaking a sweat. It all starts on my face and I begin to feel it in my scalp, then my neck, chest and back… you get the idea.
I’ll be freezing (with goose bumps) one moment and get up and walk around, inside or outside, and the whole process will begin.
My problem is very debilitating and depressing. I think it has slowly gotten worse over the past 5 years that I’ve had it. I love the outdoors but rarely participate in outdoor activities now unless I am by the pool or a body of water b/c I am so embarassed. It makes me sad to think about everything that I am missing out on.
Sometimes it happens in a store or in public (even when it is cool/cold)and I can tell the process is starting. I’ll walk outside to my car and by the time I start my car, my whole body is covered in sweat. I can touch my shin and it is wet, like someone poured a cup of water on it.
I love to dance at weddings and like being very active, exercise has been very important to me for about the past 10 years. My sweating gets in the way though. I can dance for one song and my hair is soaked. I don’t have to do any cardio to sweat. I can lift weights for 5 minutes and I’m well on my way to being soaked. I read another post similar to this.
I don’t like giving hugs to people anymore. I hug someone and they touch my back and they kind of take a step back. I’ll be talking to somebody and my face just starts to bead up.
Every activity I do, I have to take into consideration the temperature and whether or not there is a likely chance for me to sweat. And, almost always there is.
I rarely drink, I eat healthier than anybody I know. I really am desperate for help and answers. I don’t think I’ve seen an instance anywhere like mine though.
I’m noxious_man from the Philippines. I have an extreme hyperhydrosis w/c you don’t think a person has. I sweat a lot all over my body, even I’m on the air conditioned room or even after taking shower. I also experience profuse body heat especially when I’m awake in terms of if i know that there is someone who will getting near to me, my body heat will rise that causes me to not smell so good! I experiencing it 5 years now…now i’m a graduate of computer engineer but for now i don’t want to get a job because I’m afraid to be always at the center of discussion and nothing can do just to regret them and pitying myself. Can someone give me an alternative medications from this curse? I’m begging you………
Hello,i wanted to say that i also suffer from over sweating but I’m working on finding a solution for this problem. i have had this problem since school right up to my late 30’s. i didn’t think it was curable but the more I read, the more hope I have.
i did a lot of research on my over sweating and learned a lot about why it happens, symptoms, how to stop it. By using some simple relation techniques, i have not sweated excessively now for 42 days and counting.
I had all the problems that other people have mentioned and i know what its like changing clothes constantly. i had to have 2 trousers and shirts in my work locker all the time and school was a nightmare for me but my mother had told my headteacher and i used to be excused from class to change my clothes but i was still picked on unfortunately.
i decided to really do something about it because it was affecting my marriage. I finally found that training yourself to relax can greatly reduce the sweating.
I’m still looking for a medical cure, but at least I don’t have to suffer as much while waiting. My advice to those of you over sweating and waiting for a cure is to read up on relaxation techniques. Sounds crazy, but it can make a difference.
Thank you,
Ted
I am having a problem! I start sweating when i am in crowded area or at work i need a cure, it’s driving me crazy! I am thinking its some kind of anxiety attack. When i am home it does not happen but once i get out there my arm starts sweating! Please, I need help!
I have the exact same problems that Tara has mentioned above and I don’t know what to do. I work outside and it seems like I sweat the minute I start anything even if it is 50 degrees out and the task is simple. I have asked a dermatologist but she only prescribed drysol which works but not if you sweat like crazy all over your head neck and back… I have looked into the EPS surgery but it still looks way to risky of an operation. I feel like this is ruining my social life and I am always wondering if there is some place cool that I can covertly retreat to like some crazy person. What is my next step?