Sunday, 27 September 2009

Hello everyone!

Some of you may be reading the title of this blog post and thinking: "What"??? So to start with I am just going to quote the good old Wikipedia definition of the term:

"Hyperhidrosis is the condition characterized by abnormally increased perspiration,^[1] in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature."

This is a problem that I have suffered with since the age of 11. I know it sounds hard to believe that a girl of such a young age could start to have a problem like that but its completely true. I remember my first experience very clearly.

In my final year of primary school, my class had a teacher who always had the dreaded sweat patches under his arms. Every day without fail.

 One day, my friends and I were joking around and I happened to raise my arms.

"Oh my god", said my classmate, "you've got armpits like Mr So-and-So" (I wont name and shame!). I looked down and sure enough, my armpits were wet through. I was so embarassed.

After that first incident I made sure I used an antiperspirant deoderant every day to try to stop the sweating, and I washed thoroughly morning and night. But it was no use at all, and as I got older, it got worse. In high school, no matter how hot it was I would never take off my blazer because I knew I would have wet patches on my shirt. I would always keep my arms at my side to try and stop people from seeing and I lived like that until I actually went to the doctors, aged 20, to see what was going on!

I know I should have gone before, but I was embarassed. I associated this problem with dirty people who never wash, but I was completely wrong. This is a genuine medical problem and there are things that can help.

I was so happy when he prescribed me Driclor, an extra strength roll on anti-persperant, and after 2 days the sweat patches had disappeared.

The way I had to use it was to wash before bed, roll it on like a deoderant and then let it dry before putting on any pyjamas or anything. I have to admit that there was a tingling/ itching sensation, which wasnt very pleasant, while the product dried. When it was dry I would go to sleep and wash it off in the morning and apply normal anti-perspirant as I usually would. After the second night of doing this I noticed that I didnt have any patches on my clothes at all! I couldnt believe it! I had to keep checking in the mirror! I have continued use ever since but because the formulation is so strong I only have to use it once a week!

I would recommend this product to ANYONE who has had the problem that I have had. Its a really embarassing problem and one that makes you feel dirty and ashamed. But I have found out that there is absolutely no need to suffer. You can actually buy Driclor in Boots, although it is quite pricey for a small bottle. But having said that, can you put a price on renewed confidence?

The only downside I would say is the tingling/ itching sensation while the product is drying. It is quite irritating. You have to remember to just put on a thin layer and dont roll loads on. Thats when the tingling is worse. There are other brands though, so if you dont get on with Driclor, try one of the others. I havent had a problem so I have stuck with it and I am so happy that I did!

I urge anyone who has read my story here and found it familiar, to read up on hyperhidrosis and to try out this product. Its amazing! And to those of you who have seen people suffering with the problem before and thought "ewww"... please remember that the poor person you are mocking has a medical issue, and they shouldnt be judged for it.

Thanks for reading this post guys, I know it isnt directly fashion or beauty related but I thought it would be helpful to some people.

Take care xoxo