Read more from Kara over at our sister site, xoVain!
I have hyperhidrosis. Until I had a miraculous surgery, I used to sweat profusely from my hands and feet.
I’d turn in math tests all crinkly from my wet palms and leave little footprints on our hardwood floors. I would sit in my teenage bedroom and watch droplets of sweat slide from my feet down my leg, and I was just sitting there reading YM.
It sucked.
I remember developing this condition, which is shared by about three percent of the U.S. population, around age 11, right at the onset of puberty. (This is also when my bright-blonde hair began to darken and curl. Puberty blows!) I was already self-conscious about my big glasses and the gap in my teeth, so the fact that my hands would actually drip sweat even when I was sitting still under no stress made me feel super-uncomfortable in social situations.
I would find ways to avoid any situations where I’d touch someone else’s hand; in church, I’d purposely make a bathroom trip during the part where you “share the peace” (read: shake hands) with the other people. My high-school boyfriends never got to hold my hand. When I really couldn’t avoid having people touch me, I would cringe as I watched them wipe their hands on their pant legs.
Of course, my anxiety over this just aggravated the sweating.
Antiperspirants worked for my armpits, but not my hands or feet.
It affected my trendiness too! I could never wear jelly shoes — the biggest fashion statement of 1998 — or plastic flip-flops because I’d slide right out of them. I’m eternally thankful to Old Navy for dependably selling the canvas wedges I purchased every summer in high school.
At first, my parents thought it was something I’d grow out of, but with the advent of the Internet, I began doing research and discovered that I was not alone and that this wasn’t gonna go away.
There were things we could try, so I got my doctor to write me a prescription for a topical treatment called Drysol. I applied it to my palms and soles and slipped plastic baggies on every night. It stung, so I thought it was working; but in the end, it wasn’t a cure.
I convinced my mom to let me use her credit card and buy two ionic bath units, which I had read about online. Iontophoresis is the technical term for this treatment. I’d sit with these silly machines humming away, delivering tiny shocks to hands and feet, and watch the final seasons of “Friends” and “Frasier.” Obviously, this scheme didn’t work at all.
Botox shots were an option, but in the middle of North Dakota in the early 2000s, this wasn’t at all plausible. I graduated high school and forced myself to pretend people weren’t wondering why my hands were sopping wet when they shook my hand to congratulate me.
Midway through my freshman year at the University of Minnesota, I decided I was done with this sweating crap. I could not actively flirt with boys when I was a walking sweat machine.
I found out that the surgery, which I’d never really considered a viable option considering it was pretty expensive, could be covered by my insurance. My mom and I made some calls, got some awesome news (it was!) and booked me an appointment at the legendary Mayo Clinic in Rochester, about an hour away from Minneapolis.
Hyperhidrosis affects people in different areas. While mine was “palmar” and “plantar,” others may sweat profusely from their face, their back, underarms — you name it. I don’t know which one is the worst, because they’re all terrible when they’re your personal monster.
In order to be approved for the surgery, which is minimally invasive but was still a pretty big undertaking, I had to undergo some tests at the Mayo. I met with a couple surgeons, one who had me recite states and capitals while timed to see if I’d sweat more under pressure. Another had me run while he shouted at me, testing the relationship between my heart rate and my sweat.
The ultimate test was the one where I was told to strip naked and lie flat on my back on a stretcher. A nurse covered me head to toe in bright gold powder (ever see “Goldfinger”?). This powder would turn purple and point out my sweat patterns and where they were most dense. I was wheeled into a very small shed-like building where the temperature was about 130 degrees.
“Don’t worry,” the nurse said. “It’s pretty uncomfortable in there, and you have to be in there for 45 minutes, but you might lose some water weight!”
In I went. The nurse had neglected to tell me I could bring my own music to listen to while enclosed in this hot box. It being 2007, I would have chosen to play Broken Social Scene. However, I had the pleasure of listening to Rod Stewart’s cover of “Blue Moon” on a loop. For 45 minutes. With added guitar work by Eric Clapton, who I DETEST. I was in hell.
After memorizing each and every one of Rod’s smooth vocal cadences, I was released from my prison and my entire body was a lovely violet shade. My hands and feet, however, were black. I remained a bit lilac for several days after my hospital shower, but I was approved for surgery.
A minor insurance snafu kept me from actually getting the surgery for a few more months. I might have cried to the insurance agent on the phone; I had to convince them that my hyperhidrosis surgery was not for cosmetic reasons, but that it was affecting my entire day-to-day existence.
In June of 2007, I had my work done.
The surgeon performed what they call “endoscopic thorasic sympathectomy,” which basically means they went in under my arm, collapsed a lung, and clamped my sweat gland. It’s a safe, easy procedure, but there are a few possible side effects.
Some people who get the surgery experience what they call “compensatory sweating,” where the sweat stops in one place but picks up in another. My doctors warned me about this and told me the story of a lawyer who’d had it done for his hands, only to find that he’d become the new victim of excessive butt sweat. He was none too pleased about wearing Depends every day.
Luckily, I emerged unscathed. I have two tiny scars by my boobs that I like to tell people are my implant scars.
(FYI, if you’re ever in need of medical care, I totally recommend the Mayo. I was treated like a queen. My surgeons, who were mad busy, even came to check up on me. I totally get why the King of Jordan used to go there every year for his checkup.)
Today I have hands that don’t sweat. Ever. My feet still do, but definitely not as badly as they used to. The rest of me sweats normally.
I can’t finally hold babies without worrying that they’ll slip out of my hands!
Do any of you sweat a lot? Like, A LOT? Ever get any medical treatments for it?
puddles10inkeyboard // February 13th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
glad to read your post , I go for this surgery 1/21/13 and have wanted this my whole life . I live in Az where sweating is bad enough w/out having this condition! one thing I wanted to know is do you have any breathing problems after ? this would be the only thing to make me recomcider. oh , also wanted to say I got AHCCCs to pay for all of it … thats arizona D.E.S.
TheStrike818 // February 13th, 2013 at 6:14 pm
i did it 3 years ago .. but i did clamping not ceuterizing my nerves . now am sooo happy forgot that my hands were sweatfall.
my back sweating increased but for me its nothing ..
am really happy ..thanks god
Ahmed Nobel // February 13th, 2013 at 6:25 pm
how i prevent reccurence after operation ??
eternalstarsurfer // February 13th, 2013 at 6:27 pm
come check
ACardboardLlama // February 13th, 2013 at 7:02 pm
Liar
djandreal // February 13th, 2013 at 7:17 pm
homemade one..4 batteries, wires and plates..that’s all u need! it works like a charm! total cost: 20 pounds!
argreen33 // February 13th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
@mcnabj How do you know?
argreen33 // February 13th, 2013 at 8:01 pm
What machine do you use?
argreen33 // February 13th, 2013 at 8:30 pm
Why is this? are you saying that you dont sweat at ALL anymore. and your body cant cool down???
eternalstarsurfer // February 13th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Ruined my life also. Don’t ever ever ever ever ever do it PLEASE! I cry about it still it has been ten years since the fucked me up. Don’t ever do it. I can’t ever work in a job where I am not in shorts and in air conditioning, I get het stroke and confusion in heat above 85, I am unable to go a day in the summer without changing shirts at least 4 times and I can’t wear long pants even in the mid 70′s. DON”T DO IT!
djandreal // February 13th, 2013 at 9:30 pm
DON’T FUCKING DO IT! IONTOPHORESIS IS THE ANSWER!!
Sten Ekberg // February 13th, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Fix it for free, safely & for good! Sweaty hands, feet, underarms, etc (except when exercising) are caused by the sympathetic autonomic nervous system (ANS). There are two branches to the ANS sympathetic (fight/flight) and para-sympathetic (feed/breed). Notice when you are stressed or nervous the symptoms are worse? Manage stress by reprogramming your ANS. Chiropractic adjustments, breathing exercises, and visualizations will do that for you. Watch my videos to learn more.
thedeadblackorchid // February 13th, 2013 at 11:23 pm
holycrap that is scary
luvmywhiteteeth1 // February 13th, 2013 at 11:34 pm
MONEY HUNGRY PLEASE DONT DO IT !! RUINED MY LIFE TOO!! AS IM POSTING THIS MY CHEST AND BACK ARE DRIPPING WET …
AddictingProduction // February 14th, 2013 at 12:29 am
surgery always cost alot
xXIKE455Xx // February 14th, 2013 at 12:57 am
i have hyperhidrosis,and what theyre doing is actually cutting the nerve tht makes u sweat in half..ive read alot about it u should too
Zeero Handred // February 14th, 2013 at 1:25 am
Where does this take place?Your hands?How does it work?What are they doing?
Please answer these questions because this looks a little to sketchy.
Craisha Baylor // February 14th, 2013 at 1:39 am
how much does this stuff cost?
BlueMonkey9581 // February 14th, 2013 at 2:19 am
this surgery does have its risks, but i think pretty much every surgery does, if you cannot handle the situation i think you should talk to your surgeon about it.
i just got the surgery and im 16 years old, there is a bit of pain with me right niow but only because i just got out f hospital yesterday.
i recommend it!
jrunner1997 // February 14th, 2013 at 3:12 am
Ok someone explain this to me. Isuffer from sweating in big events, but my main problem is playing video games. So can someone tell me whats goin on, it looks like he has cut open into the skin and either A. burning the skin, or B. aplying something, so can someone tell me?
chivo2468 // February 14th, 2013 at 4:03 am
It works definitely, but it’s not worth the pain :’( I tried it myself once and it was horrible!! :’( 40 injections in each hand.. even though it kept me dry for about 9 months, I wouln’t recommend it. try Iontophoresis first !!!!
chivo2468 // February 14th, 2013 at 4:47 am
Just wanted to let you know that there are a lot of different ways to treat this, and YOU ALL should start from the lowest dangerous to the most dangerous even though you hear this one or that one didn’t work on someone else. My own example:
I tried Botox in my hand palms 7 years ago, 40 injections in each hand only to find out 3 years later that Iontophoresis, a much less painful treatment actually works on me, so yeah, try every treatment you hear about until u find the one that works for you
Mark Williams // February 14th, 2013 at 5:31 am
Don’t bother with this product. I tried it myself and it did absolutely nothing. Even Degree antiperspirant helped me more than this garbage. The best way to stop hyperhidrosis permanently is with natural methods. For the best techniques for stopping sweating I highly recommend stopsweating.info
Sarah Sbert // February 14th, 2013 at 6:26 am
I’m going to be trying this! I’m ordering it in the next month. I’ve had hyperhidrosis since I was about 11 years old. I’m the same, always a hoodie, or a jacket, or a baggy shirt, even in the summer!! I really hope that it works. If it does, I will be the happiest girl to wear a normal t-shirt and not have to worry!
spicylatina034 // February 14th, 2013 at 7:14 am
um yes i think we are all smart enough to kno that sweating is natural, like when you are hot, or nervous, or exercising, but when you are sitting and doing nothing at all and you have 5 inches under your arm. something is wrong. its a constant sweat that happens ALLL the time,i have to wear jackets even when i am not cold because its so embarrassing. i tried mens deodorants, cheap ones, expensive ones, and ive been dealing with this since i was in the 5th grade,and im 21 now.
jonah1877 // February 14th, 2013 at 7:31 am
I’ve been using this product for 2 weeks and let me tell you it is NOT BS it works!
marvelousmadbabyface // February 14th, 2013 at 8:14 am
We know it natural to sweat but hyperhidrosis is severe sweating. I have this condition myself and it is bad and embarassing.:( When you sit down youll have 2 inches of sweat under your arms. Thats not natural. Also im pretty sure you cant get Deoterant for 1$. Most deoterants dont work for this condition.
insurancevsinsurance // February 14th, 2013 at 9:12 am
Sweating is natural and your body is supposed to sweat. And this product is Bullshit. You can get deodorent at the market or local store for $1.
Margaret Paulk // February 14th, 2013 at 9:50 am
Guys, completely eliminate your excessive sweating does not need to be difficult (I used to feel it did). I’ll give you some advice right now. Look for holistic system known as Sweatozilax Miracle (do a search on google). Seriously,I finally eliminated my pain
dougsines // February 14th, 2013 at 10:23 am
i was thinking of the botox proerdure. suppose to last 9 months
Diedra Vonrehe // February 14th, 2013 at 11:03 am
Hello there! Thanks a lot for this helpful video. By the way, I notice lots of people keep on talking about Sweatozilax Miracle (just google it), but I’m not sure if it’s good. Have you tried using home remedy called Sweatozilax Miracle? I have heard several great things about it and my cooworker completely cure his excessive sweating naturally with this remedy.
SuperFishBreath // February 14th, 2013 at 11:23 am
go away, i discovered this not too long ago but im at a very dark place with my problem and i am even considering surgeries and am going to look into a specialist, as well i recently started seeing a communative therapist. This sort of seems like something that maybe the sweatblock people are paying people to do (because i have seen more than one of these reviews) however, i know it is a real problem (and very uncomfortable one) so please, let me know, anyone, your take on the product and ect.
SuperFishBreath // February 14th, 2013 at 11:56 am
I am 18 and I have had hyperhidrosis for 8 years, for as long as i can remember. It is terrible, it consumes my life, its more than physical it is as well mental for me. Everyday, school is the worst, i cant touch anyone, i can change multiple times, dry with paper towels, toilet paper, hand dryers. This is the biggest problem in my life beacause it is something i cant change or take hold of in any way. I have never felt normal and have deffinately changed everything in my life to try to make it