I’ve always been a sweaty person, I blame my Dad because he’s the same. He even has a mystery ‘sweaty hand’ condition. In changeable weather and sometimes for no reason, his right hand and arm up to the elbow starts sweating and I mean dripping. It only lasts for an hour or so and then goes away. He had loads of tests when he was younger but they never found out why. He has a few special ‘hand towels’ that he keeps to wrap his arm up when it happens. It was just a normal thing when I was little but I’ve since learned it’s rare. Excessive sweating is known as hyperhidrosis.
Thankfully I haven’t inherited the sweaty hand part, but I do get sweaty armpits a lot and I sweat easily. I have to choose my clothes carefully, it doesn’t matter how much deodorant or which kind I use, I always get some sweat coming through. I use Mitchum extra strength stick deodorant and that seems to be the best but it still isn’t fully foolproof, especially in hot weather or stressful situations. Luckily I don’t seem to smell with it, I obviously wash regularly and keep clean.
What is annoying is that I can’t just wear whatever clothes I want. Light grey is a no-no and some colours I just don’t bother with. Silk shirts and dresses I can only dream of, and anything too tight to the underarm I avoid. You won’t see many pictures of me with my arms in the air out of the habit of always keeping them down.
When I first qualified as a Midwife, the uniform I had been so looking forward to wearing was a grey dress with blue piping. Within minutes I had visible wet patches on the underarms, I was mortified. As the shift wore on it was so obvious. I didn’t want to go to work after that and started wearing scrubs instead when I could, but I couldn’t avoid it when I had to work in the postnatal and antenatal wards. In desperation, I tried putting sanitary towels in the armpits to absorb the sweat. This kind of worked but they slipped a bit and were visible if I held my arms up. After a couple of weeks I bought some sweat dress guards and sewed them into the lining. They did work and I recommend getting these if you’re having the same issues. They weren’t perfect, if the sweating was particularly bad it would come through, but nothing like before, more like a little patch. Once I went onto night shifts after I had children I just wore scrubs, which were roomier and a darker blue.
Now at work (as a practice nurse), I wear a dark navy uniform that hides the sweat a bit better, but no matter how much I wash them, the armpits eventually get crusty and I have to get new ones. I’m writing this because it’s so embarrassing for me, but I hope it will resonate with some of you having the same issue.
So, what can we do about excessive sweating?
Well, there are things you can do. I am going to talk about clothing options first, and then medical options.
Clothing hacks for sweaty people
- Dress in layers when possible, so you can take off layers when you feel yourself getting hot
- Choose natural breathable fabrics like cotton, bamboo, silk, or wool
- Choose specific shirts for sweating that have barriers built in
- Choose darker colours or prints and avoid white or grey
- Let your feet breathe with cotton or sports socks, and choose footwear that encourages airflow
- Make sure you are using an antiperspirant rather than just deodorant
- Get dress guards to give you more confidence
- Try natural methods to stop sweating
You may not know it, but there could be a medical reason for your excessive sweating. See your doctor. There may be a simple solution for you, and a referral can be made to explore options. There could be no medical cause, or it could be a sign of diabetes, heart disease, or a thyroid problem. Treatments for excessive sweating include botox, an electrical current treatment called iontophoresis, using an aluminium-based antiperspirant, and in extreme cases, surgery.
There are a load of supplements and antiperspirants out there on the market, but check the ingredients thoroughly first before you shell out and see your doctor first. Just remember, you’re not alone and a lot of women (including me) suffer from it too.
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