Hyperhidrosis is a highly misunderstood, underreported, and stigmatized condition whose effects are wide-ranging and life-altering. It affects 365 million people worldwide, yet people are still suffering in silence. With your help, we are changing that.
Explore the unique stories of those living with hyperhidrosis below. Read their stories to get a glimpse into the everyday life of a hyperhidrosis sufferer and the unique challenges brought forth by this condition.
Submit your story today and receive a $100 discount code for a Dermadry device!
Michael S.
#50
Throughout my life, I never worried much about my condition, but when I stepped into high school, everything changed. My hyperhidrosis started to show, which did not only show at some parts of my body, but literally everywhere; my hands, my palms, my legs, my chest, my tummy, my back, my foot—everywhere. I thought it was just some kind of change that will eventually disappear, but it is not. It ruined my confidence and self-esteem all through out high school up until now. As a law student, it is hard for me to keep and maintain my calm and confidence if my whole body is sweating. Every time I am being called to answer or defend something I’m not sure of, I’ll get nervous and then all of a sudden my whole body sweats. It is really confidence-wracking. In law school, we are required to wear polo shirt or polo (may it be short-sleeves or long-sleeves) and a guy like me who sweats a lot can’t actually have the freedom to choose light colors (aside from white) and even wear long-sleeves, because it will just contribute to sweat. This hyperhidrosis is really making my life sad and less-confident.
Caleb
United States
#174
From funny experiences to personal inconveniences I can be thankful for Hyperhidrosis for it is a huge factor to what made me, me. As I am writing this I can feel the beads of sweat forming on my palms, and feet, slowly turning to rivers and ultimately to what feels like oceans. Every couple lines that I write I am obliged to wipe my hands or be forced to bear a waterlogged (in this case, sweat-logged) keyboard. As of right now my home is a comfy 75 degrees Fahrenheit but even in the chilliest of temperatures reaching below the freezing point of water, my hands and subsequently feet are inclined to cool me off. Whatever it may be in my hands for a long period of time will eventually feel the presence of a gradual to an unyielding flood. Though, sometimes I forget about my hyperhidrosis when I’m having a good time. As in playing with my dog, Bella. We would chase one another around the house, most notably through the kitchen and dining room area where the kitchen had laminate flooring and the dining room had carpet. I get so caught up that Bella might catch me that I don’t notice the ends of my appendages starting to sweat in anticipation I might “lose”, that is until my feet hit a 90 degree turn from the kitchen toward the dining room and my feet have absolutely no grip. I also remember back when I was still going to daycare and they had a game room I would always play the stand up arcade Sonic the Hedgehog game. I would get so into the game I didn’t notice my hands sweating but when it came time to switch players I was forced to remember since the daycare lady would make a big deal of it and come in with a spray bottle and paper towels. She never understood why every time I was done playing, the console was pretty much always soaked, even going on to assume I was sucking or spitting on the controls, which was never the case. This evolved to my consciousness to my electronics keyboard/mouse/phone which I have to pause from time to time wherever I’m at to wipe off the excess amount of pooled sweat because my phone can’t distinguish where I am pressing or I could potentially short another keyboard/mouse. This also brings me to when I first held the hand of my significant other, not only is it embarrassing for me to leave a sweat print on my partner but in some instances they refuse to hold my hand because of that very fact. There’s also good things that come out of this condition as well like the extra grip I have whenever my hands first begin to sweat, or when they’re soaking I have in essence some heat resistance, or even perhaps a neat nickname! When I was in high school and the people I’ve grown up with all my life knew me and of my condition, found it strange when my hands were dry. On the bus going home one day one of these friends felt my hand by accident and noticed they were dry and even went on to comment something along the lines of “Woah! Your hands are dry for once!”. Growing up with this condition I began to notice when my hands would sweat, so I replied with “I bet I can make them start sweating”. As they held my hand, I closed my eyes and started thinking in depth about falling off of a skyscraper, when I truly thought about it and put myself in that situation, my hands started sweating! To their surprise and somewhat mine, I was dubbed then onward “Aquaman”. Some might suggest wearing gloves, I too thought of this and for a brief time wore latex gloves since they were easy to get plus disposable. At the end of a mere 15 minutes, when I took those gloves off my hands were quite literally dripping with sweat, let alone the sample collected in the gloves. Needless to say, I didn’t go the glove route, not even cotton gloves since when I lay in bed at night and my feet begin to create cesspools which soak into my blankets. When my feet stopped producing sweat I was forced to still feel the coldness of the markings they left. For those of you without hyperhidrosis, I implore you to dump a quarter cup of water on the foot section of your blanket you’re wrapped in and move your feet across it, then you will feel my nightly struggle. I have also been to the doctor to get prescribed a solution to rub on my hands and feet at night to eradicate my problem but after a week I fall off of this newfound regiment with the thought that one day it might come in handy. Along with the fact that it is just a part of me. While I have to be self aware about it, I started carrying around a handkerchief to wipe my hands whenever they become too bad. Who knows, one day it might actually be useful and bring an advantage others without this condition might not have.
Omar
Saudi Arabia
#183
I have hyperhidrosis in almost all of my body including hands, armpits, back, face, chest, feet. It really changed my life for the worse and made me anti-social. I don't handshake people and i don't like to go outside. Even when it's freezing cold, I sweat a lot. I'm only eighteen and my anxiety goes through the roof when I'm sweating excessively in front of people. My friends and school classmates used to laugh at me for smelling bad and having sweat marks and have hands that literally produce sweat for a whole country lol. I live in the Middle East and it's so hard for me to live in such a high temperature atmosphere. Even at 11 PM it is 42°C. I bathe almost everyday and I have no clue what to do with my situation, it made me hate the body that I have.
Rex
United States
#161
Awful and very inconvenient to perform tasks with sweaty hands, axilla, and feet.
Elizabeth C.
Saudi Arabia
#76
One of my most embarrassing moment caused by my hyperhidrosis occurred in grade 10 during one of our biology classes. We were discussing the kidney and obviously urine came up and the waste products that are found in your urine that the kidney excretes. Our teacher then went on to tell us how our sweat consists of basically the same ingredients as our urine. Somebody asked for clarification saying "so that means when you sweat you are basically urinating through your skin?" Our teacher's answer was yes. It felt like the world had stopped spinning, I heard someone say my name and all of a sudden everyone was looking at me, when the teacher asked me what was going on I simply raised my sweating hands so she could see the drops running down my hands. That left her speechless, she had no idea what to say. For months after that whenever someone wanted to borrow a pen (or something like that) from me, my class mates would tease me by saying something along the lines of "Be careful it has her urine on it." I know that it was just a joke but it really hurt.
Danika A.
Philippines
#129
I avoid participating in activities that make me sweaty. I feel confident about doing the activity but because of my severe sweating of hands, feet and underarms I tend to refuse to avoid embarrassment. • I've always wanted to learn how to draw and paint. But I give up every time the paper is soaked with the sweat of my hands. • I've never owned open high heels. I always want to wear one and attend formal events. I just wear white sneakers and told my friends I didn't have time to buy one. • I only buy white or black colored shirts; any color that won't make my underarm sweat visible. There were times that I have to wear light shirt colors for a day in a school so I avoid interactions as much as possible because it makes me nervous and sweaty. • I sometimes avoid ordering to restaurants because sometimes when the cashier hands out the change I receive them with sweaty hands. • I love playing games mobile, PC or console. I just play for a short amount of time, sometimes the game play can be intense and it makes me nervous. I've been invited to participate in a tournament in our school, but clearly, I refused because of hyperhidrosis. • I love to dance with my friends. For now, I dance alone in my room. The dance floor is dangerously sweaty. • I love to do karaoke with my friends. Passing the microphone after my turn is embarrassing. • I sometimes excuse myself to the bathroom just to shake off my shirt and dry my underarms. • I know myself as a lively and perky person, but in some situations I act shy and quiet so that I won't use up my energy and sweat. Especially when meeting new people. Hyperhidrosis made me regret a lot of my decisions. I use it as an excuse to save myself from embarrassment. Telling the reason alone to other people is embarrassing enough.
Christianne M.
Canada
#11
Ever since I could remember, hyperhidrosis has definitely affected me in numerous ways. • I learned to purposely hold cold drinks in my right hand so I could blame the condensation from the drink for making my hands wet instead of admitting it was sweat • I could never buy colored shoes as my feet would sweat so much they would show visible stains • I wear sweaters in the summer so I have my sleeves to wipe my hands on • I've messed up taking orders on touch screen machines at work because my hands would slip • I usually have to wipe down my couch as my feet get sweaty when I sit cross legged • Hand holding is almost always not an option • At the nail salon, they already know to have a paper towel roll at my station during my appointments I've been told many times that it isn't a big deal, but hyperhidrosis has lowered my self confidence many times and life would definitely be easier if it didn't exist!
Mya
#167
I have been affected by hyperhidrosis for as long as I could remember. Hands, feet and underarms. It has affected me in so many ways. My dream growing up was to be a makeup artist but having sweaty hands and touching people's faces does not work with my condition. Now I work in PR so I'm always meeting people, introducing myself. I tend to go straight in for a hug and a kiss rather than a handshake! Silver lining about Covid-19 is not having to shake hands anymore which is the best thing to happen to me recently! :-)
Iza S.
Poland
#229
I have enough. I have enough of hiding in huge sweaters to hide my sweat stains I have enough of wearing milions of coating to sweat through I have enough of quitting things because of the possibility of becoming visibly wet. I have enough of avoiding social interactions. My hyperhidrosis has been the reason for all that for 10 years (I am 21) and it is a continuous battle. I want to finally function normally, wear beautiful colorful clothes that reflect my personality. This problem is spoken about only in TV series as funny jokes, whereas it’s a regular disease that has to be understood. It is a nightmare, especially without general awareness. I really believe that can change.
Lina Q.
United States
#48
I have suffered from hyperhidrosis since I can recall. I grew up scared of shaking hands with strangers and holding hands with the boy I liked. I never found anyone that sweat as much as me. I would have to put a paper under my hands when writing, walk around with wrinkle clothes from drying my hands so much on them. As I entered my 20s, I was unable to wear heels or cute sandals without slipping. During interviews, it was embarrassing to shake someone’s hand because I could tell in their face they didn’t understand why my hands were wet. Now that I’m 25, I just graduated as a nurse and my biggest fear is maybe taking to long to put my gloves on when a patient starts to code or my patients complaining about my sweaty hands whenever I have to assess them. My parents and boyfriend seem to not care about it anymore but I feel like everyone else feels a bit of disgust whenever they touch my hands even if they don’t want to accept it or say “it’s ok”. After searching up about my condition I realized I’m not the only one and I’m not alone with this. I have others that understand me and experience my everyday struggles with hyperhidrosis.
May Ann A.
Philippines
#172
Hyperhidrosis has been my "boyfriend" for a very very long time. But then, I realized that all this time, it is not helping me to grow and improve my way of living. I realized that to have a better life, I need to seek and find happiness and using Dermadry helps me to look into meaningful living without limitations.
Cyd
United States
#107
I drip sweat from my armpits, hands, and feet at all hours of the day. I haven't worn anything but black clothing in over a decade to prevent sweat stains and constantly looking like I just finished a marathon. I dare not shake hands with anyone unless they insist, and often feel the need to apologize when they reflexively wipe my sweat away. I'm anemic, so even when I'm ice cold my body is covered in sweat; making it even more difficult to get warm enough to stop the chills. I can't wear sandals, or go anywhere barefoot because I slip around on my sweat and leave wet footprints in my wake. My hand sweat limits my ability to grip anything smooth, making safety features almost entirely useless to me (like hand rails on stairs). On top of how gross it must look from the outside seeing someone drenched in sweat regardless of activity and weather, I also can't do enough to prevent how quickly I smell dreadful from the excessive sweating. My job requires me to wear gloves for paramedical tasks and that requires me to dry my hands before and after each pair of gloves; as well as change my gloves more often than most because they pool with sweat and drip down my arms. I have to remove the gloves and dry myself again to re-glove so that I can finish my task while remaining sterile. There isn't an avenue in my life that isn't affected by my relentless sweating, and I can only hope we find better ways to treat and manage hyperhidrosis.

See More Testimonials

Join Our Global Community
Share Your Story!

Let your voice be heard! Share your story to become a part of our worldwide community dedicated to empowering those affected by hyperhidrosis.
By sharing your story, you are helping us destigmatize hyperhidrosis and break the silence surrounding excessive sweating.
In your submission, include a selfie, a photo depicting your hyperhidrosis (hand, foot, underarm, face, etc.) and a short caption explaining your photos and story.

powered by Typeform
By submitting, you agree to have read our guidelines, and consent to having your entry displayed on our website.
Your submission must include the following:

Introduction

Hyperhidrosis, also know as excessive sweating, is a highly misunderstood, underreported, and stigmatized condition whose effects are wide-ranging and life-altering. It affects over 365 million people worldwide, yet people are still suffering in silence.

We are dedicated to empowering those living with hyperhidrosis and continuously striving to educate this public on this widely misunderstood condition, which is why we decided to launch a new awareness campaign called Voices of Hyperhidrosis.

What is Voices of Hyperhidrosis?

Voices of Hyperhidrosis is an awareness campaign dedicated to destigmatizing hyperhidrosis and breaking the silence regarding excessive sweating. We are asking people around the world to join us in raising awareness about hyperhidrosis and its mental, physical, emotional, occupational, and social challenges.

We are using this platform to amplify the voices of those living with hyperhidrosis. Our goal is to create visual and textual documentation that explores the individual lives of hyperhidrosis sufferers.

Guidelines

By submitting your entry, you consent to have your entry in its entirety (your first name, the first letter of your last name, country (if applicable), photos, and caption) be displayed and shared on our website, communication channels, and media platforms.
In order to be published on our website, your submission must include all required information in the form. This includes first name, email, photos (selfie and hyperhidrosis photo), and accompanying caption. Entries are accepted globally.
For any questions or additional information please contact support@voicesofhyperhidrosis.org.