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My Life With Hyperhidrosis

A Patient’s Story

Imagine giving a document to your boss, but by the time you deliver the document, it is damp and wrinkled. Imagine hanging out with the guy you really like. He reaches for your hand, but you have to put your hand into your pocket so he won’t notice your sweating palms. This was my life before I was treated for hyperhidrosis.

I developed hyperhidrosis while I was going through puberty. At this time, I experienced excessive sweating everywhere – on my hands, under my arms and on my head. I wore a sweatshirt to school everyday, because I was so embarrassed by the sweat under my arms.  I even had a doctor’s note stating that I could carry a bottle of water on campus. Drinking a full bottle of cold water was the only thing that provided some minimal relief. Luckily, as I became an adult my hyperhidrosis became less noticeable under the arms and on the face. However, it remained a burden on my palms. I decided that it was time to find a treatment!

After doing research on how to treat hyperhidrosis, I found there are invasive and non-invasive options. I decided to try the non-invasive (and less expensive) route. I was prescribed an oral medication. However, I was not comfortable taking a pill every three hours and enduring the possibility of experiencing damage to my liver. Next on my list of treatment options was Botox.

After contacting Dr. Stephanie Teotia’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery clinic and informing the staff of my predicament, an appointment was scheduled one week later. I was very nervous as I heard the procedure could cause discomfort. I almost brought my comfort pillow with me, but I decided to tough it out. As it so happens I did not need anything but Dr. Teotia and her Patient Coordinator, Michelle, to make me feel more secure. They are amazing!

Before I received any Botox injections, Michelle applied a topical anesthetic or numbing cream. After fifteen minutes I couldn’t tell if the cream was working. So, I decided to test it with a good pinch. Yes, it was working! Next, Dr. Teotia marked my palms with a dot at one inch increments. It looked like I had a graph printed on my palms. Now, it was finally time for the injections. Although the procedure was not completely painless, I can honestly say that it was not that painful. Anticipating the pain before the appointment was worse than the actual procedure. I couldn’t feel anything in my palms after receiving the 20 or so injections. The only noticeable difference was the pruned look on my hands that was probably due to my increased hyperhidrosis during the procedure.

So how long did it take to start feeling results? After one week, I no longer used a paper towel at my desk to dab my hands. In four weeks, while I was writing with a pen on paper, I noticed that there were not any sweat marks left on the paper. Also I am no longer afraid if my crush tries to hold my hand.  I finally feel like a normal gal!