So, let's start with a short piece on understanding what exactly excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) is.

What Is Hyperhidrosis?

Hyperhidrosis, also referred to as excessive sweating, is a very common disorder which affects around 2-3% of Americans and 1-2% of people in the United Kingdom (WebMD). Excessive sweating from the underarms, hands, and soles of the feet are among the most common forms of hyperhidrosis. Underarm related issues tend to occur during adolescence, however, palm and sole sweating can often occur earlier between the ages of 12-14. Excessive sweating can be a really embarrassing and conscious topic for a lot of people to talk about and also a very hard disorder to live with. We understand that in a lot of cases of hyperhidrosis, daily tasks and social interactions can become very hard deal with. Here at dandi patch we would like to do our part in raising awareness around the ways hyperhidrosis can be treated, or at the very least dealt with over the short term.

What Causes Hyperhidrosis?

There are a number of diseases which can cause hyperhidrosis, however, a lot of the time the disorder occurs in very healthy people, leaving them feeling "why me"? Although excessive sweating occurs in a large number of people worldwide, there are certain factors which can allow the disorder to thrive. It's very easy for us to sit here and say that heat and various emotions including; nerves, panic, and stress can cause excessive sweating. However, the reality of it is that a lot of sufferers can sweat all hours of the day regardless of whether they are exposed to heat or the above emotions. 

What Are The Hyperhidrosis Treatment Options?

It's by no means all bad news for sufferers of hyperhidrosis! Although there isn’t a definite hyperhidrosis cure as of yet, there are a number of hyperhidrosis treatment options which have worked to great lengths for people in the past and present day. We would like to break down some of the treatment options for you and offer some positive and negative evaluation of each treatment method.

dandi® patch & dandi® pad (non-invasive sweat patches and pads)

• Positives: Extremely absorbent, completely traps odour (dandi® patch only), free from aluminium & parabens, cost-effective, a good quick solution and easily accessible.
• Negatives: Only a solution to the under-arm region.

Over-the-counter antiperspirants;

• Positives: Easily accessible, cheaper than the below options and clinically tested.
• Negatives: Tend to contain aluminium which can be known to cause skin irritation and, in certain circumstances, has been linked to Breast Cancer and Alzheimer's.

Prescription antiperspirants;

• Positives: Accessible through prescription, cheaper than surgery and also tested.
• Negatives: Are known to contain aluminium chloride which can be known to cause skin irritation and, in certain circumstances, has been linked to Breast Cancer and Alzheimer's.

Iontophoresis, a device which passes ionized tap water through the skin using electricity.

• Positives: Known to be safe and really effective when used 3 times a week for 40 minutes each time.
• Negatives: Can be costly, time-consuming and involves various side effects including; blistering and peeling of the skin.

Oral Medications;

• Positives: Known to be effective
• Negatives: A number of side effects are known to affect a certain percentage of users.

Botox for hyperhidrosis (botulinum toxin);

• Positives: Rarely any side effects and known to be effective.
• Negatives: Only a temporary solution lasting 3-6 months at a time. Isn’t available on the NHS, therefore will likely be an expensive option. Known to leave pain in the direct area. This is also an intrusive treatment option.

miraDry;

• Positives: Unlike Botox, miraDRY removes the actual sweat gland, therefore, in theory, solves the problem.
• Negatives: Causes redness and swelling of the skin and can be an expensive procedure.

There are certainly many options when looking to contain your hyperhidrosis and we hope this blog has helped to outline some of them. Here at dandi patch we appreciate the severity of the disorder and how difficult it can be to live with. Therefore, we hope we can help people who suffer as much as possible by continuing to seek out solutions to excessive underarm sweating! Watch this space for more product releases!!