stickyfingers
Member
34yr old male.. reasonably good health no other conditions.. im a smoker but do not drink.
Noticed my drippy sweaty hands around the age of 12 or 13. I have 2 paternal uncles and a paternal cousin who have it however none of my siblings or parents have it.
I didn't understand it well at the time and was brushed off when I spoke about it. However life went on. I dealt with it by using a folded paper under my hand when writing in school or long sleeve shirt.. learnt to hide it very well from others.
I was very smart academically at school although could have done alot better if it wasnt for my HH. I was also very naughty and popular so it never hindered my ability to have lots of friends and have a good childhood.. I remember it as jus being bothersome to me and being a source of shyness.
At around 19 at uni I sought treatment for it because it really started bothering me.. I was recommended ets surgery however my parents declined due to the associated risks , so I was given botox injections instead. It was completely unsuccessful.. did not help the least bit.. maybe it was done incorrectly because it was still a new treatment back then.. anyhow did not repeat as it was extremely expensive and also did not work.
Life went on a few months with the dread of no hope until I was recommended dysol antiperspirant and boy did it work.. it was like a miracle cure for me. My hands were dry no matter what or where or when. I started noticing my forehead dripping at times (I think compensatory sweating) but this was still good for me it never bothered me much as it was only sometimes and I was very comfortable with dry hands.
I had a major confidence and self esteem boost .. became very popular with the ladies .. dated alot and all around jus had a great and happy time.
About 2 years later it suddenly stopped working.. one summer no matter how much I applied or how often.. nothing. Additionally my feet were now also sweating bad along with my hands.. I always had mild feet sweating but nothing to cause concern but now it was soaking through my socks and shoes. I was absolutely gutted and became a hermit for a shortwhile. Once u become dry and get to feel how it is to live normally even if it's almost, it's extremely hard to go back to having wet uncomfortable hands constantly.. in my case it was now hands and feet. However I was very proactive to find a solution.
After hours of researching online daily I decided to give iontophoresis a shot.. I was 21 or 22 so around 2010. I made my own device.. 2 x stainless steel serving trays + 2 x 9v rechargeable batteries in series + clips and wires.. 30min sessions with change in polarity at 15mins.. over the years it went to 40min sessions with change of polarity at 20mins, I use normal tap water only. If i a have a cut or injury on my hand i use a piece of waterproof plaster and continue. Takes 7 to 8 treatment in a row daily (sometimes twice a day if I'm in a hurry) to get me fully dry.. thereafter twice a week maintenance and once a week in winter.. alot ofbtime the schedule went bonkers and had to do the 7 treatments in a row again. This has been my life for the past 11 or 12 years.
In these years I grew well in my career I got married had a child and progressed in many ways and achieved certain goals. There's alot of drawbacks , it's very time consuming and a royal nightmare to keep up the sessions and schedule while living a busy life. It's also plain weird to need to do these sessions as part of your life. Sometimes also it can be hit and miss and some treatments don't produce the same results as others.
It works great though , I only treat my hands and when my hands are dry my feet sweat alot less to a manageable point that I accept and live with.
Fast forward to the new drama now. A few months roughly from September last year (2021) the treatments started gradually burning and paining and itching alot, to the point that my fingertips and sides of finger and certain other points on my hands would crack and peel and have rash like blisters on it. I would wait for it to heal and than do another treatment and it would rip it all up again. Although the treatments were still working. I was putting tons of Vaseline and waterproof plasters and keep going at the treatment with severe pain .. it was just not realistic.. changed the trays cloths batteries water type and still no joy.. I got to the point where I said to myself I don't deserve this kind of torture and punishment. I took all the stuff and dumped it in the bin out of frustration..
I bought a tube of antihydral on Amazon and have been using it for the past 3 weeks . It's been working.. theres pros and cons.. my hands currently look terrible dry and flaky and abit yellow.. prunes easily with water.. but this is not sucha biggy for me.. its quick and easy to apply before I sleep which is great . It's wonderful to have the extra free time at my disposal from which I would have been doing ionto treatments..but it somehow doesn't feel as solid as when I'm dry from ionto.. feels like I'm about to sweat alot .. with ionto it feels like my hands are meant to be dry.. but hey it's better than sweating anyday .. I have no time to sit and wallow I have a family and I'm the breadwinner so I gotta keep moving.
I'm quite scared it's gona suddenly stop working like the antiperspirant did in the past.
I really wish I still had ionto in my arsenal.. it just makes no sense that it would disagree with me after 12 years of use.. if it was after a year it would make more sense.. but after 12 years I don't know. I think maybe with age the skin chemistry of my hands might be different now but I'm just speculating .
Focal hyperhidrosis is like winning the genetic lottery for obscure diseases.. and it seems like my 2year old babygirls ticket has been stamped. She has unusually sweaty palms and feet.. but I'm still hoping it will settle as she grows.
I guess it could be alot worse but than again it could be a whole lot better!
Anyways if you made it this far thanks for the read and I would live your input, advice, thoughts.
Stay strong and goodluck
Noticed my drippy sweaty hands around the age of 12 or 13. I have 2 paternal uncles and a paternal cousin who have it however none of my siblings or parents have it.
I didn't understand it well at the time and was brushed off when I spoke about it. However life went on. I dealt with it by using a folded paper under my hand when writing in school or long sleeve shirt.. learnt to hide it very well from others.
I was very smart academically at school although could have done alot better if it wasnt for my HH. I was also very naughty and popular so it never hindered my ability to have lots of friends and have a good childhood.. I remember it as jus being bothersome to me and being a source of shyness.
At around 19 at uni I sought treatment for it because it really started bothering me.. I was recommended ets surgery however my parents declined due to the associated risks , so I was given botox injections instead. It was completely unsuccessful.. did not help the least bit.. maybe it was done incorrectly because it was still a new treatment back then.. anyhow did not repeat as it was extremely expensive and also did not work.
Life went on a few months with the dread of no hope until I was recommended dysol antiperspirant and boy did it work.. it was like a miracle cure for me. My hands were dry no matter what or where or when. I started noticing my forehead dripping at times (I think compensatory sweating) but this was still good for me it never bothered me much as it was only sometimes and I was very comfortable with dry hands.
I had a major confidence and self esteem boost .. became very popular with the ladies .. dated alot and all around jus had a great and happy time.
About 2 years later it suddenly stopped working.. one summer no matter how much I applied or how often.. nothing. Additionally my feet were now also sweating bad along with my hands.. I always had mild feet sweating but nothing to cause concern but now it was soaking through my socks and shoes. I was absolutely gutted and became a hermit for a shortwhile. Once u become dry and get to feel how it is to live normally even if it's almost, it's extremely hard to go back to having wet uncomfortable hands constantly.. in my case it was now hands and feet. However I was very proactive to find a solution.
After hours of researching online daily I decided to give iontophoresis a shot.. I was 21 or 22 so around 2010. I made my own device.. 2 x stainless steel serving trays + 2 x 9v rechargeable batteries in series + clips and wires.. 30min sessions with change in polarity at 15mins.. over the years it went to 40min sessions with change of polarity at 20mins, I use normal tap water only. If i a have a cut or injury on my hand i use a piece of waterproof plaster and continue. Takes 7 to 8 treatment in a row daily (sometimes twice a day if I'm in a hurry) to get me fully dry.. thereafter twice a week maintenance and once a week in winter.. alot ofbtime the schedule went bonkers and had to do the 7 treatments in a row again. This has been my life for the past 11 or 12 years.
In these years I grew well in my career I got married had a child and progressed in many ways and achieved certain goals. There's alot of drawbacks , it's very time consuming and a royal nightmare to keep up the sessions and schedule while living a busy life. It's also plain weird to need to do these sessions as part of your life. Sometimes also it can be hit and miss and some treatments don't produce the same results as others.
It works great though , I only treat my hands and when my hands are dry my feet sweat alot less to a manageable point that I accept and live with.
Fast forward to the new drama now. A few months roughly from September last year (2021) the treatments started gradually burning and paining and itching alot, to the point that my fingertips and sides of finger and certain other points on my hands would crack and peel and have rash like blisters on it. I would wait for it to heal and than do another treatment and it would rip it all up again. Although the treatments were still working. I was putting tons of Vaseline and waterproof plasters and keep going at the treatment with severe pain .. it was just not realistic.. changed the trays cloths batteries water type and still no joy.. I got to the point where I said to myself I don't deserve this kind of torture and punishment. I took all the stuff and dumped it in the bin out of frustration..
I bought a tube of antihydral on Amazon and have been using it for the past 3 weeks . It's been working.. theres pros and cons.. my hands currently look terrible dry and flaky and abit yellow.. prunes easily with water.. but this is not sucha biggy for me.. its quick and easy to apply before I sleep which is great . It's wonderful to have the extra free time at my disposal from which I would have been doing ionto treatments..but it somehow doesn't feel as solid as when I'm dry from ionto.. feels like I'm about to sweat alot .. with ionto it feels like my hands are meant to be dry.. but hey it's better than sweating anyday .. I have no time to sit and wallow I have a family and I'm the breadwinner so I gotta keep moving.
I'm quite scared it's gona suddenly stop working like the antiperspirant did in the past.
I really wish I still had ionto in my arsenal.. it just makes no sense that it would disagree with me after 12 years of use.. if it was after a year it would make more sense.. but after 12 years I don't know. I think maybe with age the skin chemistry of my hands might be different now but I'm just speculating .
Focal hyperhidrosis is like winning the genetic lottery for obscure diseases.. and it seems like my 2year old babygirls ticket has been stamped. She has unusually sweaty palms and feet.. but I'm still hoping it will settle as she grows.
I guess it could be alot worse but than again it could be a whole lot better!
Anyways if you made it this far thanks for the read and I would live your input, advice, thoughts.
Stay strong and goodluck