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How I Finally Conquered Excess Sweating

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Australian journalist Jessica Rowe will be the first to tell you, much to the horror of her husband and daughters, that she’s an over-sharer. From documenting her daily meal disasters to exposing herself as a “crap housewife,” Rowe’s truth isn’t far from her lips. And now, the bubbly TV host has something new she’d like to share — something a little more embarrassing than a burnt casserole. “I suffer from excess sweating,” she uninhibitedly tells Now To Love.

Excessive sweating, clinically known as hyperhidrosis, is far more common than many may expect. Yet, because sweating — like many other bodily functions — is shrouded in embarrassment, it’s often not talked about and people suffer in silence, when in fact, there are ways to treat it.

“It isn’t glamorous. It isn’t something you talk about with a lot of people, but it’s something you don’t have to keep trying to manage,” the 47-year-old, who’s endured the condition for years, says. Rowe first noticed she was experiencing excess sweating in her early twenties while working as a news reader. It was an era of power suits, and the young journalist found herself sweating through her layers.

“I would get really sweaty armpits and big dark patches. Initially I thought, ‘Oh, I’m just a bit hot.’ But it would still happen on cold days,” she recalls. “I tried everything!” Desperate to hide the dark sweat patches from showing on air, Rowe followed the advice of her mom and tried to cover the problem. “My mom suggested I put sanitary pads in my jacket. But it didn’t work! All it did was give me fat armpits!” she laughs.

As well as lining her clothes with absorbent pads, Rowe tried everything to stop sweating, from deodorants that were so strong they would cause her skin to burn and itch uncontrollably, to drying her arms pits with a hair dryer in between ad breaks while on TV. “I tried everything until I got to the point where I thought, ‘There’s got to be something else.’ And that’s when I went and spoke to my dermatologist about my options,” she says. Rowe eventually found relief from excess sweating from Botox injections in her armpits.

Treating Excess Sweating With Botox Injections

A common treatment for excess sweating, Botox injections temporarily block the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate sweat glands. The injections can relieve patient’s excess sweating for up to 7 months. Excess sweating also doesn’t just occur in the armpit region. Some may suffer from sweaty hands, feet, face, or groin areas. Rowe admits she also has clammy palms, saying “I’m always conscious of wiping my hands before shaking someone’s hand.”

So aside from being born with the impulse to over share, why does Rowe want to talk about how much she sweats? “Why not!” she jokes, before adding, “Because it’s something that has impacted me and has continued to. It’s surprisingly common. I didn’t actually realize how common it is. I think it’s just important for people to know that if there is a part of you that is concerned, talk to your doctor about it.”

Check out the video below to hear what Rowe had to say about her hyperhidrosis.

This article was written by Bettina Tyrrell. For more, check out our sister site, Now to Love.

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