Hyperhidrosis
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Everyone
has that one insecurity that just tops all insecurities in their life. It may
seem stupid to others, but to them it's their main worry in their life. My
insecurity is Hyperhidrosis.
Before
you all go "ermegerd it has 'sis' at the end that means its this big
disease" relax, it's not even considered a disease. You can't die if you
have it, it isn't contagious, and it doesn't affect your health in any way. In
fact, the term Hyperhidrosis sounds way too scientific and fancy for what it
really is. I mean it's just excessive sweat, no biggy.
Hyperhidrosis (abreviated
as HH) is when someone sweats more than a normal person. Hyperhidrose = hyper + hidrôs (sweat); that's all it is. And I don't mean when
you sweat after a workout or when you're nervous. I mean even when it's -8°c
and snowing. There are generally two classifications of HH, and one of them
is focal HH, which occurs on specific parts of the body (face,
hands, underarms, etc) and generally does not exceed an area of 100cm². Genetics
play a role, as many with focal HH has another family member that's affected.
My dad has focal HH, so I do too.
Having
HH is the hardest for me to cope with among all my insecurities because
there's really nothing I can do to get rid of it. I do this thing called iontophoresis, where I put my hands in metal
pans filled with water, and attach the metal pans to a battery which send a
mild electric current through my hands, minimizing the sweat, but it's
definitely temporary. HH is one of the main things that makes me shy and
awkward, and I try to avoid the times I would have to meet someone new,
because of course, we would have to
shake hands. Countless times I've been told something along the lines of
"eww you're hands are so sweaty!" (don't feel bad if you've said this
to me once, my mother says this to me all the time) and quite a few times
I have admittedly cried about having HH. I always have to tell people I have
sweaty hands when they want to give me a high-5 or hold my hand, and awkwardly
do a throw-pass movement when I hand things to people. I honestly feel like
people wouldn't want to be with me because of my often sweaty hands. My paper
has ripped a few times because it was wet, sweat would drip down my arm when
I'm on my phone and my hands would get all swollen and numb whenever the
moisture gets somewhat trapped in my skin (like how it is now).
This
post is for everyone, because everyone has insecurities. But you need to own up
to these insecurities, and don't let it affect you. I'm trying really hard to
accept my insecurity, but its honestly a very difficult thing to do. I'm still too afraid to do
hand to hand contact, and I can't see a time (yet) where I wouldn't care. But I
now have that mind set to be more confident and own up to my hyperhidrosis, and
for me this post is the first step. I am admitting to the internet my biggest
insecurity: I
have really sweaty hands!
The only
time insecurities matter, is when you let it take over your life. Embrace your
insecurities; there is so much more that defines your life!
Here's to the people with HH! Read more about
hyperhydrosis here: http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_condition_info_details.asp?channel_id=7&relation_id=55689&disease_id=328&page_no=2
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