Shame about excessive sweating
In the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, patient Brenda shares her experiences with MiraDry. How the treatment helped her with excessive sweating and the positive impact it has had on her quality of life. She had tried for years to hide her struggle with hyperhidrosis, but now the shame is gone.
Sweating is completely normal and even healthy, but not when it happens to such an extreme degree that it affects your daily life. Brenda Nijkamp (30) spent years hiding that she suffered from hyperhidrosis, but now the shame is over.
She always wore loose clothing and even stuck sanitary pads under her armpits: Brenda Nijkamp did everything to conceal her sweat stains.
“I think I’ve tried a hundred different types of deodorant and other remedies, but despite promising phrases like ‘dry for up to five days,’ I never found anything that worked.” Brenda has been dealing with hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, since puberty.
She felt misunderstood for a long time
“When I would make a comment about it to my friends, they often said something like: ‘Don’t worry, everyone sweats, right?’ Of course, that’s true, but it’s a different story when the drops keep running down your body, even when you’re just sitting still.”
Brenda works in childcare and at the holiday park PonyparkCity, where she presents events, among other things. It’s an active job where it’s impossible to stay dry for long. “That’s why I always carry extra shirts in my bag, and when I’m on stage for the bingo, I secretly change in between. I often buy multiple pieces of my outfits so no one notices.”
She also always wore loose clothing and usually several layers over each other, even in the summer. “That way, you couldn’t see the sweat patches under my arms, but of course, I got extra hot,” she says. When people asked why she didn’t just take something off, she usually made up an excuse.
She was ashamed of her problem
“Although I never smelled, I always felt dirty. When I met my current boyfriend, I didn’t dare to tell him right away. Wearing pads under your armpits doesn’t exactly make you feel feminine.” Now, she is open about it. “It’s better to be honest,” she says. “Since I literally showed my friends how quickly my shirt gets soaked, they have been understanding.” Her openness has also led to something much more positive: a solution!
MiraDry Treatment
“Someone I trusted recommended the MiraDry treatment, which permanently disables sweat glands using electromagnetic energy.” This therapy is not covered by insurance, but Brenda decided it was worth the money.
“I’ve already had my second treatment, and the difference is so incredibly huge!” she says enthusiastically. “The sweating hasn’t completely stopped, but it’s much more manageable now. I even bought new clothes, including for the holidays. In the past, I always wore a large, loose cardigan over my outfit, and I’d be sitting at the Christmas dinner table with a red face because I was so hot. Now, I can finally wear a nice dress or a glittery top—what a relief!”
Brenda hopes that by sharing her story, others with hyperhidrosis will feel less alone. “I think the impact of excessive sweating on your life and the psychological issues that come with it are hugely underestimated. You literally wake up with it and go to bed with it. It’s important that a treatment like the one I had is covered by insurance in the future, so more people can be helped.”
© Marion van Es, De Telegraaf
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