In this article is give a true account of how I personally beat my excessive underarm sweating problem. In writing it I hope to reach out to at least a handful of the millions of people who suffer from this awful condition.
My message is a simple one: I beat excessive sweating and so can you. Please read on to find out how I did it.
My Excessive Underarm Sweating Nightmare Begins
To this day I am not sure how or why I developed excessive underarm sweating. I know that it happened around the time I took a career change and started working in an office environment. Before this I don’t think I was even aware that the condition existed.
In all likelihood my condition started as a result of a combination of anxiety, stress and the formal clothes had to wear at work. My symptoms were a combination of sweaty hands, sweaty and smelly feet and, worst of all, excessive underarm sweating. It was the latter that had the biggest impact on my self-esteem and confidence.
Within 30 minutes of arriving at the office each day I would have huge sweat patches on my shirt. Even now when I think back I can still feel that awful cold, wet sensation of having to work all day in sweat drenched clothes.
Crazy Ways to Deal with my sweating
To try to deal with my condition I started to adopt more and more bizarre habits. I would go to the bathroom every 15 minutes or so to spray myself with antiperspirant and stuff reams of toilet paper under my arms.
Although this did temporarily stop my shirt from becoming saturated, it also meant that I could not raise my arms. Not only did this make me look ridiculous, it also exacerbated the sweating because I had to clamp my arms constantly by my sides.
I used to dread giving presentations or having to write anything on the whiteboard in a meeting room. Not only did I fear that people would see my sweat patches, but also that one of my clumps of toilet paper might fall on to the floor in front of my colleagues.
I also tried other things such as wearing a vest to protect my shirt. And when one vest failed to stop the flood I even tried wearing two!
Enough is Enough – My Plan for Beating My Excessive Underarm Sweating
I think everybody reaches a point one day when enough is enough. I put up with my condition for about 3 months. By then my self-esteem was at rock bottom and my quality of life was starting to be seriously compromised.
So, I decided to make a change. I was sure that if I approached the problem in a systematic, methodical way then I could at least manage my condition, or maybe even beat it once and for all.
In the following sections I describe the actual steps that I took that resulted in me beating my excessive underarm sweating problem.
Step 1: I analysed when my excessive sweating occurred
I sat myself down in a quiet room and reflected on the particular times when my sweating was at it’s worst and when it was milder or didn’t appear at all.
I wasn’t surprised to find that the worst of my excessive underarm sweating occurred when I felt self-conscious, under pressure or in generally uncomfortable situations.
I also noticed that some of the situations were physical – such as being stuck in a small, stuffy meeting room, and some were psychological – such as the intense pressure I put myself under when I first arrived at work and was desperate not to ruin my shirt for the whole day with huge sweat patches.
I set about planning how I could reduce my exposure to the times when I was at high risk of excessive sweating. A basic example would be that whenever possible I would go to the meeting room 10 minutes before the scheduled start time and make sure the air conditioning was running and the room was well ventilated.
Step 2: I put together my excessive sweating management kit
This sounds very grand but what it meant was to have plenty of spares and supplies available to me when I needed them. My kit included:
- A roll-on antiperspirant / deodorant
- A small towel
- A pack of lightly scented, moist wipes
- Two spare shirts, neatly folded
- A packet of disposable dress guards
- Two pairs of clean socks
- A foot deodorant spray
For me, the true value of these kits was knowing that they were available should I need them. This relieved the tension and anxiety that I had created for myself by thinking that if I got a bit sweaty then I would be doomed to feel uncomfortable and ashamed for the rest of the day.
Over time I found I needed to call on my excessive sweating management kits less and less until I reached the point when I rarely used any of the items.
Step 3: I experimented with clothing and antiperspirants
Short of taking medication or undergoing medical procedures there are several things that you can do to actively manage and alleviate excessive sweating. They include:
- Choosing the right clothing
- Choosing an antiperspirant that works for you
Looking after your general health including taking regular exercise and eating healthy foods.
My next step was to experiment with each of these and find things that would have a positive impact on my excessive underarm sweating.
Over a few weeks I tried various non-prescribed antiperspirants – each for about a week at a time. In the end I found a product in my local supermarket that worked extremely well for me.
The product (that I use to this day) is a roll-on by a company called Mitchum. I recommend you look out for it and give it a try. But also be sure to try other products because you might something that works better for you.
At the same time I experimented with different types of clothing and fabrics. In agreement with popular wisdom I found that 100% cotton, well-fitting clothes (not too tight, not too loose) worked best for me.
In the early days I stuck with light coloured fabrics since they were best at reducing the visibility of my sweat patches. This helped boost my confidence.
Through experimentation I found that going to the gym during my lunch break also worked very well for me. I think this was a combination of being able to “legitimately” sweat for half an hour and the chance to have a proper shower midway through the day.
If you are in the position to give this strategy a try then I heartily recommend it.
Step 4: I relaxed, experimented and tweaked
Finally, and most importantly, I made a conscious effort every single hour of every single day to try to relax and take an objective view of what I was experiencing. Experimentation with the items discussed in step #3 really helped me to do this.
Whereas before I would panic and become paralysed with shame and embarrassment the moment I felt a drip of perspiration coming from my armpit, I started to look at what was happening in a much more objective way.
I would think “This antiperspirant sucks. I think I will drop it and try another one” or “Even though I have been sweating a little this morning, the brand of business shirt still feels quite comfortable.”
I found that working hard to remove my emotion from the situation helped me to think and act more calmly. And this, in turn, reduced my sweating.
So, how will you stop your excessive sweating?
I apologise to you. This has turned out to be a very long article. If you are still with me then thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope it has given you something to think about.
I managed to stop 90% of my excessive underarm sweating in about 8 weeks using exactly the strategies I have outlined above. I am now in the fortunate position where I rarely, if ever, even think about excessive sweating.
Why don’t you do yourself a favor and give some of these strategies a try? It will cost you very little, but the reward of beating your excessive sweating will be priceless.
If you need more detailed guidance be sure to check out my great tips to Stop Armpit Sweat. There you will find some great resources on how to stop sweating.
