How to deal with perspiration? - YouLookFab Forum

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How to deal with perspiration?

Aziraphale

Veteran

Angie's blog post about Team Hot or Team Cold reminded me.....does anybody have any good ideas about how to deal with, er, underarm perspiration? Even with antiperspirant, I'm always sweaty. It drives me nuts. Nothing's more unsightly than big sweaty pit stains (I've wondered if perhaps this is why I gravitate toward black and/or sleeveless tops). I've heard of dress shields, but that seems like it could get expensive, plus embarrassing if they were ever to fall out unexpectedly (oo, look, maxi pads for your armpits!).

Any clever suggetions?

General

25 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

Aida

Veteran

Yep: Certain Dri. Use their night time only roll-on at night, and their day time solid in the morning; you'll likely not have to reapply beyond these two applications, and after a while you don't even have to use the night time one every night if you want. Cheap, available at Walgreens or online. It's pretty much the most amazing thing ever

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Yeah pretty much what Aida said. I know people who perfer to put their deoderant on at night and i know there are, um, stronger ones targeted to people who need it. Good luck!

Diana

Veteran

My best advice is: don't wear polyester! I sweat tons more when I'm wearing poly, plus it seems to trap heat. It's also itchy when it's hot! Cotton and silk are so much cooler (although silk does show sweat stains really easily but it also dries very fast in my experience).

Otherwise I just roll with it. I actually do not wear deodorant or anti-perspirant - I'm lucky to be remarkably un-smelly, plus I am allergic to everything so I don't want to irritate my already sweat-irritated skin. I am very skeptical about dress shields - I just feel like they would absorb all the sweat and get really gross, damp, and stinky.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks! I will see if I can find it. I've never heard of wearing anti-perspirant at night. Is it reasonably safe? Not that I don't already block up my armpit pores with all that aluminum oxide. I sometimes wonder whether it will seep into my brain and make me blind and insane...

By the way, I should explain that my problem is more with the volume of sweat, and not its odor. It doesn't smell much at all. Will this product slow down the sweat production somehow?

Aida

Veteran

Yes, it's specifically to stop/slow sweat production (I had the exact same problem as you, not smelly but very sweaty). The nighttime roll-on is designed specifically to be worn JUST at night and is liquid; it blocks the pores so your skin simply moves the perspiration across to (one of the millions of) other pores in your skin. The day time one is like any other cream solid and has a very mild scent; you just swipe a couple times, you only need a thin coating of it.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that after using this system for a year now, I no longer freak out if I somehow forget to put my deodorant on in the morning; I now stay generally dry on those days

Debora

Veteran

Elisabeth, ask your doctor about prescription-strength Drysol. It's a topical medication prescribed for excessive perspiration. It's typically used at bedtime for the first several nights until the perspiration is brought under control and then only once or twice a week thereafter. A family member has had great success with this. I also see that there are over-the-counter antiperspirants with the same ingredients. but I'm not familiar with them or their effectiveness.

http://www.medicinenet.com/alu.....rticle.htm

Aida

Veteran

It's certainly worth talking to your doctor about! The nighttime Certain Dri uses the same ingredient (aluminum chloride) but since it's non-perscription is a small dosage; the over-the-counter dosage is high enough for me, but obviously I don't know your exact situation. Debora's link has some really great information about the medication and is definitely worth reading!

Debora

Veteran

Aida, Certain Dri sounds like a good starting point, especially since it may be enough to control excessive sweating without resorting to prescription medication!

rosee

Veteran

...just DON'T MOVE -- ever! (just kidding, the above advice is much better).

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I have the same problem from time to time. It is strange but sometimes I sweat more when I am cold than when I am hot...
Anyway I have started to use Degree Clinical and it seems to work. It is more expensive that the regular one but it works better. It is also can be applied at night or in the morning. I bought it in the Shoppers Drug Mart.

Steph

Veteran

I was sweating like crazy today (90 degree heat)--I absolutely hate it! Aida, what is the idea behind nighttime anti-perspirant? I don't sweat at night, but I do sweat a lot during the days. Would it help someone like me, or is it really more helpful for people who sweat at night?

Aida

Veteran

I don't really sweat at night, either. It's a 2-part system designed for all sweating, really, day or night; the nighttime one is just liquid and has the aluminum chloride, and the daytime one is similar to "clinical" strength deodorants. You use the one at night simply to close/shrink the pores (this is where all the heavy lifting is done, and isn't limited just to armpits by the way), and the daytime one is the actual antiperspirant/deodorant for your daytime activities.

The main drawback I found is that since nighttime one is quite strong, if you use freshly after shaving/epilating (or if you use much more than the recommended amount) sometimes it can really burn or itch, especially at first. I was used to it within a week and I have fairly sensitive skin; I do avoid using the nighttime part on the days that I epilate though

sarah

Veteran

I'm allergic to any and all antiperspirants (and nearly all deodorants), so I can't recommend those. But you might check this out for other options:

http://www.alreadypretty.com/2.....undry.html

MNsara

Veteran

I've heard of applying antiperspirants at night -- I wish I could remember the reasons, but can't

I just remembered enough so I could use it as a comeback when my teenage son said he didn't have enough time before school to remember deodorant :-\

suzanne

Mitchum/Drichlor/Perspirex - the latter works the best, but it has stinging tendencies. I don't know if this might offend you, but have you ever thought of botox injections in you armpits? I don't know what it costs in America, but here it's about R1200 - more or less the equivalent of $170 and it's effective for months. It paralyzes the sweat glands - so no underarm sweat, although one might sweat more on one's breast or back (less stinky places anyway).

marianna

Veteran

Suzanne, in the US, Botox in the armpits is MUCH more expensive than that... I know, because I had it done a few years ago. I used to suffer tremendously from excessive perspiration and it was truly affecting my quality of life. I had Botox done under my armpits two summers in a row (2007 and 2008 I believe), and honestly, I still feel the results today. I still sweat, but I don't get the massive wet stains I used to get. So... I'm a huge fan, if your sweating problem is truly severe. Some insurance companies will cover Botox for underarms too because excessive sweating can be classified as a medical condition (hyperhydrosis).

suzanne

I should have known that the country that started the "plastic surgery safari" would be less expensive than in America. Here one pays per injection, so it depends on how many you need. Oh - my rates were per armpit (ooh - that sounds BAD) and I worked with a $1=R7 conversion rate. Still less expensive than in the US? Still it's so nice that the medical funds will pay - but with that condition one sweats badly on one's palms and feet as well. Surely they can't inject hands and feet too, can they?

Louise

Veteran

This may sound ridiculous but hear me out!
Do you apply the product properly? I've noticed if I'm in a rush I give the roll on a quick sweep under my arms and spend the day with sweaty patches however if I take the time to make sure all my armpit is covered (3 sweeps moving across the armpit) that I don't sweat x

Lisa

Veteran

Very interesting question. I have been trying every antiperspirant on the market over the last year to try and find one that stops me from sweating through shirts during the day. I may have to check these clinical strength one's. Although I heard they ruin clothing, is that true?

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

i want to encourage you to talk to your doctor if you have one - even if you need to wait months to get in to see a dermatologist or other specialist, it's worth it. i don't have excessive persp (except when i'm outdoors in 100F+, but come on!), but i've had other skin problems and a good doc can make a HUGE difference! make sure to take a list of questions written down that you want to ask, and make notes. you may want to ask about side effects, which ones you need to worry about, when you should start to see good results from treatment.

as a seamstress, if you want to try dress shields you could most likely make your own out of old tee shirts or similar - if you securely baste them in to your garment along the armseam seam allowance (the extra fabric on the inside) you should be able to avoid them flopping around in an embarrassing fashion.

good luck~ ! steph

Beth

Veteran

I'll second Aida's rave for Certain Dri. I'm not a very sweaty person, but I never could find an antiperspirant that didn't mark clothes, so I switched to Certain Dri. I'm fairly sure it used to be prescription only, but as Aida pointed out it's easily available OTC now.

I use it every other night, use no other product, and it works beautifully. Definitely avoid using it after shaving or epilating and don't use too much or you'll itch like mad.

Angie actually posted on the blog about it a while back:
http://youlookfab.com/2008/05/.....rtain-dri/

April

Veteran

So here's my question about the "night before" anti-perspirants: what happens when you shower the next morning?

Scarlet

Veteran

April, the effect lasts 48-72 hours, even after you wash When I can remember not to shave and to apply at night this stuff it is a god-send for me. I then use a deo (no anti-p) after I shower in the morning to avoid staining my white clothes.

Aida

Veteran

What Scarlet and Beth said Keep in mind that the Certain Dry nighttime part isn't a deodorant, it's ONLY an antiperspirant and that it works to close the pores so sweat doesn't come out. Think of it as nighttime medication, not as applying antiperspirant before sleeping. For day time use, you can probably use any deodorant that suits your fancy or even none at all (it works that well for me!); their daytime deodorant is similar to other brands' clinical strength deodorants, I think, and for some using 2 clinical strength products will be overkill.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks, guys! Lots of good suggestions. I'll try the over the counter stuff first, but it's good to know there are more hardcore options if I need them. The wet pit thing is more a nuisance than anything (and seems to be more of a problem at certain times during my cycle. Oddly, it doesn't seem to have much to do with outdoor temperature), but still. It's good to have solutions.