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wavy.com: Help for extreme sweating
Stephanie Harris
NORFOLK,Va. - When David Respess teaches police officers how to drive he must keep control of the wheel. But it's a challenge for someone who suffers from hyperhidrosis, or extreme sweating.
"I could be sitting here and my hands would just literally be dripping like a real slow or low running faucet," he said.
Dr. David Pariser, president of the American Academy of Dermatology and founding member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society, says the condition affects eight-million Americans, but many never get diagnosed or treated.
"If you put on a t-shirt and you sit in a cool room and within a few hours you have a dinner plate size ring under your arm, that's hyperhidrosis," said Dr. Pariser.
It's mostly limited to the underarms, hands and feet but can be anywhere on the body. It's genetically inherited in two out of three patients.
Botox injections is one treatment Dr. Pariser now gives David Respess about every six months.
"It blocks the transmission from the nerve of a chemical that causes the sweat glands to sweat," he said.
Respess gets about 75 shots in each hand, which is why a nurse holds ice to numb it. It looks painful but Respess says it's worth it.
"Before when I would shake somebody's hand after I was done they'd wipe their hand and that's you know, it's kind of an embarrassing feeling," Respess said.
Dr. Pariser says there are other simpler treatments that should be tried first, like prescription antiperspirants. Botox, other therapies and surgery are options.
Also, not all insurance companies cover the treatments and Botox costs about $1,500 a treatment.
Related Links:
International Hyperhidrosis Society: www.sweathelp.org/English/
American Academy Of Dermatology www.aad.org/
Pariser Dermatology www.pariserderm.com/
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/health_news/health_wavy_norfolk_hyperhidrosis_20090827
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