Hyperhidrosis (Excessive Sweating)... cont'd
Hyperhidrosis
can be a severe problem.
Sweaty hands are probably the worst of all; in severe cases the victim
cannot hold a pen or pencil without wrapping tissue-paper round it or it may
interfere with work (for example keyboard users).
But the most unpleasant thing about having sweaty palms is the reaction
of other people when they shake hands.
They can’t resist a surreptitious wipe of their own hands to erase the
feeling.
The best clinical description is in David Copperfield where Dickens gives the villain Uriah Heep palmar hyperhidrosis.
David says Heep’s hand is “like a frog” and describes “his long
forefinger leaving snail-like tracks upon the page”.
Ugh. Sweaty
feet ruin shoes and cause unpleasant smells.
Sweaty armpits ruin clothing and sufferers are very embarrassed by the
damp stains. Paradoxically
they may prefer the winter because they can keep the wet patches hidden better
than in light summer clothes.