VerySweatyBetty.com

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Press Release
April 16, 2012

Online Dating Site for People with Hyperhidrosis is Launched

The creators of the website Dating Like Me are excited to announce the launch of their niche dating site this month. This site was created by two sisters and a brother who all have the condition of Hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is a physical condition which causes a person to sweat excessively; either generalized or localized to a particular part of the body. This is a condition which could potentially cause a person embarrassment and anxiety to be in certain social situations.

One of the siblings was an avid supporter of online dating sites as a way to meet other singles. However, she was always nervous to go on a date in the event her date would notice her sweating. She googled “dating other people with hyperhidrosis” numerous times in the hopes that there was a site dedicated to helping single people with hyperhidrosis to meet each other. She knew this would take away the anxiety she felt every time she went on a date or had to explain her sweating to someone she was seeing. Unfortunately, every time she looked it up, there was still no site dedicated to this. Finally, she decided that maybe she should make a site dedicated to this hersfelf! Hence, the idea for Dating Like Me was born. In the process of researching and working on the site, it became apparent there were others who were seeking a similar type of service: those with Social Phobia/Anxiety, Rosacea, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. Therefore, this niche dating site is dedicated to helping singles dealing with these conditions to meet other singles who understand exactly what they are going through.

The creators of this site hope to help millions of singles to meet and find love.

If you have questions about the site, you may contact the Administrators at: support@datinglikeme.com

I want to personally thank a new member for allowing us to post her story.  She knows how important this is for us all in raising awareness on this awful skin disease, that brings us all misery every day of our lives. 

This is a very moving story of inspiration, bravery and courage. 
We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts….

Anne and Beverly xxx

If you want to join in our cause on, “Raising Awareness” Join the cause, we have a section in the forum for this HAC, Hyperhidrosis Awareness Campaign, good things are happening. 

I always say lots of little voices can make one big one.  If you want to join our cause then please send your story to our very own Beverly at betty@verysweatybetty.com   She will be glad to post it on our front page and if requested all will be confidential.  Thanks for helping us here at Very Sweaty Betty, your friendly sweaty support group.

Vicki’s story,

Sometimes it’s easier to gauge whether a product is worth trying when you read testimonials – so we’ve been sent the below for you to get a feel of what Klima Antiperspirant has done for other people.

Sweat Guard’s website

Forum link

I always find it really interesting to read other people’s experiences with Hyperhidrosis and came across this blog – it’s written by a Canadian guy and tells his experiences of Japanese Summer and how harsh they can be. I’ve also added the comments left on the blog.

I really really hope the blog owner doesn’t mind us publishing this, I’ve sent him a message on Twitter with a link to where he can find us – if he does, and he wants his blog removed then that’s no problem, just email me and please accept our fervent apologies for overstepping the mark

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Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sweating in Japan

Growing up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, I faced a varied climate. There were some distinct seasons. We of course were faced with damp, slushy and cold winters. Those were followed by muddy and damp springs. After spring was the shortest season of them all, summer. Summer lasted from about the second week of July until the end of August. The temperatures were arm and relatively dry. We would deal with average temperatures of about 25C, comfortable and warm. After that came my favorite season, fall. The air was crisp and the fall colours throughout Cape Breton’s forests were simply breathtaking.

Fast forward many years and I find myself living in the Kansai region of Japan. The climate is far different from what I grew up with and people deal with the elements in a very different way.

How do the seasons here in Kobe compare with those I dealt with while growing up? Well, there isn’t a lot in common!

In Kobe, there are certainly distinct seasons. Winter is mild and very easy to cope with. I like to refer to winters here as “winter lite”! We basically have no snow at all and the temperatures hover around 5C. Winter in Kobe is like mid-fall back home. I like it, but I occasionally miss the “white stuff.” Spring comes along and temperatures skyrocket very quickly. By mid-May, temperatures are I the mid to high 20’s. Then comes a bonus season! Rainy Season.

Rainy Season is basically a month of wet and a whole lot of not fun. As I am writing this post, the rainy season is beginning.

This is a month of having to hang your laundry inside your house (although clothes dryers are standard in Canadian households, they don’t exist in Japan). It is a month of your clothes not drying, getting moldy and not smelling so fresh. This is a season of testing the strength and durability of a variety of umbrellas and hoping someone doesn’t steal your umbrella when you leave it in the umbrella stand outside your office. It is wet!

Rainy season passes and we are immediately thrown into the “Japanese sauna”!

Summer in this area of Japan is brutal. It is hot and very humid. Often, with the humidex, temperatures reach the high 30’s and at times the low 40’s. You sweat from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Then you sweat in bed!

Summer in Japan is all about having high power bills in your house because of the air conditioner (even though many Japanese people refuse to use the air conditioners they have) and pointing fans in every direction you can think of.

During my first summer here, I was often self-conscience about the amount I was sweating. I was embarrassed about the fact that the underarms of my shirt were often wet. I was embarrassed about constantly having to wipe the endless waterfall of sweat from my brow. Then I began to look around and noticed that I wasn’t alone. Most of the people around me were sharing the same misery! Most men were also soaking through their shirts and I realized most people carried “sweat towels.” Small towels used to wipe their brows, necks and faces. Both men and women would constantly use these towels. Construction workers normally just tie a white towel around their heads like a bandana to soak up the moisture (I’ve even seen a few dorky foreigners do the same).

Once the sweltering nastiness of summer passes, we have fall in Japan. Fall here is much like mid-summer where I grew up in Canada. It is still pretty warm, but at least the sweating pretty much stops.

Then we’re back to winter and the cycle continues.

Conclusion: Weather here is a lot different than what I grew up with and summer here REALLY sucks!

I thought I’d add the comments, the first one made me smile – everyone’s sweat is the same, no matter where we come from I’ve never come across a person with Hyperhidrosis who actually smells (I had to get that in!). We’re the most hygienic people you could ever come across. And if the antiperspirants in Japan are that weak then I really do feel for them, it must be their own personal hell, especially in their Summer.

jaydeejapan said…
There’s something that always amused me about sweating in Japan. The deodorant in Japan is incredibly weak. The reason? Japanese people tell me it’s because Japanese sweat has no smell.
Right…
Some of the worst smelling people I have ever smelled in my entire life are Japanese businessmen.

Hiko said…
I always tell anyone who will listen not to come to Tokyo between May and September – summer in NZ sounds a lot like Canada, only we get a nice long summer. Winter is rainy and cold – Tokyo only gets nice pleasant warm weather for about 2 weeks each spring and each autumn – and I have heard that summers are worse in Kansai. Climate was apparently a big consideration in the relocation of the capital to Tokyo.

jenninjapan said…
Quite glad for the cool summers here on the north island! I actually went to Kansai last August. Stayed with my family in Osaka while day tripping Nara, Kyoto, and Kobe. I thought I was going to die. And this is after having lived six years in the very tropical climate of central Florida. At least in the States, everything (EVERYTHING) has air conditioning. Not the case in Japan, ne. Is a/c prevalent in Canada?

Here in the UK, the weather has cooled down to a hyperhidrosis-friendly degree. It’s warm and sunny, on the whole, and the days are still long enough to do Summer-type things. Today it’s nice and fresh too – it’s been quite humid recently. In short, this is my favourite weather. Too bad it doesn’t come about that often!

Forum link

I’m looking forward to getting a bit of a life going on now. All Summer I’ve been plugging away on VSB – and loving every minute of it – and when the colder weather, the rain and humidity return I’m going to be getting my ‘down under’ head on as Australia and Asia are now gearing up for their hottest period.

In the meantime, I’m going to be catching up on all the fun things I’ve been missing out on! All being well, we’re meeting my sister and her husband for a picnic soon. There are so many things to do where I live (in the middle of a Royal Forest) that I can take my pick. I can’t walk too far because of the polymyalgia/fibromyalgia/etc but that doesn’t matter. I’ll take my book and choose a good spot, Tilly D Dawg will love having a good sniff around for an hour. I’m hoping to get to the beach, too. Not to swim or sunbathe but just because I love it there.

What are you looking forward to doing that you’ve been putting off because of the heat and humidity? Family days out? Some window shopping? Meeting friends you haven’t seen in a while? I’m looking forward to wearing clothes that I really want to wear, too – I haven’t worn jeans since the beginning of April.

I have so many things saved up for the cooler weather, today I’m like my once 4-year-old nephew in a sweet (candy) shop!

What are you going to do?

My plans for today? Erm, housework

Whatever you’re doing, have a good one!

This is part 2 of 2, carried on from here

Forum link for Part 1
Forum link for Part 2

Blog link for part 1

In part 1, I referred to my June blog regarding how I count down to the end of Summer, and how I was looking forward to the colder weather. A girl can change her mind, can’t she…?

1. In Summer, we wear lightweight clothes wherever we are. You know it’s going to be warm and you’re not faced with fluctuating temperatures, not to the degree we have in Winter.
IN WINTER, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT TO WEAR TO KEEP US BOTH COOL AND WARM.

2. In Winter, we still wear lightweight clothes because we still sweat. It’s what we do. However, in the Winter, our clothes are wet for longer (if we don’t have a chance to change them) and we freeze. Freezing on the outside while boiling over on the inside is incredibly uncomfortable.
AT LEAST WHEN WE BOIL UP IN THE SUMMER, WE DRY OFF WITHOUT OUR SKIN TURNING BLUE WHILE WE’RE STILL BOILING INSIDE.

3. In Summer I rarely use a duvet at night because I get too hot and throw them off me whilst I sleep. In Winter, I still do that but I often wake up with soaking wet pyjamas and hair that are clinging to me and making me feel icy cold. Warming ourselves up after getting so chilled is a nightmare.
IN SUMMER YOU CAN REGULATE YOUR TEMPERATURE SO MUCH EASIER AND RARELY WAKE UP SOAKING AND FREEZING.

4. Going shopping in Winter is worse than shopping in Summer. The constant change in temperature really messes up our bodies. At least in Summer, the temperature is always warm/hot. In winter, we’re outside in icy cold temperatures and dipping into shops with temperatures over 70f (that’s a minimum, I’ve been in shops that are at least 15f higher than that). Our poor bodies go into full-on panic mode and we sweat. It seems to me that just about every shop has it’s heating on full-blast – including those shops who are in an indoor mall. So, we’re pretty much left with having to keep taking our coats off every time we want to walk into a shop.
IN SUMMER, WE DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT COATS OR CARRYING THEM (WHICH MAKES US HOTTER)

5. People see sweating as something you do on the hottest days of the year. When we’re bright red and sweating so much we’re dripping – in the middle of Winter – it’s even more noticeable to other people.
IN SUMMER, ALTHOUGH WE DO GET STARED AT OCCASIONALLY, IT’S NOT QUITE SO GLARINGLY OBVIOUS TO OTHER PEOPLE THAT WE ARE ‘DIFFERENT’.

6. It’s exactly the same thing if we visit friends, family, neighbours etc. To get to their home, we have to leave our own home – with it’s comfortable environment where we’re able to control our sweating. I’ve never found one of them to not have their heating up so high that I can almost feel the steam rising out of the top of my wet-through scalp. Christmas in someone else’s home is the worst case scenario, for me. We’re in a hot house with closed windows, often along with other members of the family or circle of friends. There’s usually excited children wanting us to play with their new toys – for instance, a dance mat. Eating and drinking always cause me to start dripping.
IN SUMMER, OUR SOCIAL EVENTS ARE GENERALLY SPEAKING ALL OUTSIDE – WE DON’T HAVE SUCH TROUBLE ADJUSTING TO THE TEMPERATURES.

7. Enclosed shoes or boots generally make my feet sweat to the point they’re sloshing around – I just hate that first little tickle of Athlete’s Foot…
IT’S SO MUCH EASIER WHEN WE CAN WEAR OPEN SHOES, SANDALS AND DON’T NEED SOCKS AND WATERPROOF SHOES.

8. Going out for a walk in Winter is another trial. I leave the house with a coat on because the temperature outside is often close to freezing. As our homes aren’t quite that cold (!) we have to wear a coat due to the sudden change in temperature. I can guarantee that in less than 5 minutes, I’m boiling up so much that I have to remove my coat and carry it the rest of the way. I’ll still be boiling up until I get home and lay down until my temperatures levels out.
WALKING – OR ANY TYPE OF MOVEMENT – GETS US HOT AND KEEPS US HOT UNTIL WE CAN PHYSICALLY STOP FOR A WHILE.

9. Being ill in Winter is a complete no-no. The massive fluctuation in temperatures we’re constantly bombarded with wears us out. When we’re down we tend to catch any bug that’s on offer. I’ve lost count of colds, chest infections, coughs and even pneumonia (maybe not the pneumonia, I’ve had that 3 times) that I end up with.
VISIT YOUR DOCTOR AT YOUR PERIL, IT’LL BE 80F IN THE WAITING ROOM AND JAM-PACKED WITH PEOPLE COUGHING AND SPLUTTERING. WE’LL END UP COMING AWAY WITH A LOT MORE THAN WE WENT IN FOR.

10. As Winter is drawing to an end, rising temperatures throw our bodies into confusion. I much prefer it when we have a mini heatwave in early Spring – the earlier our bodies get used to the hotter temperature, the easier it is.
TRANSITIONS IN THE SEASONS THROW US OUT, ESPECIALLY INVOLVING WINTER TO SPRING/SUMMER TEMPERATURES.

So there you are. When you think about all the pros and cons of the above, Summer wins – every time.

I never thought I’d say that.

Forum link for Part 1
Forum link for Part 2

Blog link for part 2

Ok, so you think I’d be happy that Winter is on it’s way, wouldn’t you! I’ve spent all Summer ticking off the days on the calendar. I even blogged about wishing Summer would hurry up and end!

But no. I’m hot happy. In one way it’s great – I can take the childish plaits out of my hair (well, a bit more often than I can at the moment) and I can enjoy the cooler weather without having to wear something that looks like it’s made for Winter – ie covering every square inch and in varying shades of either black or white. Maybe my face won’t be quite so red? Two months ago we went to meet with my sister-in-law and her adorable children for the day. I didn’t realise it until we were in the ladies’ just before we left – I caught sight of my face and almost died on the spot. I looked like I’d been the victim of a drive-by spray-painting. In heart-attack red, obviously.

This has got me thinking about Winter. THE Winter I couldn’t wait for a couple of months back. I’ve changed my mind, now, thank you very much. I want to keep Spring. Summer exacerbates my internal boiling up and overheating – and resultant sweating. Autumn – now my second favourite season. If it was less humid than it can be, then I’d be happy to keep it a joint favourite. Winter, though – that’s another blog all on it’s own.

Tomorrow I’ll explain more, but right now, I need to get a shower and an early night.

Two of our three free giveaway competitions are ending this week and we really don’t want anyone to miss out. If you haven’t already done so, PLEASE enter the competitions. It’s free and easy to do – it’s as simple as writing three words in an email and hitting ‘send’! It’s a fabulous way of trying out products relevant to your sweating. All three of these products cost over $16.99 each so it’s worth spending two minutes to join in.

Good luck!

Wrapps – FREE giveaway
Wrapps – www.coolwrapps.com have given us ten free Wrapps to send out to ten lucky entrants. These are invaluable if you suffer any sweating in your groin area. They can also help if you sweat down your back. This is a fantastic opportunity to hopefully try one out to see if it works for you. Every Wrapp is handmade with the utmost care by Denise Bartell – Denise has suffered with Hyperhidrosis for many, many years.

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Send an email to wrapps@verysweatybetty.com
2. You MUST include ‘wrapps giveaway’ in the subject line
3. You MUST include your verysweatybetty forum member name in the body of the email
4. You can enter as many times as you like – although that doesn’t mean you can win more than once!
5. The winners will be chosen entirely at random and notified once the competition has closed on 1st September 2011

____________________________________

Klima Antiperspirant – FREE giveaway
The other free giveaway is for Klima Antiperspirant. This product is a market leader and this is your chance to hopefully give it a try. This is for our US members only I’m afraid.

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Send an email to klima@verysweatybetty.com and enter ‘Klima giveaway’ in the subject line.
2. You must include your VerySweatyBetty forum name in the body of the email.
3. You can enter as many times as you like but you can’t win more than once!
4. This giveaway is valid until 1st September.
5. Successful applicants will be chosen at random and notified accordingly.
6. Please be aware this particular promotional giveaway is only valid if you live in the USA.

____________________________________

Kleinerts Sweat Shield Wipes – FREE giveaway (NEW)
These Once-a-Week wipes come in a convenient sachet and afford you safe and effective protection from sweat – and better still, you can use them just about everywhere!

- Clinically tested
- No irritation with extra aoles added
- Waterproof through showering
- Easy to apply
- Safe for underarms, face, hands, chest, back and feet (please keep this away from your eyes).

We have TEN free boxes of their Sweat Shield Wipes to give away to ten lucky recipients. Each box is enough for up to two whole months of protection against sweat. Each box is worth $16.99 so it’s a prize that’s well worth having.

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Send an email to kleinerts@verysweatybetty.com
2. You MUST include ‘kleinerts giveaway’ in the subject line
3. You MUST include your verysweatybetty forum member name in the body of the email
4. You can enter as many times as you like – although that doesn’t mean you can win more than once!
5. The winners will be chosen entirely at random and notified once the competition has closed on 15th September 2011
6. Please note, Kleinerts Sweat Shield Wipes free giveaway is open to North America residents only.

A note about spam – don’t worry, we keep all your information 100% PRIVATE. You have our word that you won’t receive spam because of us.

Thank you for reading – and please remember to enter these three Hyperhidrosis must-have competitions!

A while ago I was very kindly sent a parcel by Sweat Guard (a UK based company) containing a few products to trial and blog about.  This is the first blog in the series and it’s for the Iceover Deodorant Soap made by the American company Klima.

My first thought was that combining two products doesn’t always work too well, for instance if you have long hair, the 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner combos are pretty hopeless.  And there’s no such thing as a soap-deodorant, is there?

On unwrapping the soap, it was clear that the bar was a really good size, far bigger than the average bar.  The fragrance is unisex – very fresh and clean smelling with a relaxing scent, which to my mind is pretty clever because many people suffer with Hyperhidrosis through anxiety.  They’ve certainly thought of everything!

The next test was whether the bar would become sloppy and soggy like some soaps can be.  I certainly had no worries there.  When I’d finished using it I stood it up on it’s end to make sure the bar dried as quickly as possible.  I’ve been testing cosmetics for many famous and prolific manufacturers for a long time and out of all the bar soaps I’ve trialled, this is right up there for longevity.

The overall performance was very good, there’s plenty of rich suds and bubbles but not too much that it doesn’t rinse off quickly and efficiently.  One thing I was particularly worried about was would it dry out or even irritate my skin?  I’m really sensitive to most HH products, especially the underarm products.  As this is a deodorising soap, my underarms were fine.  My skin is pretty dry, I can’t use body lotions because I’ve never found one that absorbs and a) doesn’t make me hotter through not allowing my skin to breathe or b) that doesn’t slide off into a gloopy, sticky mess to possibly ruin yet another outfit.  I was really pleased with the soap, my skin actually felt softer after using it.  Granted, it might have been my imagination because I was checking for the normal ‘tight’ feeling but it just didn’t happen.

The most important part of this is the deodorising element, does it really work?  There was only one way to find out – and I had the perfect opportunity.  Since last August, we’ve been living upside down, renovating the whole house from top to bottom.  It’s a small house with just the one bathroom (upstairs).  We planned on installing a downstairs toilet and cloakroom and when that was up and running, we would have a wall knocked down in the bathroom, and the whole bathroom replaced, including the ceiling, walls and floor.  This would mean the bathroom was out of bounds for at least five or six days, so we only had a tiny hand-basin (filled with hot water from the kettle) in the downstairs toilet to use for strip-washing ourselves.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a day where I’ve gone without at least one shower, or generally speaking, two.  As it turned out, it was during the first heatwave of the year back in April.  Not the greatest of weeks to have chosen to be without a shower!  Both my husband and myself used the soap and there’s no other way of saying this – not only did it work, it worked incredibly well.  From face to feet, the soap performed everything it had promised.  It left our skin cool and lightly fragranced and the superfresh feeling lasted for hours.  I suffer from severe Primary Generalised Hyperhidrosis – my sweat pattern is that I sweat from my scalp to my feet.  Although I was sweating between washes, I couldn’t detect a stale or sweaty aroma at all.

As far as I’m concerned, the soap more than fulfilled it’s promises, it kept my skin feeling cool, fresh and deodorised and didn’t strip any natural moisture from my skin, even on prolonged use – even the eczema on my hands.

This is FAR from being an ordinary soap and I recommend it to anyone – you don’t need to suffer with Hyperhidrosis to get the best from this soap as it’s a deodorant, not an antiperspirant.

Sweat Guard

Iceover Deodorant Soap