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With summer in full swing and the temperatures rising, all of us are looking for ways to eliminate sweat. Sweat and body odor affects everyone, but typically, deodorants and antiperspirants will do the trick. Unfortunately, for Aremilda dos Santos, a 31-year-old mother from South East Brazil, it seemed like there was nothing that could stop her sweat and body odor.
Aremilda suffers from Hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes increased sweating, and by default, excessive body odor.
For over a decade, Aremilda took 5 showers a day to try to halt her non-stop sweating and mask the intense body odor. Her condition was so intense that it often left every outfit she put on covered in sweat. Everything she owned was covered in sweat stains, and she was forced to change her clothes constantly.
People would often make mean comments or cover their noses when Aremilda was around, and even going to church became a challenge.
'When I went to church and the pastor said "Raise your hands and give God the glory" everyone raised their arms but me.” she said.
She was so uncomfortable and embarrassed by the sweat and odor that she would only agree to make love to her husband if they were in the shower!
“I suffered with this problem for thirteen years and I did everything I could to mask it.” she said. Friends and family thought that she wasn’t cleaning herself properly, but that obviously wasn’t the case. Aremilda showered and used deodorant all the time, and she said she would even roll up toilet paper and stick it under her armpits, hoping to absorb the sweat.
While for most of us, deodorants and antiperspirants usually prove effective for up to 12 hours, Aremilda said that the scent from the deodorant would wear off after just a few minutes.
The last straw finally came when Aremilda tried to cuddle with her son and he refused, calling her “stinky”.
Thankfully, after many years of humiliation and suffering, Aremilda has found the solution to her problem. The mother-of-one received surgery to cut away the nerves in her armpits, which deactivated the sweat glands.
Her doctor suggested botox initially, or surgery as the last resort. Aremilda didn’t hesitate to get the permanent solution.
"I chose surgery because botox was not covered by my health plan. It would hurt, it wasn't permanent, it would cost nearly £1,000 and I'd have to do it again in six months." she said.
Thought she received the painless surgery in 2012, she has just now began to speak up about her condition. Aremild says that since the surgery her life has been amazing, and it feels incredible to be dry and odor -free for the first time in her life!
"I threw my stinky clothes in the trash and finally brought different colored items and my wardrobe smells of lavender. Now, when the pastor says to raise our arms, mine are the first to go up."
It’s great to see that this loving wife and mother has finally found happiness and is comfortable with herself after all these years! What do you think of this story? Have you ever heard of this condition before?
