Darcie Hamilton was 10 years old when she noticed something strange: she sweated much more than the rest of her classmates at primary school in Scotland.
Over time, her body got out of hand. Literally. Sweat ran from her armpit down to her waist, and to hide it she ended up taking three changes of clothes to school and showering up to five times a day. Nothing was enough. The bullying was so severe that she left school at 14, tired of being told she was dirty.
Two years later came the diagnosis: one of the worst cases of hyperhidrosis doctors had seen. At its most severe, Darcie lost up to three litres of sweat a day and needed to drink five litres of water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Her skin paid the price: chafing, rashes, sores in her armpits and hundreds of tiny blisters on both hands. The UK’s National Health Service withdrew her free access to the Botox that relieved her symptoms, and she now pays for the treatment privately.
At 22, Darcie repeats something few people understand: sweating like this is not a lack of hygiene, it is a real illness.