Amerley Ollennu

Sandwiched between an armpit and a bulging backpack in a crowded train car, I quickly began to feel pools of perspiration forming...

As the first bead of sweat trickled down my face, I got hotter and sweatier from sheer panic — how and where was I going to fix my face before I headed into my meeting?!

I’m one of the two million people in the UK who seem to suffer from hyperhidrosis — excess sweating — caused by overactive sweat glands...

For some people it affects the whole body, while for others like me it occurs in one or two specific areas. For me, it's my face.

I’m not a shy person, but my sweaty face has stopped me in my tracks over the years. I’ve avoided nights out knowing the venue isn't air-conditioned, and I’ve avoided introducing myself to guys I’ve liked because I can’t make eye contact when my face begins to perspire.

Living in an air-conditioned bubble isn’t an option, and after years of embarrassment, I’d had enough. I desperately needed to find a solution. Thankfully, one of the perks of being a beauty journalist is having the best experts in the industry on speed dial, so...

I talked to Dr. Maryam Zamani, who told me that aluminum is the industry-standard anti-perspirant ingredient, but the face is tricky because it's more sensitive. Prescription meds were an option, but came with side effects. The other option? Botox.

Botox, in its traditional line-smoothing use, temporarily paralyzes muscles by blocking the neurotransmitters that tell them to contract. The same process is employed to stop sweat, but it's injected into the skin rather than the muscle to prevent activation of sweat glands.