Darcie Hamilton, 22, from Ayr has lived with severe hyperhidrosis since she was 10, causing her to sweat heavily and need up to five showers a day. Her NHS-funded botox treatment was withdrawn this year.
Christopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter
10:56, 20 Nov 2025
Updated 12:28, 20 Nov 2025
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The condition, known as hyperhidrosis, deteriorated, compelling Darcie to conceal it from others. This meant taking as many as five showers daily and bringing three outfit changes to school.
Darcie experienced serious bullying, leading her to withdraw from school at just 14, reports the Mirror.
The condition remains disruptive today, with Darcie experiencing sweating from the tops of her armpits down to her waist. Additionally, she has developed sores in her armpits and serious blisters across her palms.
Discussing the experience, Darcie, who lives near Ayr said: "The sweat would literally be from the top of my armpit all the way down to the bottom of my waist.
"I was going to the school in the winter without a jacket just so I wouldn't sweat. The older I got, the more visible it became. I would start chafing. It would cause rashes, blisters, really bad sores.
"Sometimes I'd be showering maybe four or five times a day and bringing two or three changes of clothing as well. I had to bring changes of clothes to school. If I go out, even just for a walk, sometimes I have to change two or three times a day.
"It overtook my life, I was in my bed all day every day. I didn't want to leave the house or make friends. I was embarrassed."
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Darcie, who would drink up to five litres of water daily to combat dehydration, was diagnosed with hyperhidrosis in 2019 and initially received NHS -funded botox injections to ease the symptoms, but this was withdrawn earlier this year.
This has been a devastating blow to Darcie, who was informed in the letter that the removal of treatment from University Hospital Ayr was due to a national shortage of vascular consultants and several vascular consultant retirements.
Speaking about the impact the treatment had, Darcie said it was life-changing: "I was devastated when they cut the treatment. I opened the letter and just balled my eyes out crying. I felt so defeated.
"When I got my first Botox injection, it did last the full year and I had no symptoms - no blisters, no sweating. I felt great in myself. I now have to get private treatment and it does work for me. It's still prominent but it's not as bad.
"Hyperhidrosis is not taken seriously as a real medical condition. I think people see someone sweating and think they're disgusting and don't clean themselves. It's a real medical condition and there's real people living with it."
Darcie has lived with the condition since she was a child(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
In response to the story, Vicki Campbell, director of acute services at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, stated: "Vascular services in NHS Ayrshire and Arran are delivered as part of a network arrangement with NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
"Despite attempts to recruit, there are currently vacancies in the network's consultant establishment which is representative of a national shortage of vascular surgeons.
"The National Referral Protocol (NRP) was published in September 2025 and supersedes the Exceptional Referral Protocol. The NRP sets out NHS Scotland-wide criteria for the treatment of a number of conditions.
"Under this guidance, Botulinum toxin for hyperhidrosis is not routinely provided by NHS Scotland Botulinum toxin for hyperhidrosis.
"As a result of the above, consultant time requires to be prioritised for the provision of acute and urgent vascular care. We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to any patient that this may affect.
Bron: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/heal ... e-36276938
Dit is heel heftig. 3 liter zweet per dag en kijk eens naar de foto van haar hand. Ook in de UK wordt botox dus niet zomaar vergoed.
