Is This Perimenopause

April 24, 2015 7:21 AM

Whether it is perimenopause or is not, it's annoying and I need some coping mechanisms or a decent dressing strategy. I'm having annoying under-boob sweat, leading to soaked bras and a light rash. Details inside.

I'm 45, white, of a weight my doctor calls healthy and unremarkable (about 135 on a 5 foot 5 frame). Vegetarian, nonsmoker, light alcohol use, no on-going medical issues. Not overwhelmingly active, but I walk a couple miles every day. No kids, hormonal birth control, and uncontrollable sweat under the boobs (a D-cup) regardless of whether I feel warm or am sweating anywhere else.

The only time I don't find sweat collecting on the front band of my bras under the cups are days when I quite literally do nothing at all--like sit at the computer in the home office doing nothing at all, rather than walking to work and sitting at the computer there.

I've stopped wearing underwire bras because even when properly fitted they chafe me. I've tried using the Wick 'ems bra liners, which work, but they feel like I've got socks stuffed in my bra and are therefore uncomfortable. So far, I manage to sweat through cotton bras, wool bras, nylon bras, high-tech athletic bras whether they are traditional lingerie articulated cup bras or yoga-type-pull-over bras. I even sweat through shelf-bra camisoles. Of course, I have not wore every bra in existence, so if you have a suggestion, I'm all ears.

I've been using Gold Bond powder at night, but find it awkward to be powdering under my breasts all day long--the powder showing on my clothes even more than the sweat does. Other drug-store supplies that might help with either the rash/chafing or the sweating itself? The sweat collects whether I've got a bra on or not, but I'm more comfortable with one on, as I'm not small-chested.

Advice? Assurances that this will stop eventually? Thanks.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Have you tried putting regular armpit deodorant under your breasts?
posted by Andrhia at 7:39 AM on April 24, 2015

Yeah. I was going to say the same. Something like Ban Unscented or Arrid Xtra Dry or whatever.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:55 AM on April 24, 2015

Or the extra-strength kind, CertainDri anti-perspirant roll-on (not the solid).
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:58 AM on April 24, 2015

I use bath powder followed by Monistat powder-gel after showering in the AM.
posted by jaruwaan at 8:09 AM on April 24, 2015

Not deodorant as suggested above - antiperspirant. Deodorant will just mask odor, it won't control the sweating.
posted by amro at 8:17 AM on April 24, 2015

Do you get sweat there when not wearing a bra? Even if you're not normally comfortable going bra-less (though I highly recommend it as a fellow D-cup; it stops hurting after a few days),knowing that will let you rule out whether the bras are leading to irritation that makes you sweat.
posted by metasarah at 8:20 AM on April 24, 2015

I don't know how to prevent the sweating but diaper rash ointment like Desitin on dry skin will prevent the rash.
posted by cda at 8:43 AM on April 24, 2015

" Do you get sweat there when not wearing a bra? "

She said the sweat collects whether I've got a bra on or not.

This might be worth a shot but I have not personally tried it.

Also, sorry to be gross here, but does this "sweat" have any odor? Is it possible that it's some sort of yeasty beasty or fungus, rather than just sweat? If your underboob isn't perky and high anymore the lack of air and extra moistness there could be problematic. Just a thought.
posted by the webmistress at 10:31 AM on April 24, 2015

That sounds really uncomfortable. Just wanted to second the anti-chafing powers of the Monistat powder-gel mentioned above. I think you could even put that on top of an antiperspirant. Another anti-chafing option is Body Glide. (Buy the men's--same product, different package, more for your money.) It's designed for runner's, so it's perfect for a sweaty situation. It doesn't dry to a powdery finish like the Monistat stuff though--Body Glide stays creamy. And it does not stain your clothes ime.

If the rash is just a heat rash, maybe treat it with some hydrocortisone cream at night and then try an antiperspirant regimen during the day.

(Some people who have used Certaindri or gotten botox in their pits say that when they stop one part of the body from sweating, the sweat moves elsewhere, so be prepared for that. But frankly having your pits sweat a bit more would be way better than what you're dealing with right now. And that's only some people.)

The only other thing I could think of is aerobic fitness. It seems really unlikely given how you describe your health, but I mention it because when I've weighed more (not an issue for you) or been inactive in the past, simple activities tended to make me sweat. Now that I'm fitter, I sweat less in general in my day-to-day, non-exercise parts of my life. (I sweat buckets when I exercise.) Try the other stuff first though.
posted by purple_bird at 11:01 AM on April 24, 2015

Buy isopropyl alchohol, find a nice scented oil you like, citrus is nice, grapefruit my fave, add a little to the alcohol tomake it pleasing.. After bathing put some there, not more than a teaspoon for pits and under your breasts.start out with a newly washed bra. Change bras every couple of days. Don't put moisturizing lotion on that area. In a few days, what ever bacteria or other unwantd guests, will be gone and the irritation should die down, unless you have a new sensitivity to latex.

You may have changed lotion and didn't realize this change came along with that. Powders near your face are bad for the upper respiratory system.
posted by Oyéah at 11:09 AM on April 24, 2015

You mentioned that you didn't like Wick'ems, but lactating mothers often use breast pads to control leakage of milk during the day. They're fabric and pop into the cups of your bra. They absorb moisture and odor. You throw them in the wash when you're done, like socks. You mentioned that you have D cup or above breasts and don't have room for pads, but they're designed for nursing moms (who, you know, tend to have enormous breasts). Good luck! That sounds really uncomfortable.
posted by Pearl928 at 12:38 PM on April 24, 2015

You could go with SweatBlock wipes (you can get them on Amazon). You wipe it on and it stops sweat for a whole week. They smell a bit clove-like. I have used it for excessive face sweating (off label use), and while on my face it stings like a horde of angry bees for an hour, on the body it doesn't seem to have the same effect. I used it prior to working for a week in an unairconditioned building in 90 degree humid weather, and had nary a bead of sweat on my face where I'd used it.
posted by cecic at 2:13 PM on April 24, 2015