Perspiration is one of those slightly awkward things nobody likes to talk about. Boasts about “sweating it out at the gym” or “getting a sweat on” on the dance floor might be socially acceptable, but everyday sweating is not up for discussion. Even in the Middle East.
“It acts as a natural cooling system, helping to prevent overheating by releasing heat through evaporation,” explains Dr Amira Alsisi, a dermatology and cosmetology specialist at Aster Clinic, Halwan. “It also helps to eliminate small amounts of waste products, contributing to overall skin and body health.”
For most people, sweating is easily managed with antiperspirants. But excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis, can make some feel self-conscious. According to the US-based International Hyperhidrosis Society, about 385 million people live with hyperhidrosis and an estimated 27 per cent of those have not received a diagnosis.
Hyperhidrosis: What causes excessive sweating?
Two types of sweat glands – eccrine and apocrine – help to regulate body temperature. Eccrine glands are found all over, particularly on the palms, soles, forehead and armpits. Apocrine glands are found in areas with many hair follicles, such as armpits and groin. They are activated by stress, heightened emotional state and hormones, producing a thicker, stronger smelling sweat.
Genetics, activity levels and stress are some of the factor that determine sweat levels. Conditions such as diabetic hypoglycaemia and hyperthyroidism also play a part, as does hyperhidrosis.
“While hyperhidrosis is not inherently harmful, it can lead to significant physical and psychological challenges,” says Dr Najam Saqib, a dermatologist at RAK Hospital. “Physically, excessive sweating can cause skin maceration, increasing the risk of infections. Psychologically, it can lead to embarrassment social withdrawal and decreased quality of life. The condition can interfere with daily activities, occupational tasks and interpersonal relationships.”
First step: medicated deodorants
GPs can prescribe clinical strength antiperspirants, which temporarily blocking the sweat ducts, for those who sweat excessively.
“They are non-invasive, easily available and suitable for mild to moderate cases,” says Dr Alsisi. “They often contain higher concentrations of aluminium salts, which may cause skin irritation in some individuals and can be less effective for severe hyperhidrosis compared to medical treatments.”
The amount of aluminium chloride hexahydrate varies by antiperspirant brand. Higher concentrations are recommended for hands and feet. Dr Mihaela Svorcina, an aesthetic doctor at Euromed Clinic Dubai, recommends applying antiperspirants “on the affected area before sleep”. She advises washing it off the next morning and then reapplying.
Botox injections to stop sweating
Muscle paralysing protein botulinum toxin, commonly known as Botox, is used to stop excessive sweating by blocking the nerves responsible for activating sweat, causing them to become temporarily inactive.
“Botox works best for the armpits as only numbing cream is required to alleviate the pain,” says Dr Maurizio Viel, a plastic surgeon at Cornerstone Clinic.
“The product can also be injected in the hands and feet, however, because of the sensitivity of these areas, it is advisable to do this under sedation. It is extremely painful. Before injecting the hands, it is important to consider that this can affect the strength of the grip of the hand, so this is rarely advised.”
Dr Viel says the treatment has proved highly effective in targeted areas and is a relatively quick outpatient procedure.
“It takes three to seven days for the Botox to start working,” Dr Viel adds. “The treatment can last from four to six months but most patients, if injected by a professional, can see results lasting up to nine months. That’s when new nerve endings regenerate to stimulate the sweat glands again and require another round of injections.”
Dr Svorcina adds: “We can also inject into the scalp, where we have seen its effect on better hair growth, sweat reduction and control of oily hair. When it comes to areas like the groin, buttocks, chest and back, this is generally not done as much due to cost, pain and the risk of infection.”
Is blocking sweat glands dangerous?
Sweating is vital to maintaining good health, so questions arise around what happens when sweat glands are deliberately stopped from doing what they are supposed to.
“The body does not sweat extra in other areas because one area sweats less,” says Dr Viel. “The body has a large surface area to cool. Treating a area should not make any difference to the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
“Patients with this condition are typically sweating more than the average person, so cutting down armpit sweat should make little to no difference to the rest of the body’s cooling functions.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'