November 13, 2025 • 34 mins
In this episode, we speak with Mathieu Mireault, cofounder of Dermadry, about iontophoresis and how it can be used to manage hyperhidrosis.
Whether you've just stumbled across iontophoresis, or you've been using it for years, this episode is packed with information, inspiration, and tips.
Tune in to hear us talk about:
- The founder of Dermadry and how his battle with hyperhidrosis led him to seek a better solution for managing excessive sweating
- What iontophoresis is and how we think it works
- What did Nikola Tesla have to do with iontophoresis?
- Why buying a machine that's cleared by a local health authority matters
- How long it takes for iontophoresis to start working
- Tips for using your Dermadry device
- Can you pack your iontophoresis device in your suitcase?
- What's the deal with tap water?
- Compensatory sweating: can it happen when using iontophoresis?
- Who shouldn't use iontophoresis?
- Why Dermadry is on mission to break the taboo around excessive sweating
Note: This episode was not sponsored by Dermadry.
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***
About Dermadry
🔗 Website: https://dermadry.com/
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dermadry/
🔗 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dermadry
🔗 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/293177071950930
🔗 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzXPLn4G5nu7mFcP8hWkSnw
About Sweaty Girl Society:
🔗 Website: https://sweatygirlsociey.com
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweatygirlsociety
🔗 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SweatyGirlSociety
***
Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is provided as an information resource only. It is not to be used or relied on for any medical, diagnostic or treatment purpose, and it should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. Please consult your health care provider before making any health care decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
Join Sweaty Girl Society's free membership community at sweatygirlsociety.com/community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mathieu, Dermadry (00:00):
People who have hyperhidrosis are almost 10
times more prone to depression,anxiety, so it has a really
deep impact in people's lives.
When you talk abouthyperhidrosis people are like,
ah, come on, you're justsweating a bit.
It's no big thing.
But no, actually, it's a hugething.
It's maybe the biggest problemin your life.
The way that we grew is that wehad super fans where we had
(00:21):
somebody tell us, this machinecompletely saved my life.
We really try to break thattaboo around sweating because in
the end, the more people talkabout it, the more lives we're
actually going to be able tochange.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Society (00:35):
You are listening to the Sweaty
Girl Society Podcast, a show forwomen with hyperhidrosis, where
we share tips for living betterwith excessive sweating.
I'm your host, Karina.
Now let's get into the show.
Welcome back to the Sweaty GirlSociety Podcast.
If you're interested iniontophoresis, this episode is
for you.
(00:55):
In this episode, we speak withMathieu Mireault.
Mathieu is one of theco-founders and VP at Dermadry.
Dermadry is a manufacturer of aleading at home iontophoresis
machine.
I think you're gonna find thisepisode both interesting and
useful.
Let's get into it.
Hi Mathieu, welcome to theshow.
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:14):
Thank you so much for inviting us.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Societ (01:15):
It's so nice to speak to a fellow
Canadian.
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:17):
This may be the most polite podcast you do.
That's right.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (01:21):
Yeah.
So Dermadry is headquartered inMontreal.
Right.
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:24):
Exactly.
We are based in Montreal.
We manufacture our devices herein Montreal.
So it is the quality of a madein Canada product.
We're really proud of that.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (01:35):
That's awesome.
Well, not too far from me interms of, uh, Canadian
distances.
I'm not too far.
So let's get into it then.
Can you tell me what Dermadryis and how the company came to
be?
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:48):
Absolutely.
So Dermadry is called aniontophoresis device.
It was founded officially in2016.
The co-founders are me, Maxim,another individual called
Nicola, and basically we're allfriends from CEGEP, which is
kind of like the place where yougo between high school and
university here in Quebec.
(02:09):
Um, and one day Maxim, he tellsme in a bar, we're watching a
music show together.
He tells me, Matt, my hands areso sweaty.
I'm like, okay, this is weirdto talk about.
Matt, i'm gonna found a companyfor people who are sweaty hands
like me.
I look at him and I say, Max,maybe it's time to stop drinking
for tonight.
(02:29):
But actually it was really, hewas explaining me that he had
this great concept to treatsweaty hands of people like him,
uh, and that he triedeverything on the market,
deodorants, uh, topical cream,et cetera.
And that the only thing thatworked for him was plugging some
batteries with aluminum pans,which is basically a homemade
(02:51):
iontophoresis, and thatcompletely transformed his life.
So he looked at me and said, weneed to bring the solution to
the market at a price that makessense for people.
'cause at that time, all themachines were about $1,200 US.
And we were, we were alluniversity students by then, so
we were really broke.
Um, so we were like, we wouldnever be able to afford this.
(03:14):
So we cannot offer this at aprice where people can buy it
because we know that it's acondition that really, really,
really impacts people's lives.
'cause Maxime would tell us howmuch impact is his life.
So basically we designed amachine for people who had
hyperhidrosis by people who hadhyperhidrosis.
And we made it not only themost affordable possible, but
also the most comfortable, themost effective possible.
(03:36):
So that's a bit of a, of abackstory.
Wow.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (03:38):
That's that's incredible.
That he had done his ownhomemade version of
iontophoresis.
So, it's always exciting tocome across a company that is
very connected to their missionbecause they deeply understand
their customer because one ofthem are one of their customers.
Uh, so if we could dive intoIontophoresis a little bit.
What is iontophoresis and do weknow how it works yet?
Mathieu, Dermadry (04:04):
So, iontophoresis is one of those
weird things where there's noclear consensus of how it works,
but there is a clear consensusthat it actually does work.
So all the studies that havebeen made with iontophoresis
demonstrate from 90 to a hundredpercent a success rate for
people who are able to use themachine.
Um, but the way that it works.
Nobody really knows how itworks.
(04:27):
There's different hypothesis.
For example, some people thinkthat when you put your hands or
feet or the contact zoned withwater.
And then you put the water withelectricity, the electricity is
gonna push some ions in yoursweatland.
So that is one hypothesis.
So basically, maybe I shouldstart off by saying that
(04:47):
iontophoresis is a machine thatwould send electrical current
and water.
Uh, you would put the surfaceof a sweat in the water, then
the electricity is gonna come incontact with the treated zone,
and then you would stop sweatingafter a certain amount of time.
So the way that it works on ourside, the way that we explain
it, is that basically theelectricity is gonna go inside
(05:08):
of your skin in the place wherethe least resistance, which
would be the sweat glands, andthen it's gonna kind of disrupt
the connection between the nerveand the sweat gland, and the
nerve won't be able tocommunicate effectively to the
sweat gland to tell it toproduce sweat.
So that's how we explain it.
Once again, I wanna make, uh,clear to everyone that nobody
(05:29):
really knows a hundred percent.
There's no scientificconsensus.
But, uh, that's the best waythat we explain it.
Yeah, I
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (05:36):
mean, that seems to be the way it
works with hyperhidrosis.
There's, uh, not a lot ofanswers, but incredible that it
works.
And so how is it discovered?
Do you know who firstdiscovered this and why was it,
uh, an accident?
Mathieu, Dermadry (05:48):
And that's, that's a really good question.
There's rumors that NikolaTesla, when he was using
electricity, he kind ofdiscovered that, you know,
there's this famous image ofhim, he's in a room with a bunch
of electricity in the air.
He would've said that the, hestopped sweating from the places
where the electricity wouldcome in and come out.
Um, but really it's been inuse.
(06:08):
For instance, the 1940sofficially to treat
hyperhidrosis, and it's reallybecome more popular in more
recent years.
one of the main reasons I, Isay this as humbly as possible,
is because of Dermadry, uh,because of what we're doing on
social media.
Really trying to speak aboutiontophoresis as a way to treat
hyperhidrosis.
Um, but yes, it seems thationtophoresis was kind of a
(06:31):
freak show accident where nobodyreally knew why if they started
using it.
And then suddenly people arelike, oh, this actually works.
Let's use this to treathyperhidrosis.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (06:41):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so when I think ofiontophoresis going back to when
I was first diagnosed, whichwas about 20 years ago.
There weren't the at-homeoptions like Dermadry provides
now.
So you had to get it done in aclinic with a nurse overseeing
you.
And it was a big ordeal, a lotmore painful, all those sorts of
(07:01):
things.
So, iontophoresis has reallyevolved over the years and you
were able to bring it intopeople's homes, which I think
has really been a game changer.
Mathieu, Dermadry (07:12):
Well, yeah, absolutely.
So once we created the machine,one of the main things, as I
said previously, was how can wemake this as easy as used as
possible?
'cause people will not go toclinic every day for about a
week or two weeks, which is whatis required to make the machine
work at the beginning.
So let's build a machine that'sat home use to make sure that
(07:33):
it is possible to use.
So I'm interested to know whatdid it look like back then?
What, what iontophoresis?
Was it big?
Was it clunky?
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (07:40):
Well, yeah.
I actually never did it becauseit was such a barrier to go and
and at that time there wasn't alot being spoken about it, so I
didn't know how effective itwas.
It just seemed like a reallybig barrier.
So I was like, uh, forget aboutit, you know?
Mathieu, Dermadry (07:54):
And the internet for sure makes a big,
big difference.
And now people talk about it,so it is such a weird concept.
Put your hands in water withelectricity, and I promise you,
it's not only is it safe, butit's gonna cure your
hyperhidrosis.
Like, oh, it seems more like acharlatan thing, that it's
something that actually worksin, its back by science.
(08:15):
So it's really good that nowthat we have plenty of reviews
on the internet.
People say that noiontophoresis really works.
It's scientifically backed, butI could imagine back in the
days when you had nobody totrust, and, uh, somebody just
tells you this crazy concept ofputting your hands in water and
electricity.
So I know, I, I completelyunderstand your point of view
that maybe I would not have doneit.
(08:36):
In the days for sure.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (08:38):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that was actually gonna bemy next point.
This idea of electricity andwater.
We've always been taught thosedon't really go together.
That, that's dangerous.
So how is it that this can worksafely and what sort of safety
features are built into theDermadry?
Mathieu, Dermadry (08:53):
So, of course as any type of medical device,
there's a lot that goes into itto be FDA, cleared and Health
Canada here in Canada.
So there's numerous differentfeatures in the machine to make
it safe, much safer than an athome device.
We tinkered with at-home devicefor a long time, and I could
tell you that we all had severeshocks.
(09:15):
So we were kind of a team ofsurvivors here at Dermadry.
We all survived homemadeiontophoresis.
That's like the main criteriato be able to work here.
You need to have some, uh, burnmarks in your head.
I'm just kidding.
But, uh, of course.
So there's a different types ofways that we protect our
clients, for example, there'sways to minimize the shock
(09:36):
effect.
There's ways that we make surethat electricity doesn't pass a
certain threshold.
So it is a bit technical, butif you buy a machine that's been
certified by, either by HealthCanada or the FDA, could be very
confident with the machine youhave.
Uh, but please, listeners beaware of machines that haven't
been and claim that they havebeen.
(09:56):
There's a lot of companies fromChina, for example.
There's a lot of people thatexplain how to do homemade
devices but it is not safe.
And when you're playing withwater and electricity, you have
to be sure that you have a safesolution because if not, you
might be in the news and itwould be a really terrible thing
to try to treat your condition,but by treating it, getting
something that's much worse.
That's definitely something tobe aware of.
(10:18):
Yeah,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (10:18):
yeah, for sure.
Um, you often see on the Redditboards, people talking about
making their at home device and,uh, no, thank you.
Not for me, Okay.
So what areas then can Dermadrybe used for?
I know there's a distinctionhere between what it is approved
for, and then how people areactually using it.
Mathieu, Dermadry (10:37):
So basically Dermadry has been FDA cleared
and Health Canada approved forthe treatment of hands, feet,
and underarms.
But we know that some doctorswould prescribe it off label.
We cannot recommend in any wayor form because we can only
recommend what's we've beencleared for, which is hands,
feet, and underarms.
(10:57):
But I can say, for example, forother machines, some of our
competitors have masks for theface.
Other people have adapters forthe back.
So basically the way thationtophoresis works is the
electricity will enter a part ofyour body and it will always
try to come out from, um, theshortest route.
So for example, if you put itin two places on your back that
(11:19):
sweat, the electricity is gonnaonly loop between those two
places in your back.
So that could be an effectiveway definitely to treat your
back or other areas of yourbody.
We know that, for example, alot of people have it in the,
their private areas.
That is the common thing thatwe hear.
Sadly, we cannot treat it, butthat is a very common mm-hmm.
Place where people sweat.
But, we dabbled in trying tohave a face mask.
(11:42):
Anybody who's tried it, it'sreally weird.
You have kind of a metallictaste in your mouth when you put
electricity in the, in thezone.
So we couldn't figure out aeffective solution for the face.
But definitely, hyperhidrosisis a condition that anybody who
has it is debilitating.
So if you find something thatworks for you, there's nobody
who can really judge you.
It's just such a beautifulthing to be finally carefree and
(12:06):
not always be worrying aboutyour sweat.
So,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (12:08):
yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Absolutely.
And so the Dermadry device, canit be used for a range of
sweating?
Within the hyperhidrosiscommunity, right?
There are different ranges ofsweating that people experience.
So, maybe somebody on thelighter side and then somebody
on the heavy, excessive side.
Is this appropriate for thewhole range?
Mathieu, Dermadry (12:28):
Yeah.
So maybe the first thing that'simportant to talk about is the
fact that hyperhidrosis isreally more considered as a
subjective condition than anobjective condition.
Basically, the main way toexplain hyperhidrosis is that
you sweat more than your bodyneeds to regulate your
temperature.
That is like the officialexplanation, but most people,
(12:49):
the way that they see it issomething that bothers them.
So you would see people whohave tremendous amount of sweat,
and for them, they don't thinkthey sweat a lot.
Whereas for other people, youknow, they have maybe little bit
of humidity on their hands, forexample, and nobody would
notice it.
But for them, it's the onlything that they think about.
And for them, they have a lotof sweat.
So sweat is really a hardconcept to try to objectify
(13:12):
that's one of the problems inthe science behind sweating or
hyperhidrosis, that there'sreally no official good way to
measure sweat.
So to answer your question, areDermadry, iontophoresis in
general, they are designed totreat all the level of sweat
people who have a little bit ofsweat to people who have a lot
of sweat.
It is efficient for all thesepeople.
(13:33):
The thing to consider is themore you sweat, the longer it
will take to see results.
If you have a little sweat thenit will be much quicker to see
some results.
But yeah, definitelyiontophoresis is designed to
treat all levels of sweat andwhat's amazing is that people
who have a lot of sweat, usuallythey say they found a solution
that treats their mm-hmm.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (13:51):
Levels.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So let's talk about the lengthof time then.
So there is a startup phasewhere you use it more frequently
and then you can go intomaintenance mode.
Can you provide what that lookslike?
Mathieu, Dermadry (14:03):
Absolutely.
So for people who use aniontophoresis device, it's a
very important consistency isthe main factor to make it work.
Uh.
Afterwards, the amount of timethat you use it.
So we usually recommend to usethe machine almost every day
until you see positive results.
We see that in the majority ofour patients, it takes about one
(14:24):
to two weeks of treatment.
So let's say about on averagetakes about 10 treatments to see
positive results.
That's the first phase, andafterwards, you simply need to
use the machine once in a whileto maintain the results.
And that could be once a week,once every two weeks, once a
month.
We usually we see our patientsuse it maybe once a week, once
every two weeks.
(14:44):
But it's not rare to see peopleuse it maybe once a month, once
every two months.
Other people need to go see thedoctor for Botox once every
three months.
It costs $600 every time thatyou go.
It's painful.
You have to set it up in youragenda.
Whereas iontophoresis is doneat home.
Put on a show on Netflix.
Mm-hmm.
Use the machine.
Most people watch TV for 20minutes a day.
(15:05):
So it's very easy to put inyour schedule.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (15:08):
Yeah, this is a very random question.
It just came to mind when youwere talking about consistency
being key.
I've seen this question askedin Reddit a few times, and it's,
can I take my derma dry with mewhen I travel.
So people are worried aboutpacking them in carry on luggage
or in luggage.
And I would imagine that you atDermadry have traveled with
(15:31):
your devices.
Have you had any trouble takingthem through airports.
Mathieu, Dermadry (15:36):
No, no, we never, it, it, it is true that
it's like, it's the type ofobject that you're like, I
really hope they don't askquestions about it, because it's
gonna be hard to explain.
But no, we never had any issuesand we never heard any of our
patients either say that theyhad issues with that.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (15:50):
Yeah, this seems to be a concern of
people.
That's, that's interesting.
So, um, another question that'scome up is, should I just use
tap water?
Should I be adding anything tomy water?
Um, those sorts of questions.
And now where I live, we are onwell water So I've often
wondered, if I should be usingmy tap water.
(16:12):
Is my tap water the same ascity water?
Could you talk a bit aboutthat?
Mathieu, Dermadry (16:15):
Yeah, that's a very interesting, uh, point.
So basically why Dermadry orother iontophoresis machines are
called tap water iontopho resismachines is because further the
electricity to, uh, passing thecurrent the water needs to have
a certain content of minerals.
So that's why we usuallyrecommend tap water and
(16:37):
sometimes well water has almostno mineral content.
So the water's gonna be muchless conductive.
In those cases, we alwaysrecommend bottled water or,
other types of mineral water.
In our case, because we've beencleared or approved as a tap
water iontophoresis, we cannotrecommend to put anything in the
(16:58):
water because that would gobeyond the clearance I see.
Of our device.
But we know, yeah, we know somedoctors who say, put some salt,
put some baking soda, uh, tomake the water more conductive,
even going as far as puttingsome medicine in the water to
inject in the, in the treatedzone.
But for us, we could reallyonly say to take tap water or to
take bottled water with acertain mineral content if you
(17:20):
live close to well and yourwater is, uh, doesn't have any
mineral content.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (17:25):
Gotcha.
Okay.
Okay.
That's helpful to know.
There's always that balancebetween what a device has been
approved for and what's beingused off-label.
And I think that that people inthe hyperhidrosis community are
quite used to that.
'cause a lot of the medicationssome folks take are used
off-label.
So that's something to, to sortof navigate.
So, another question that comesup frequently is around
(17:47):
compensatory sweating.
In the hyperhidrosis mm-hmm.
Community, I think people arequite worried because there are
some interventions andtreatments out there that are
known to result in compensatorysweating quite frequently or
some of the time at least.
Have you had anybody developcompensatory sweating?
What is your take on this issuewith Dermadry and
iontophoresis?
Mathieu, Dermadry (18:07):
So that's another great question.
Uh, you're right.
Certain solutions mainly ETSsurgery mm-hmm.
For example, does have as amajor side effect, uh,
compensatory sweating.
In the case of iontophoresis,it is considered as one of the
side effects, but it isextremely rare.
(18:27):
And when it is present, it isnot as debilitating as it is the
case for example, for ETS.
Once again, what happens forsweating it something that the
body uses to regulate thetemperature of the body.
And if you're very, very hot,then you might be sweating a bit
more from other places just toregulate the temperature of your
body.
(18:47):
Sadly, it is not something thatcan really be taken away.
But let's say if you stop usingthe machine, then that would
usually stop.
Whereas for example, ETS, sadlythat is a permanent side
effect, whereas foriontophoresis, as soon as you
stop the machine, usually allthe side effects will dissipate.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (19:05):
Gotcha.
That's a good distinction andclarification there.
Thank you for that.
So who shouldn't be usingiontophoresis?
What are some of thecontraindications?
How do people know if theyshould or shouldn't be using it?
Mathieu, Dermadry (19:17):
So who should not be using Dermadry?
Basically people who arepregnant, people who have any
type of heart condition, peoplewho are prone to seizures.
There is a kind of extensivelist that's on the website.
So we always recommend to readthe manual of instruction before
using the machine because it isvery important to know if the
(19:38):
machine is right for you.
The good point aboutiontophoresis is that the list
of contraindication is rathersmall compared to, you know,
when you watch a commercial onthe TV of certain types of oral
medication, it's like half ofthe publicity is just the
contraindications.
Whereas for us, it is, youknow, it's a half a page, but
that is still very importantthat you have to read and make
(19:59):
sure that the machine is rightfor you.
And even if the machine isright for you, it's important to
note that if you have any typesof cuts in your hands or feet
or the treated area, forexample, people who shave,
sometimes there's some cuts.
Then we need to apply Vaselineor just not treat that zone
until the cut disappears becausethe electricity will have a
tendency to go to the placewhere it has the release
(20:21):
resistance, so all theelectricity is gonna concentrate
in the area or the cut, so itcould become painful.
But as any type of solution,iontophoresis is not made for
everyone and we highly recommendthat you look at the
contraindications, number one.
And number two, if there's anytype of doubts, please talk to a
medical professional.
This is considered a medicalcondition.
(20:42):
So it is important that it'spart of the discussion with your
medical health professional.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (20:47):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
That's helpful.
And another question for you ishow can people get a Dermadry?
I think there's differentpathways to being able to
purchase or get a Dermadry indifferent areas of the world,
with Canada being easier, Iunderstand, than the US for
instance.
So what does that look like inbroad strokes?
Mathieu, Dermadry (21:07):
Yeah, so that's another great question.
So basically, Dermadry isconsidered a over the counter
at-home device all across theworld.
So you simply go on ourwebsites, purchase the machine,
and we will ship you the machinein a very short period of time.
In Canada, for example, ittakes one to three days.
In other parts of the world itcould take up to five days, but
(21:28):
it's usually everybody says thatthey're impress how fast it is.
Um, but in the US it's the onlycountry in the world where
people require a prescription tobuy the machine.
So the usual process thatpeople will either send us the
prescription first, buy themachine or buy the machine and
then we tell them, Hey, you needa prescription to buy the
machine.
And um, yeah, once we receivedthe prescription, then we could
(21:50):
ship them the machine.
When we started selling the USwe were very afraid of the
prescription.
Because here in Canada, as youmay know, it is almost
impossible to see adermatologist.
You would see your familydoctor.
Your family doctor will giveyou a prescription to meet your
dermatologist, and then maybe ifyou're lucky in six months,
you'll be able to see yourdermatologist.
(22:11):
So it is kind of a steepprocess.
But in the United States,people usually were able to get
a prescription within days.
So, um, that, that pretty muchanswers the question how to get
it.
In different countries,sometimes we're on Amazon,
depending on the country.
Sometimes we're on Costco,sometimes we have local
distributors.
Uh, it is, it is a very, veryeasy, easy process.
And today, honestly, the mainreason why we do this is not so
(22:32):
much to talk about Dermadry, butto talk about iontophoresis.
So if in your country Dermadryis not available, iontophoresis
for me is really the bestsolution to treat hyperhidrosis.
So you could try another themachine.
I would say if it's beencertified by a local health
authority, it is gonna be safemachine.
It's gonna be effective.
We say that we're the bestmachine for different type of
reasons, but it will definitelybe an effective solution to your
(22:54):
hyperhidrosis and much saferthan other solutions.
Gotcha,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (22:57):
gotcha.
And so I know that you offersupport, so if anybody has any
issues, you know, are they usingit right?
The frequency?
These sorts of questions.
I know that you offer support.
Can you talk a bit about that?
'cause I find that a reallyamazing added benefit to users
of Dermadry.
Mathieu, Dermadry (23:14):
Yeah, absolutely.
So it's kind of a funny storywhere we started the company and
we were three employees.
Then we added on some otheremployees, you know, somebody to
build a website, et cetera.
And we were very small team fora long time, and the way that
we grew is that we had likesuper fans where we had somebody
tell us, this machinecompletely saved my life.
I need to work for you.
(23:34):
So that's kind of how our firstemployees all started working
for us.
It was like people who had thecondition and who wanted to help
other people who had thecondition.
So, most of our customersupport team is people who had
hyperhidrosis that were able toget the machine, treat
themselves and wanted topropagate the good word of
iontophoresis.
So when you speak to oursupport team, you'll know that
(23:58):
not only is this person reallywell versed in the science of
iontophoresis and Dermadry, butalso this person had
hyperhidrosis.
And you'll be able to feel thatlevel of empathy because we
firsthand know how much itaffects your daily life.
So that's something that wereally pride ourselves in
knowing how deep of an impact ithas on people's life.
(24:20):
And that we try to really focuson empathy because I'm sure you
know that when you talk abouthyperhidrosis people are like,
ah, come on, you're justsweating a bit.
It's no big thing.
But no, actually, it's a hugething.
It's maybe the biggest problemin your life.
So, when you speak to us,you'll know that you're in not
only good hands in a technicalway, but we will give all we can
(24:43):
to make sure it works for you.
Uh, because we reallypersonally wanted to work for
everybody who tries a machine.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Societ (24:49):
Wow.
That's amazing.
I didn't realize that you had ateam of folks with
hyperhidrosis who were able tooffer that support.
That's great.
Mathieu, Dermadry (24:57):
Yeah, all our keyboards are designed to be
waterproof because people heresometimes have sweaty hands.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (25:03):
That's amazing.
Builds some built-inaccommodations and yeah.
That's, that's wonderful.
Yeah.
And I mean, one thing that isobvious when you Google
Dermadry, is your presenceonline.
And your community support andyour community involvement.
So you have a Facebook groupthat has about 8,000 followers.
(25:23):
Your Instagram account hasalmost 20,000 followers.
Your TikTok account is now overa hundred thousand followers.
You have really invested inspeaking with people that have
hyperhidrosis and being part ofthat conversation, which I
really admire.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat and how that impacts your
day-to-day job and yourawareness of what it's like to
(25:45):
live with hyperhidrosis?
Mathieu, Dermadry (25:46):
So when we started Dermadry, we did a lot
of research, of course, on thecondition, how it's being
treated, how it's beenperceived, and one of the big
things that came out of ourresearch is that hyperhidrosis
is often referred to as a silenthandicap.
That means that people who havehyperhidrosis almost never talk
(26:07):
about their condition, not totheir friends and not to their
family, and especially not totheir doctors.
It's one of the most underreported conditions, which in
the end is.
It's a terrible thing becausethat means it's under studied,
underfunded when it has a deepimpact in people's lives.
Studies have shown that peoplewho have hyperhidrosis are
(26:28):
almost 10 times more prone todepression, anxiety, so it has a
really deep impact in people'slives.
So when we set up into doingour marketing, we said to
ourselves, okay, the first thingwe need to do is not just talk
about Dermadry, of course, butit's to break the taboo around
sweat.
So that's the way we createdthese spaces where people could
(26:49):
feel comfortable to talk abouttheir hyperhidrosis, how it
impacts them, um, and what theydo to treat their excessive
sweating.
So if you go on the DermadryFacebook group, for example,
people of course give themselvestips and tricks on how using
Dermadry, but they also tellstories about how sweat will
impact them.
And others ways to treat theirexcessive sweating.
(27:10):
Um, if you go on social media,for example, our TikTok,
instagram, you'll see that wedon't only do videos, on
Dermadry, but we try to recreatescenes of daily lives of people
who have excess sweating and ofcourse we try to do a funny
twist on them but, um we reallytry to break that taboo around
excess sweating because in theend, the more people talk about
(27:32):
it, the more lives we'reactually going to be able to
change.
So that was since day one ourapproach on talking about this
sweat.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (27:40):
Yeah, I respect that a lot.
Hyperhidrosis is so hidden.
There's so much shame, stigma,embarrassment.
a lot of people don't evenwanna tell their families, their
friends, their partners thatthey have hyperhidrosis.
It is very hidden.
So I think the more we can bedoing in the community to break
that stigma, to get the wordout, to talk about it, to try to
(28:03):
normalize it, to say, Hey, youare not defined by your sweat.
There is no shame around this.
Um, I think that's reallyimportant.
So it's great to see.
Mathieu, Dermadry (28:11):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So the, the founder of the, thecompany Maxim, the first time
he told to anybody he hadsweaty, had sweaty feet was when
he was trying to launch acompany.
Before that, he never said thatto his family, his friends, his
girlfriend.
When he said to us it was likea complete surprise, we like all
fell down our chairs that hewas living this kinda constant
(28:32):
stress and worry in his life.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (28:34):
Yeah, I think a lot of people can
relate to that.
There's a lot of people in mylife probably too who don't know
that I live with the sweat andI also get a lot of swelling
along with my sweat.
There's so many ways that itimpacts your life and it is so
hidden.
So it's really nice to seepeople talking about it.
Mathieu, Dermadry (28:50):
This podcast.
Yeah.
So this podcast, so it's likeyou're coming out of the Yeah.
Closet.
Uh,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Societ (28:54):
yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
In a way, because I've livedwith hyperhidrosis since I was
10.
I was diagnosed at 20, andthat's when I started to talk
about it with my close friends.
And then when I was 40 is whenI launched Sweaty Girl Society
and really am trying to use myvoice to raise awareness around
this issue, but.
I think many of us are livingparallel lives.
(29:15):
We're all sort of dealing withthe same challenges.
Everybody's situation isslightly different, but we're
all dealing with the samechallenges quietly in a lot of
cases.
So it is nice to see thiscontent out there on social
media, see people talking aboutit.
And I also appreciate thelighthearted spin you do put on
the content.
That's one of my goals too withSweaty Girl Society.
(29:36):
Like the colors are fun.
The tone.
I'm trying to have some funwith it because hyperhidrosis is
not fun.
It is like the opposite of funliving with it.
but you know, it is also partof who we are as people with
hyperhidrosis.
It is our day-to-dayexperience, so, you know, having
some fun with it can bring abit of a, a different spin to
(29:57):
things.
Mathieu, Dermadry (29:57):
Absolutely.
And maybe, uh, to add ontothat, why it's so important to
talk about it is becausehyperhidrosis is a genetic
condition.
So once you talk about it, thenyou realize, oh, well maybe my
parents have it.
Maybe my children have it.
Maybe you know, siblings haveit.
And it not only helps yourself,but it helps people that are
very close to you.
So that's why it's important tobreak that taboo.
(30:19):
And kind of in a way breaks thecycle of suffering because if
your parents finally admit it,well then it's gonna help you
and then it might help yourchildren afterwards.
And this kind of like a.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (30:29):
Yeah,
Mathieu, Dermadry (30:30):
yeah.
Circle.
Yeah,
Karina, Sweaty Girl (30:31):
absolutely.
We're not only making changefor our generation, but the ones
to follow.
Hopefully it will be an easierpath for them if at least some
of the stigma is erased.
So what sort of changes do youthink need to happen around
hyperhidrosis in terms of, um,research, access to solutions?
What would be on your prioritylist?
Mathieu, Dermadry (30:52):
That's a excellent question.
I think the first part startswith the education.
So every time we go to medicalcongresses, talk to doctors,
most of them say, so we've beendoing medicine, studying
medicine for five years, andmaybe we have one afternoon
where we talk abouthyperhidrosis.
So that is really a problem.
(31:12):
So I think education in thehealthcare space is a very
important thing.
And afterwards that would bringmore funding into research on
hyperhidrosis right now, ofcourse, the, the biggest player
is Botox because of course, uh,they have huge funding and they
could spend a lot of money onresearch.
Whereas other solutions, suchas iontophoresis for us, we
(31:33):
don't have the same means to doresearch.
Uh, so.
More education, more researchon the space.
And as we've been speaking,breaking the taboo, being able
to talk about it, uh, moreinitiatives like the Sweaty Girl
Society, which of course isdoing an amazing job with these
types of podcasts.
Um, and yeah, spaces wherepeople are able to talk about
(31:54):
it.
So that, this is one of theamazing things of social media,
I think.
Uh.
15, 20, 30, 40 years ago,people didn't have Reddit spaces
or Facebook groups were theyable to talk about their sweat
and they internalized it muchmore.
So I definitely think it'sgoing in the right direction.
There's a lot of room forimprovement, but I feel like
it's going in mm-hmm.
Right.
Direction.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (32:14):
Yeah, I agree.
Even over the last coupleyears, I'm seeing more people
talk about it.
So that's very exciting.
And so what is next forDermadry?
Mathieu, Dermadry (32:21):
So we have, as always.
Lots of different projectsgoing on.
Um, some of them that we can'tspeak about, some really cool
initiatives are coming up,hopefully very soon.
But, right now, as mentioned,we are trying to go see doctors
as much as possible.
Uh, for example, in a couple ofweeks we're going to see the
University of here in Quebec,where it's a group of
(32:43):
podiatrists, where we're gonnaexplain to them how
hyperhidrosis is detrimental forpeople's feet, how it brings a
different array of medicalconditions such as warts,
athlete's foot, and howiontophoresis is a great way to
treat hyperhidrosis.
So we're trying to go see a lotof different medical
associations talk abouthyperhidrosis and trying to r
(33:06):
and d for better ways to improveour device.
So that's basically the thingsI'm allowed to speak about right
now.
Karina, Sweaty Girl (33:12):
Wonderful, wonderful.
Well, one last question foryou, Matthieu.
Where can people go to learnmore about Dermadry?
Mathieu, Dermadry (33:18):
So of course on our Facebook page, TikTok
page, iontophoresis page and ourwebsite, those are the main
places where people can learnmore about Dermadry and
iontophoresis.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (33:28):
That's great, and we will link all of
those in the show notes and inthe description.
And thank you so much for yourtime today, Matthieu.
It was a good conversation.
I learned a lot about Dermadryand I'm excited to see where you
go in the future.
Mathieu, Dermadry (33:42):
Thank you so much Karina.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (33:49):
Thanks for listening to the Sweaty
Girl Society Podcast.
If you like today's episode,join our free membership
community atsweatygirlsociety.com slash
community.
People who have hyperhidrosis are almost 10
times more prone to depression,anxiety, so it has a really
deep impact in people's lives.
When you talk abouthyperhidrosis people are like,
ah, come on, you're justsweating a bit.
It's no big thing.
But no, actually, it's a hugething.
It's maybe the biggest problemin your life.
The way that we grew is that wehad super fans where we had
(00:21):
somebody tell us, this machinecompletely saved my life.
We really try to break thattaboo around sweating because in
the end, the more people talkabout it, the more lives we're
actually going to be able tochange.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Society (00:35):
You are listening to the Sweaty
Girl Society Podcast, a show forwomen with hyperhidrosis, where
we share tips for living betterwith excessive sweating.
I'm your host, Karina.
Now let's get into the show.
Welcome back to the Sweaty GirlSociety Podcast.
If you're interested iniontophoresis, this episode is
for you.
(00:55):
In this episode, we speak withMathieu Mireault.
Mathieu is one of theco-founders and VP at Dermadry.
Dermadry is a manufacturer of aleading at home iontophoresis
machine.
I think you're gonna find thisepisode both interesting and
useful.
Let's get into it.
Hi Mathieu, welcome to theshow.
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:14):
Thank you so much for inviting us.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Societ (01:15):
It's so nice to speak to a fellow
Canadian.
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:17):
This may be the most polite podcast you do.
That's right.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (01:21):
Yeah.
So Dermadry is headquartered inMontreal.
Right.
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:24):
Exactly.
We are based in Montreal.
We manufacture our devices herein Montreal.
So it is the quality of a madein Canada product.
We're really proud of that.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (01:35):
That's awesome.
Well, not too far from me interms of, uh, Canadian
distances.
I'm not too far.
So let's get into it then.
Can you tell me what Dermadryis and how the company came to
be?
Mathieu, Dermadry (01:48):
Absolutely.
So Dermadry is called aniontophoresis device.
It was founded officially in2016.
The co-founders are me, Maxim,another individual called
Nicola, and basically we're allfriends from CEGEP, which is
kind of like the place where yougo between high school and
university here in Quebec.
(02:09):
Um, and one day Maxim, he tellsme in a bar, we're watching a
music show together.
He tells me, Matt, my hands areso sweaty.
I'm like, okay, this is weirdto talk about.
Matt, i'm gonna found a companyfor people who are sweaty hands
like me.
I look at him and I say, Max,maybe it's time to stop drinking
for tonight.
(02:29):
But actually it was really, hewas explaining me that he had
this great concept to treatsweaty hands of people like him,
uh, and that he triedeverything on the market,
deodorants, uh, topical cream,et cetera.
And that the only thing thatworked for him was plugging some
batteries with aluminum pans,which is basically a homemade
(02:51):
iontophoresis, and thatcompletely transformed his life.
So he looked at me and said, weneed to bring the solution to
the market at a price that makessense for people.
'cause at that time, all themachines were about $1,200 US.
And we were, we were alluniversity students by then, so
we were really broke.
Um, so we were like, we wouldnever be able to afford this.
(03:14):
So we cannot offer this at aprice where people can buy it
because we know that it's acondition that really, really,
really impacts people's lives.
'cause Maxime would tell us howmuch impact is his life.
So basically we designed amachine for people who had
hyperhidrosis by people who hadhyperhidrosis.
And we made it not only themost affordable possible, but
also the most comfortable, themost effective possible.
(03:36):
So that's a bit of a, of abackstory.
Wow.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (03:38):
That's that's incredible.
That he had done his ownhomemade version of
iontophoresis.
So, it's always exciting tocome across a company that is
very connected to their missionbecause they deeply understand
their customer because one ofthem are one of their customers.
Uh, so if we could dive intoIontophoresis a little bit.
What is iontophoresis and do weknow how it works yet?
Mathieu, Dermadry (04:04):
So, iontophoresis is one of those
weird things where there's noclear consensus of how it works,
but there is a clear consensusthat it actually does work.
So all the studies that havebeen made with iontophoresis
demonstrate from 90 to a hundredpercent a success rate for
people who are able to use themachine.
Um, but the way that it works.
Nobody really knows how itworks.
(04:27):
There's different hypothesis.
For example, some people thinkthat when you put your hands or
feet or the contact zoned withwater.
And then you put the water withelectricity, the electricity is
gonna push some ions in yoursweatland.
So that is one hypothesis.
So basically, maybe I shouldstart off by saying that
(04:47):
iontophoresis is a machine thatwould send electrical current
and water.
Uh, you would put the surfaceof a sweat in the water, then
the electricity is gonna come incontact with the treated zone,
and then you would stop sweatingafter a certain amount of time.
So the way that it works on ourside, the way that we explain
it, is that basically theelectricity is gonna go inside
(05:08):
of your skin in the place wherethe least resistance, which
would be the sweat glands, andthen it's gonna kind of disrupt
the connection between the nerveand the sweat gland, and the
nerve won't be able tocommunicate effectively to the
sweat gland to tell it toproduce sweat.
So that's how we explain it.
Once again, I wanna make, uh,clear to everyone that nobody
(05:29):
really knows a hundred percent.
There's no scientificconsensus.
But, uh, that's the best waythat we explain it.
Yeah, I
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (05:36):
mean, that seems to be the way it
works with hyperhidrosis.
There's, uh, not a lot ofanswers, but incredible that it
works.
And so how is it discovered?
Do you know who firstdiscovered this and why was it,
uh, an accident?
Mathieu, Dermadry (05:48):
And that's, that's a really good question.
There's rumors that NikolaTesla, when he was using
electricity, he kind ofdiscovered that, you know,
there's this famous image ofhim, he's in a room with a bunch
of electricity in the air.
He would've said that the, hestopped sweating from the places
where the electricity wouldcome in and come out.
Um, but really it's been inuse.
(06:08):
For instance, the 1940sofficially to treat
hyperhidrosis, and it's reallybecome more popular in more
recent years.
one of the main reasons I, Isay this as humbly as possible,
is because of Dermadry, uh,because of what we're doing on
social media.
Really trying to speak aboutiontophoresis as a way to treat
hyperhidrosis.
Um, but yes, it seems thationtophoresis was kind of a
(06:31):
freak show accident where nobodyreally knew why if they started
using it.
And then suddenly people arelike, oh, this actually works.
Let's use this to treathyperhidrosis.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (06:41):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so when I think ofiontophoresis going back to when
I was first diagnosed, whichwas about 20 years ago.
There weren't the at-homeoptions like Dermadry provides
now.
So you had to get it done in aclinic with a nurse overseeing
you.
And it was a big ordeal, a lotmore painful, all those sorts of
(07:01):
things.
So, iontophoresis has reallyevolved over the years and you
were able to bring it intopeople's homes, which I think
has really been a game changer.
Mathieu, Dermadry (07:12):
Well, yeah, absolutely.
So once we created the machine,one of the main things, as I
said previously, was how can wemake this as easy as used as
possible?
'cause people will not go toclinic every day for about a
week or two weeks, which is whatis required to make the machine
work at the beginning.
So let's build a machine that'sat home use to make sure that
(07:33):
it is possible to use.
So I'm interested to know whatdid it look like back then?
What, what iontophoresis?
Was it big?
Was it clunky?
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (07:40):
Well, yeah.
I actually never did it becauseit was such a barrier to go and
and at that time there wasn't alot being spoken about it, so I
didn't know how effective itwas.
It just seemed like a reallybig barrier.
So I was like, uh, forget aboutit, you know?
Mathieu, Dermadry (07:54):
And the internet for sure makes a big,
big difference.
And now people talk about it,so it is such a weird concept.
Put your hands in water withelectricity, and I promise you,
it's not only is it safe, butit's gonna cure your
hyperhidrosis.
Like, oh, it seems more like acharlatan thing, that it's
something that actually worksin, its back by science.
(08:15):
So it's really good that nowthat we have plenty of reviews
on the internet.
People say that noiontophoresis really works.
It's scientifically backed, butI could imagine back in the
days when you had nobody totrust, and, uh, somebody just
tells you this crazy concept ofputting your hands in water and
electricity.
So I know, I, I completelyunderstand your point of view
that maybe I would not have doneit.
(08:36):
In the days for sure.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (08:38):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that was actually gonna bemy next point.
This idea of electricity andwater.
We've always been taught thosedon't really go together.
That, that's dangerous.
So how is it that this can worksafely and what sort of safety
features are built into theDermadry?
Mathieu, Dermadry (08:53):
So, of course as any type of medical device,
there's a lot that goes into itto be FDA, cleared and Health
Canada here in Canada.
So there's numerous differentfeatures in the machine to make
it safe, much safer than an athome device.
We tinkered with at-home devicefor a long time, and I could
tell you that we all had severeshocks.
(09:15):
So we were kind of a team ofsurvivors here at Dermadry.
We all survived homemadeiontophoresis.
That's like the main criteriato be able to work here.
You need to have some, uh, burnmarks in your head.
I'm just kidding.
But, uh, of course.
So there's a different types ofways that we protect our
clients, for example, there'sways to minimize the shock
(09:36):
effect.
There's ways that we make surethat electricity doesn't pass a
certain threshold.
So it is a bit technical, butif you buy a machine that's been
certified by, either by HealthCanada or the FDA, could be very
confident with the machine youhave.
Uh, but please, listeners beaware of machines that haven't
been and claim that they havebeen.
(09:56):
There's a lot of companies fromChina, for example.
There's a lot of people thatexplain how to do homemade
devices but it is not safe.
And when you're playing withwater and electricity, you have
to be sure that you have a safesolution because if not, you
might be in the news and itwould be a really terrible thing
to try to treat your condition,but by treating it, getting
something that's much worse.
That's definitely something tobe aware of.
(10:18):
Yeah,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (10:18):
yeah, for sure.
Um, you often see on the Redditboards, people talking about
making their at home device and,uh, no, thank you.
Not for me, Okay.
So what areas then can Dermadrybe used for?
I know there's a distinctionhere between what it is approved
for, and then how people areactually using it.
Mathieu, Dermadry (10:37):
So basically Dermadry has been FDA cleared
and Health Canada approved forthe treatment of hands, feet,
and underarms.
But we know that some doctorswould prescribe it off label.
We cannot recommend in any wayor form because we can only
recommend what's we've beencleared for, which is hands,
feet, and underarms.
(10:57):
But I can say, for example, forother machines, some of our
competitors have masks for theface.
Other people have adapters forthe back.
So basically the way thationtophoresis works is the
electricity will enter a part ofyour body and it will always
try to come out from, um, theshortest route.
So for example, if you put itin two places on your back that
(11:19):
sweat, the electricity is gonnaonly loop between those two
places in your back.
So that could be an effectiveway definitely to treat your
back or other areas of yourbody.
We know that, for example, alot of people have it in the,
their private areas.
That is the common thing thatwe hear.
Sadly, we cannot treat it, butthat is a very common mm-hmm.
Place where people sweat.
But, we dabbled in trying tohave a face mask.
(11:42):
Anybody who's tried it, it'sreally weird.
You have kind of a metallictaste in your mouth when you put
electricity in the, in thezone.
So we couldn't figure out aeffective solution for the face.
But definitely, hyperhidrosisis a condition that anybody who
has it is debilitating.
So if you find something thatworks for you, there's nobody
who can really judge you.
It's just such a beautifulthing to be finally carefree and
(12:06):
not always be worrying aboutyour sweat.
So,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (12:08):
yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Absolutely.
And so the Dermadry device, canit be used for a range of
sweating?
Within the hyperhidrosiscommunity, right?
There are different ranges ofsweating that people experience.
So, maybe somebody on thelighter side and then somebody
on the heavy, excessive side.
Is this appropriate for thewhole range?
Mathieu, Dermadry (12:28):
Yeah.
So maybe the first thing that'simportant to talk about is the
fact that hyperhidrosis isreally more considered as a
subjective condition than anobjective condition.
Basically, the main way toexplain hyperhidrosis is that
you sweat more than your bodyneeds to regulate your
temperature.
That is like the officialexplanation, but most people,
(12:49):
the way that they see it issomething that bothers them.
So you would see people whohave tremendous amount of sweat,
and for them, they don't thinkthey sweat a lot.
Whereas for other people, youknow, they have maybe little bit
of humidity on their hands, forexample, and nobody would
notice it.
But for them, it's the onlything that they think about.
And for them, they have a lotof sweat.
So sweat is really a hardconcept to try to objectify
(13:12):
that's one of the problems inthe science behind sweating or
hyperhidrosis, that there'sreally no official good way to
measure sweat.
So to answer your question, areDermadry, iontophoresis in
general, they are designed totreat all the level of sweat
people who have a little bit ofsweat to people who have a lot
of sweat.
It is efficient for all thesepeople.
(13:33):
The thing to consider is themore you sweat, the longer it
will take to see results.
If you have a little sweat thenit will be much quicker to see
some results.
But yeah, definitelyiontophoresis is designed to
treat all levels of sweat andwhat's amazing is that people
who have a lot of sweat, usuallythey say they found a solution
that treats their mm-hmm.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (13:51):
Levels.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So let's talk about the lengthof time then.
So there is a startup phasewhere you use it more frequently
and then you can go intomaintenance mode.
Can you provide what that lookslike?
Mathieu, Dermadry (14:03):
Absolutely.
So for people who use aniontophoresis device, it's a
very important consistency isthe main factor to make it work.
Uh.
Afterwards, the amount of timethat you use it.
So we usually recommend to usethe machine almost every day
until you see positive results.
We see that in the majority ofour patients, it takes about one
(14:24):
to two weeks of treatment.
So let's say about on averagetakes about 10 treatments to see
positive results.
That's the first phase, andafterwards, you simply need to
use the machine once in a whileto maintain the results.
And that could be once a week,once every two weeks, once a
month.
We usually we see our patientsuse it maybe once a week, once
every two weeks.
(14:44):
But it's not rare to see peopleuse it maybe once a month, once
every two months.
Other people need to go see thedoctor for Botox once every
three months.
It costs $600 every time thatyou go.
It's painful.
You have to set it up in youragenda.
Whereas iontophoresis is doneat home.
Put on a show on Netflix.
Mm-hmm.
Use the machine.
Most people watch TV for 20minutes a day.
(15:05):
So it's very easy to put inyour schedule.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (15:08):
Yeah, this is a very random question.
It just came to mind when youwere talking about consistency
being key.
I've seen this question askedin Reddit a few times, and it's,
can I take my derma dry with mewhen I travel.
So people are worried aboutpacking them in carry on luggage
or in luggage.
And I would imagine that you atDermadry have traveled with
(15:31):
your devices.
Have you had any trouble takingthem through airports.
Mathieu, Dermadry (15:36):
No, no, we never, it, it, it is true that
it's like, it's the type ofobject that you're like, I
really hope they don't askquestions about it, because it's
gonna be hard to explain.
But no, we never had any issuesand we never heard any of our
patients either say that theyhad issues with that.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (15:50):
Yeah, this seems to be a concern of
people.
That's, that's interesting.
So, um, another question that'scome up is, should I just use
tap water?
Should I be adding anything tomy water?
Um, those sorts of questions.
And now where I live, we are onwell water So I've often
wondered, if I should be usingmy tap water.
(16:12):
Is my tap water the same ascity water?
Could you talk a bit aboutthat?
Mathieu, Dermadry (16:15):
Yeah, that's a very interesting, uh, point.
So basically why Dermadry orother iontophoresis machines are
called tap water iontopho resismachines is because further the
electricity to, uh, passing thecurrent the water needs to have
a certain content of minerals.
So that's why we usuallyrecommend tap water and
(16:37):
sometimes well water has almostno mineral content.
So the water's gonna be muchless conductive.
In those cases, we alwaysrecommend bottled water or,
other types of mineral water.
In our case, because we've beencleared or approved as a tap
water iontophoresis, we cannotrecommend to put anything in the
(16:58):
water because that would gobeyond the clearance I see.
Of our device.
But we know, yeah, we know somedoctors who say, put some salt,
put some baking soda, uh, tomake the water more conductive,
even going as far as puttingsome medicine in the water to
inject in the, in the treatedzone.
But for us, we could reallyonly say to take tap water or to
take bottled water with acertain mineral content if you
(17:20):
live close to well and yourwater is, uh, doesn't have any
mineral content.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (17:25):
Gotcha.
Okay.
Okay.
That's helpful to know.
There's always that balancebetween what a device has been
approved for and what's beingused off-label.
And I think that that people inthe hyperhidrosis community are
quite used to that.
'cause a lot of the medicationssome folks take are used
off-label.
So that's something to, to sortof navigate.
So, another question that comesup frequently is around
(17:47):
compensatory sweating.
In the hyperhidrosis mm-hmm.
Community, I think people arequite worried because there are
some interventions andtreatments out there that are
known to result in compensatorysweating quite frequently or
some of the time at least.
Have you had anybody developcompensatory sweating?
What is your take on this issuewith Dermadry and
iontophoresis?
Mathieu, Dermadry (18:07):
So that's another great question.
Uh, you're right.
Certain solutions mainly ETSsurgery mm-hmm.
For example, does have as amajor side effect, uh,
compensatory sweating.
In the case of iontophoresis,it is considered as one of the
side effects, but it isextremely rare.
(18:27):
And when it is present, it isnot as debilitating as it is the
case for example, for ETS.
Once again, what happens forsweating it something that the
body uses to regulate thetemperature of the body.
And if you're very, very hot,then you might be sweating a bit
more from other places just toregulate the temperature of your
body.
(18:47):
Sadly, it is not something thatcan really be taken away.
But let's say if you stop usingthe machine, then that would
usually stop.
Whereas for example, ETS, sadlythat is a permanent side
effect, whereas foriontophoresis, as soon as you
stop the machine, usually allthe side effects will dissipate.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (19:05):
Gotcha.
That's a good distinction andclarification there.
Thank you for that.
So who shouldn't be usingiontophoresis?
What are some of thecontraindications?
How do people know if theyshould or shouldn't be using it?
Mathieu, Dermadry (19:17):
So who should not be using Dermadry?
Basically people who arepregnant, people who have any
type of heart condition, peoplewho are prone to seizures.
There is a kind of extensivelist that's on the website.
So we always recommend to readthe manual of instruction before
using the machine because it isvery important to know if the
(19:38):
machine is right for you.
The good point aboutiontophoresis is that the list
of contraindication is rathersmall compared to, you know,
when you watch a commercial onthe TV of certain types of oral
medication, it's like half ofthe publicity is just the
contraindications.
Whereas for us, it is, youknow, it's a half a page, but
that is still very importantthat you have to read and make
(19:59):
sure that the machine is rightfor you.
And even if the machine isright for you, it's important to
note that if you have any typesof cuts in your hands or feet
or the treated area, forexample, people who shave,
sometimes there's some cuts.
Then we need to apply Vaselineor just not treat that zone
until the cut disappears becausethe electricity will have a
tendency to go to the placewhere it has the release
(20:21):
resistance, so all theelectricity is gonna concentrate
in the area or the cut, so itcould become painful.
But as any type of solution,iontophoresis is not made for
everyone and we highly recommendthat you look at the
contraindications, number one.
And number two, if there's anytype of doubts, please talk to a
medical professional.
This is considered a medicalcondition.
(20:42):
So it is important that it'spart of the discussion with your
medical health professional.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (20:47):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
That's helpful.
And another question for you ishow can people get a Dermadry?
I think there's differentpathways to being able to
purchase or get a Dermadry indifferent areas of the world,
with Canada being easier, Iunderstand, than the US for
instance.
So what does that look like inbroad strokes?
Mathieu, Dermadry (21:07):
Yeah, so that's another great question.
So basically, Dermadry isconsidered a over the counter
at-home device all across theworld.
So you simply go on ourwebsites, purchase the machine,
and we will ship you the machinein a very short period of time.
In Canada, for example, ittakes one to three days.
In other parts of the world itcould take up to five days, but
(21:28):
it's usually everybody says thatthey're impress how fast it is.
Um, but in the US it's the onlycountry in the world where
people require a prescription tobuy the machine.
So the usual process thatpeople will either send us the
prescription first, buy themachine or buy the machine and
then we tell them, Hey, you needa prescription to buy the
machine.
And um, yeah, once we receivedthe prescription, then we could
(21:50):
ship them the machine.
When we started selling the USwe were very afraid of the
prescription.
Because here in Canada, as youmay know, it is almost
impossible to see adermatologist.
You would see your familydoctor.
Your family doctor will giveyou a prescription to meet your
dermatologist, and then maybe ifyou're lucky in six months,
you'll be able to see yourdermatologist.
(22:11):
So it is kind of a steepprocess.
But in the United States,people usually were able to get
a prescription within days.
So, um, that, that pretty muchanswers the question how to get
it.
In different countries,sometimes we're on Amazon,
depending on the country.
Sometimes we're on Costco,sometimes we have local
distributors.
Uh, it is, it is a very, veryeasy, easy process.
And today, honestly, the mainreason why we do this is not so
(22:32):
much to talk about Dermadry, butto talk about iontophoresis.
So if in your country Dermadryis not available, iontophoresis
for me is really the bestsolution to treat hyperhidrosis.
So you could try another themachine.
I would say if it's beencertified by a local health
authority, it is gonna be safemachine.
It's gonna be effective.
We say that we're the bestmachine for different type of
reasons, but it will definitelybe an effective solution to your
(22:54):
hyperhidrosis and much saferthan other solutions.
Gotcha,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soc (22:57):
gotcha.
And so I know that you offersupport, so if anybody has any
issues, you know, are they usingit right?
The frequency?
These sorts of questions.
I know that you offer support.
Can you talk a bit about that?
'cause I find that a reallyamazing added benefit to users
of Dermadry.
Mathieu, Dermadry (23:14):
Yeah, absolutely.
So it's kind of a funny storywhere we started the company and
we were three employees.
Then we added on some otheremployees, you know, somebody to
build a website, et cetera.
And we were very small team fora long time, and the way that
we grew is that we had likesuper fans where we had somebody
tell us, this machinecompletely saved my life.
I need to work for you.
(23:34):
So that's kind of how our firstemployees all started working
for us.
It was like people who had thecondition and who wanted to help
other people who had thecondition.
So, most of our customersupport team is people who had
hyperhidrosis that were able toget the machine, treat
themselves and wanted topropagate the good word of
iontophoresis.
So when you speak to oursupport team, you'll know that
(23:58):
not only is this person reallywell versed in the science of
iontophoresis and Dermadry, butalso this person had
hyperhidrosis.
And you'll be able to feel thatlevel of empathy because we
firsthand know how much itaffects your daily life.
So that's something that wereally pride ourselves in
knowing how deep of an impact ithas on people's life.
(24:20):
And that we try to really focuson empathy because I'm sure you
know that when you talk abouthyperhidrosis people are like,
ah, come on, you're justsweating a bit.
It's no big thing.
But no, actually, it's a hugething.
It's maybe the biggest problemin your life.
So, when you speak to us,you'll know that you're in not
only good hands in a technicalway, but we will give all we can
(24:43):
to make sure it works for you.
Uh, because we reallypersonally wanted to work for
everybody who tries a machine.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Societ (24:49):
Wow.
That's amazing.
I didn't realize that you had ateam of folks with
hyperhidrosis who were able tooffer that support.
That's great.
Mathieu, Dermadry (24:57):
Yeah, all our keyboards are designed to be
waterproof because people heresometimes have sweaty hands.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (25:03):
That's amazing.
Builds some built-inaccommodations and yeah.
That's, that's wonderful.
Yeah.
And I mean, one thing that isobvious when you Google
Dermadry, is your presenceonline.
And your community support andyour community involvement.
So you have a Facebook groupthat has about 8,000 followers.
(25:23):
Your Instagram account hasalmost 20,000 followers.
Your TikTok account is now overa hundred thousand followers.
You have really invested inspeaking with people that have
hyperhidrosis and being part ofthat conversation, which I
really admire.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat and how that impacts your
day-to-day job and yourawareness of what it's like to
(25:45):
live with hyperhidrosis?
Mathieu, Dermadry (25:46):
So when we started Dermadry, we did a lot
of research, of course, on thecondition, how it's being
treated, how it's beenperceived, and one of the big
things that came out of ourresearch is that hyperhidrosis
is often referred to as a silenthandicap.
That means that people who havehyperhidrosis almost never talk
(26:07):
about their condition, not totheir friends and not to their
family, and especially not totheir doctors.
It's one of the most underreported conditions, which in
the end is.
It's a terrible thing becausethat means it's under studied,
underfunded when it has a deepimpact in people's lives.
Studies have shown that peoplewho have hyperhidrosis are
(26:28):
almost 10 times more prone todepression, anxiety, so it has a
really deep impact in people'slives.
So when we set up into doingour marketing, we said to
ourselves, okay, the first thingwe need to do is not just talk
about Dermadry, of course, butit's to break the taboo around
sweat.
So that's the way we createdthese spaces where people could
(26:49):
feel comfortable to talk abouttheir hyperhidrosis, how it
impacts them, um, and what theydo to treat their excessive
sweating.
So if you go on the DermadryFacebook group, for example,
people of course give themselvestips and tricks on how using
Dermadry, but they also tellstories about how sweat will
impact them.
And others ways to treat theirexcessive sweating.
(27:10):
Um, if you go on social media,for example, our TikTok,
instagram, you'll see that wedon't only do videos, on
Dermadry, but we try to recreatescenes of daily lives of people
who have excess sweating and ofcourse we try to do a funny
twist on them but, um we reallytry to break that taboo around
excess sweating because in theend, the more people talk about
(27:32):
it, the more lives we'reactually going to be able to
change.
So that was since day one ourapproach on talking about this
sweat.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (27:40):
Yeah, I respect that a lot.
Hyperhidrosis is so hidden.
There's so much shame, stigma,embarrassment.
a lot of people don't evenwanna tell their families, their
friends, their partners thatthey have hyperhidrosis.
It is very hidden.
So I think the more we can bedoing in the community to break
that stigma, to get the wordout, to talk about it, to try to
(28:03):
normalize it, to say, Hey, youare not defined by your sweat.
There is no shame around this.
Um, I think that's reallyimportant.
So it's great to see.
Mathieu, Dermadry (28:11):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So the, the founder of the, thecompany Maxim, the first time
he told to anybody he hadsweaty, had sweaty feet was when
he was trying to launch acompany.
Before that, he never said thatto his family, his friends, his
girlfriend.
When he said to us it was likea complete surprise, we like all
fell down our chairs that hewas living this kinda constant
(28:32):
stress and worry in his life.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (28:34):
Yeah, I think a lot of people can
relate to that.
There's a lot of people in mylife probably too who don't know
that I live with the sweat andI also get a lot of swelling
along with my sweat.
There's so many ways that itimpacts your life and it is so
hidden.
So it's really nice to seepeople talking about it.
Mathieu, Dermadry (28:50):
This podcast.
Yeah.
So this podcast, so it's likeyou're coming out of the Yeah.
Closet.
Uh,
Karina, Sweaty Girl Societ (28:54):
yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
In a way, because I've livedwith hyperhidrosis since I was
10.
I was diagnosed at 20, andthat's when I started to talk
about it with my close friends.
And then when I was 40 is whenI launched Sweaty Girl Society
and really am trying to use myvoice to raise awareness around
this issue, but.
I think many of us are livingparallel lives.
(29:15):
We're all sort of dealing withthe same challenges.
Everybody's situation isslightly different, but we're
all dealing with the samechallenges quietly in a lot of
cases.
So it is nice to see thiscontent out there on social
media, see people talking aboutit.
And I also appreciate thelighthearted spin you do put on
the content.
That's one of my goals too withSweaty Girl Society.
(29:36):
Like the colors are fun.
The tone.
I'm trying to have some funwith it because hyperhidrosis is
not fun.
It is like the opposite of funliving with it.
but you know, it is also partof who we are as people with
hyperhidrosis.
It is our day-to-dayexperience, so, you know, having
some fun with it can bring abit of a, a different spin to
(29:57):
things.
Mathieu, Dermadry (29:57):
Absolutely.
And maybe, uh, to add ontothat, why it's so important to
talk about it is becausehyperhidrosis is a genetic
condition.
So once you talk about it, thenyou realize, oh, well maybe my
parents have it.
Maybe my children have it.
Maybe you know, siblings haveit.
And it not only helps yourself,but it helps people that are
very close to you.
So that's why it's important tobreak that taboo.
(30:19):
And kind of in a way breaks thecycle of suffering because if
your parents finally admit it,well then it's gonna help you
and then it might help yourchildren afterwards.
And this kind of like a.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (30:29):
Yeah,
Mathieu, Dermadry (30:30):
yeah.
Circle.
Yeah,
Karina, Sweaty Girl (30:31):
absolutely.
We're not only making changefor our generation, but the ones
to follow.
Hopefully it will be an easierpath for them if at least some
of the stigma is erased.
So what sort of changes do youthink need to happen around
hyperhidrosis in terms of, um,research, access to solutions?
What would be on your prioritylist?
Mathieu, Dermadry (30:52):
That's a excellent question.
I think the first part startswith the education.
So every time we go to medicalcongresses, talk to doctors,
most of them say, so we've beendoing medicine, studying
medicine for five years, andmaybe we have one afternoon
where we talk abouthyperhidrosis.
So that is really a problem.
(31:12):
So I think education in thehealthcare space is a very
important thing.
And afterwards that would bringmore funding into research on
hyperhidrosis right now, ofcourse, the, the biggest player
is Botox because of course, uh,they have huge funding and they
could spend a lot of money onresearch.
Whereas other solutions, suchas iontophoresis for us, we
(31:33):
don't have the same means to doresearch.
Uh, so.
More education, more researchon the space.
And as we've been speaking,breaking the taboo, being able
to talk about it, uh, moreinitiatives like the Sweaty Girl
Society, which of course isdoing an amazing job with these
types of podcasts.
Um, and yeah, spaces wherepeople are able to talk about
(31:54):
it.
So that, this is one of theamazing things of social media,
I think.
Uh.
15, 20, 30, 40 years ago,people didn't have Reddit spaces
or Facebook groups were theyable to talk about their sweat
and they internalized it muchmore.
So I definitely think it'sgoing in the right direction.
There's a lot of room forimprovement, but I feel like
it's going in mm-hmm.
Right.
Direction.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Socie (32:14):
Yeah, I agree.
Even over the last coupleyears, I'm seeing more people
talk about it.
So that's very exciting.
And so what is next forDermadry?
Mathieu, Dermadry (32:21):
So we have, as always.
Lots of different projectsgoing on.
Um, some of them that we can'tspeak about, some really cool
initiatives are coming up,hopefully very soon.
But, right now, as mentioned,we are trying to go see doctors
as much as possible.
Uh, for example, in a couple ofweeks we're going to see the
University of here in Quebec,where it's a group of
(32:43):
podiatrists, where we're gonnaexplain to them how
hyperhidrosis is detrimental forpeople's feet, how it brings a
different array of medicalconditions such as warts,
athlete's foot, and howiontophoresis is a great way to
treat hyperhidrosis.
So we're trying to go see a lotof different medical
associations talk abouthyperhidrosis and trying to r
(33:06):
and d for better ways to improveour device.
So that's basically the thingsI'm allowed to speak about right
now.
Karina, Sweaty Girl (33:12):
Wonderful, wonderful.
Well, one last question foryou, Matthieu.
Where can people go to learnmore about Dermadry?
Mathieu, Dermadry (33:18):
So of course on our Facebook page, TikTok
page, iontophoresis page and ourwebsite, those are the main
places where people can learnmore about Dermadry and
iontophoresis.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (33:28):
That's great, and we will link all of
those in the show notes and inthe description.
And thank you so much for yourtime today, Matthieu.
It was a good conversation.
I learned a lot about Dermadryand I'm excited to see where you
go in the future.
Mathieu, Dermadry (33:42):
Thank you so much Karina.
Karina, Sweaty Girl Soci (33:49):
Thanks for listening to the Sweaty
Girl Society Podcast.
If you like today's episode,join our free membership
community atsweatygirlsociety.com slash
community.
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