A woman who suffers from excessive sweating claims she has been denied a "miracle" NHS treatment due to budget cuts.
Heather Sadler, from Wirral, was diagnosed with the condition hyperhidrosis when she was 19 years old.
After trying a variety of treatments the she found that having Botox injections under her arms prevented her from developing large sweat patches throughout the day.
The 22-year-old was previously given the injections free on the NHS every nine to 12 months, but says this is no longer available.
"I cried to the dermatologist for hours when I found out. I felt like I couldn’t live. It’s too expensive for me to pay for my own treatment - I don’t have £300 spare a year," she told the Liverpool Echo.
Heather Sadler
Sadler first noticed she sweated more than other people when she was 13 years old when bullies commented on her sweat patches after PE.
She was diagnosed with hyperhidrosis until she was 19 years old after she told her GP about seeing someone with the same condition on Channel 4 show Embarrassing Bodies.
Unfortunately, cruel comments about her sweating did not stop as she entered adulthood.
She claims that when she was in her first administration job, a colleague accidentally sent her an email which referred to her saying: "Urgh, she stinks".
"It put me down to a point where I’m too scared to go back to work, even now," she said.
"It completely knocked my confidence and thinking about it still makes me get emotional. I’d rather people said to me ‘listen, you smell’ so I can explain it, rather than talk about me behind my back."
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According to the NHS, excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, is a fairly common condition estimated to affect between one and three in every 100 people in the UK.
The condition usually affects a sufferer's armpits, palms of hands, soles of feet, face, chest and groin.
Although it doesn't usually pose a serious threat to health physically, hyperhidrosis can be embarrassing and distressing.
"It can also have a negative impact on your quality of life and may lead to feelings of depression and anxiety," the website states.
Initial recommended treatment for hyperhidrosis includes lifestyle changes (such as a change of diet) and wearing stronger deodorants.
For more severe cases the NHS recommends iontophoresis which involves treating affected areas of skin with a weak electric current passed through water or a wet pad.
The treatment is thought to help block the sweat glands and Sadler previously received it alongside botox injections.
Botox injections are also listed under the possible treatments, although the NHS states that "availability on the NHS can vary widely depending on your clinical commissioning group (CCG)".
The Huffington Post UK has contacted Wirral CCG for confirmation that they no longer offer the treatment free of charge, but has yet to hear back at the time of publication.
