The ManicaPost
Dr Tendai Zuze Health matters
Excessive sweating that occurs even when the temperature isn’t hot and you’re not exercising is known as hyperhidrosis. Besides disrupting normal daily activities, hyperhidrosis can cause social anxiety or embarrassment.
Most people sweat when they exercise or exert themselves, are in a hot environment, or are nervous, anxious or under stress. The excessive sweating experienced with hyperhidrosis far exceeds such normal sweating.
Hyperhidrosis usually affects the hands, feet, underarms and sometimes the face. Rarely, the entire body is affected. The excessive sweat may soak through clothes or drip off your hands.
Episodes usually occur at least once a week without an obvious reason. Sweating is your body’s mechanism to cool itself. Your nervous system automatically triggers your sweat glands when your body temperature rises. Sweating also normally occurs, especially on your palms, when you’re nervous.
In hyperhidrosis, the nerves responsible for triggering your sweat glands become over-active and call for more perspiration even when it’s not needed.
The problem worsens if you’re under stress or nervous.
The type of hyperhidrosis that occurs primarily in your palms and soles may have a genetic component.
If you have excessive sweating all over your body, it may be caused by an underlying health factor, such as certain medications, menopausal hot flashes, low blood sugar, over-active thyroid gland, some cancers or infectious diseases like tuberculosis.
Problems that may result from excessive sweating include:
Infections. People who sweat profusely are more prone to skin infections. These infections can range from ringworm to warts.
Other skin conditions. Certain skin conditions, such as eczema and skin rashes, occur more frequently in people with hyperhidrosis.
Social and emotional effects. Having clammy or dripping hands and perspiration-soaked clothes can be embarrassing
Excessive sweating treatment varies depending on the exact cause where one is known and the severity of the problem.
Drugs used include:
Prescription antiperspirant. If over-the-counter antiperspirants don’t help, your doctor may prescribe stronger products to apply at bedtime. Prescription-strength antiperspirants can cause skin irritation, so wash the product off your body in the morning.
Pills that block nerve communication. Some oral medications block the chemicals that permit certain nerves to communicate with each other. This can reduce sweating in some people, but can also cause dry mouth, blurred vision and bladder problems.
Other types of hyperhidrosis treatments may include:
Sweat gland removal. If excessive sweating occurs just in your armpits, removing the sweat glands there may help. This can be accomplished through very small incisions.
Nerve surgery. In severe cases of hyperhidrosis, your doctor might suggest a procedure that cuts, burns or clamps the spinal nerves that control sweating in your hands. In some cases, this procedure triggers excessive sweating in other areas of your body.
In addition to over-the-counter antiperspirants, the following suggestions may help you reduce sweating and the associated body odour:
Bathe daily. Regular bathing helps keep the number of bacteria on your skin in check.
Dry your feet thoroughly after you bathe. Micro-organisms thrive in the damp spaces between your toes. Use over-the-counter foot powders to help absorb sweat.
Choose shoes and socks made of natural materials. Shoes made of natural materials, such as leather, can help prevent sweaty feet by allowing your feet to breathe.
Rotate your shoes. Shoes won’t completely dry overnight, so try not to wear the same pair two days in a row.
Wear the right socks. Cotton and wool socks help keep your feet dry because they absorb moisture. Also change your socks often.
Air your feet. Go barefoot when you can, or at least slip out of your shoes now and then.
Choose natural-fibre clothing. Wear natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool and silk, which allow your skin to breathe. When you exercise, you might prefer high-tech fabrics that wick moisture away from your skin.
Try relaxation techniques. Consider relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation or biofeedback. These can help you learn to control the stress that triggers perspiration.
If you are worried about excessive sweating, please visit your doctor.
