Excessive Sweating: The Facts
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
All people sweat. It’s nature’s way of helping us keep cool. This process can’t be neglected because even if we don’t feel hot, our body increases in temperature metabolizing the food we take.Without the ability to sweat, we run the danger of wear and tear of our vital systems. Excessive sweating, however, should be taken seriously. Too much perspiration suggests that you are releasing fluidsoutside the need to regulate body temperature, so much so that you may end up with dehydration. Excessive sweating is a condition known as hyperhidrosis. There are two types of hyperhidrosis. There are those who tend to perspire excessively all over Others tend to sweat excessively in just a few select places. You can only see symptoms in their palms, feet, armpits, or their face. Check out these useful tips to stop uncontrollable sweating.
Hyperhidrosis affect a considerable number of people; researches indicate that about 5% of the population suffer from this condition. It makes no distinction between males and females. It usually starts at around ages 13-15 and can progress into adulthood. While you can inherit this condition from your parents, it can skip generations.
How come this condition exists? Researchers still do not know. Studies strongly suggest that there’s nothing wrong with glands responsible for perspiring. But it appears that there is an imbalance in the neurotransmitters of the brain responsible for sending the signal to sweat. Hyperhidrosis can be triggered by psychological causes. For instance, symptoms has been associated with apprehension and PTSD. There are also physical conditions that contribute to hyperhidrosis. These include thyroid problems, weight problems, high blood sugar, tumors, menopause. Weaning away from from addictive substances can also result in excessive sweating. Uppers in the food we eat such as coffee and cigarettes are also known to elicit this condition. If you notice symptoms, visit a medical doctor or a dermatologist for a physical examination. Diagnosis is usually made via an iodine starch test to know if you’ve got hyperhidrosis.
There are plenty of treatment possibilities for hyperhidrosis depending on your body type and the gravity of the condition. Less serious types of hyperhidrosis can usually be addressed using over-the-counter antiperspirants, specially the clinical varieties. There are also aluminum chloride hexahydrate solutions, such as XeracAC.
You may also consider systemic interventions if creams and roll-ons are not your thing. Anticholinergic medicines such as Robinul have been found effective. A new trend in curing hyperhidrosis is injecting botox.Or if this isn’t your thing, there’s iontophoresis, a treatment which involves disabling sweat glands through electricity. Pills, botox and iontophoresis merely manages the symptoms temporarily, but does not eliminate the root cause of this condition.
If you are more into non-traditional medicines, try acupuncture and hypnosis. The latter if particularly effective for emotionally induced hyperhidrosis. If you’re looking for a permanent cure, surgery is recommended. One surgical procedure for hyperhidrosis is endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS). In this procedure, you destroy the nerve pathway that is used to give the sweat order from the brain.. Sympathectomy does not require hospitalization
While generally non-life threatening, excessive sweating it can significantly affect personal and social life. It is quite an embarrassing condition, so much so that some people with hyperhidrosis tend to keep to themselves. Sweat-stained clothing and wet palms can give the impression of poor hygiene. Moreover, hyperhidrosis can affect your job efficiency. Sweaty palms and feet would have difficulty grasping objects and maintaining balance respectively. They may also exacerbate other skin diseases like fungi infections But there’s no need to worry, most find treatments for hyperhidrosis effective. If you act quickly, you’ll be able to manage this condition in no time.