Excessive Sweating
October 21, 2008
If you are one of those people who can’t stay dry, you should not think you are alone in this. Excessive sweating medically referred to as hyperhidrosis is much more common than you imagine. You have no reason to feel alone. It is natural to sweat, that is how the body keeps cool. But when you find that you sweat no matter where you are, there some concern. About 2 – 3 % of Americans have this condition.
It affects the palm and the sole and also the underarms mostly but could affect other parts of the body too. It starts as early as 13 years and is full blown in late adolescence. It must be treated to avoid the havocs and embarrassment it could cause in the future.
How to know you have hyperhidrosis
It is not difficult to notice excessive sweating as you realise that you sweat more frequently regardless of body temperature. To be sure, you can do the iodine starch test. This involves spraying the suspected area, for example the palm with a mixture of 1 gram of iodine crystal and 500mg of soluble starch. If it turns blue-black you know you have hyperhidrosis.
Causes of hyperhidrosis
There are two kinds. Primary hyperhidrosis which occurs at the onset of puberty may be brought about by heredity factors and metabolic conditions. Secondary hyperhidrosis which develops in later years might be caused by thyroid or pituitary gland disorders, tumours and gouts, or as adverse reaction to certain drugs. When you notice this, see your doctor for checkups.
Treating hyperhidrosis
Antiperspirants
With the variety of methods available most people can overcome excessive sweating and live normal lives again. Here are some of them. There are over the counter antiperspirants that contain aluminium chloride. Don’t use it immediately after shaving. If this does not work prescription antiperspirants which contain aluminium chloride hexahydrate may be used. You see results after a week of nightly application.
Iontopheresis
This involves using a device to pass a small amount of electrical current through the skin using the medium of tap water. This could be painful so make sure there is no small wound on your body before using the device. The device is quite expensive, but there are cheap but ineffective ones on the market.
There are oral medications also. Some of them are Ditropan, Robinul and Cogentin. If anxiety is the cause, antidepressants may help.
One of the current methods in vogue now is botox. This provides relief for about six months. But it is very expensive.
Surgery
There are two options available here. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy involves the destruction of selected sympathetic nerves to stop the signals that cause the problem. There are certain side effects including reduced fear and lowered heart beat. The second option involves the removal of sweat glands from the affected part while the patient is under local anesthesia. This as a last resort treatment is very expensive.
Sage herb
Sage herb can also be used in the form of tea and capsules.
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