Excessive sweating: what may be causing the problem and how to get rid of it

Sometimes hyperhidrosis can speak of a disease, but more often it is just an individual feature of your body, writes Mail.ru.

What is hyperhidrosis, and where does it come from

If you sweat profusely, not only from jogging, heat or extreme excitement, you probably have hyperhidrosis - increased sweating. It is not very dangerous for the body, but it hurts the psychological well-being.

People sweat all the time - on average, a person loses half a liter of fluid per day through sweat. Even if you don't do anything, the sweat glands still release moisture, albeit to a lesser extent. Our body regulates this with nerves and hormones. When it's hot outside, or you freak out or unload the carriages, your brain sends a signal to "sweat" to avoid overheating. The sweat glands begin to produce more sweat and open up the ducts wider. When you cool down or return to rest, less sweat is produced and the ducts close.

If you have hyperhidrosis, the system is not working properly.

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Your sweat glands may be oversensitive to adrenaline, and even the smallest anxiety makes you sweat. Or the ducts of the glands are constantly open and not closed.

Sometimes excessive sweating indicates a serious health problem, and sometimes it is a congenital feature of the body.

When increased sweating is okay

Some people have no obvious reason why they sweat so much. It is primary hyperhidrosis and occurs in 30-50% of cases. Usually it is inherited and, apart from psychological discomfort, has almost no effect on health.

Here are its signs:

• Individual parts of the body sweat: head, armpits, arms, legs, less often - the chest or groin area.
• Sweating attacks occur at least once a week and almost never occur at night.
• The problem arose during childhood or adolescence.

See a dermatologist if:

• You yourself are not dealing with the problem.
• It interferes with your daily activities, making you feel anxious and constantly nervous.
• Rash or warts appear in sweaty areas.

When excessive sweating is bad

Sometimes an illness causes excessive sweating. Think about sweating during a fever.

This is a secondary hyperhidrosis and indicates the following ailments:

• diabetes;
• heart and lung diseases;
• generalized anxiety disorder;
• infections (AIDS, tuberculosis and others);
• hyperthyroidism;
• leukemia and other types of cancer;
• obesity;
• spinal injury.

Several medications cause secondary hyperhidrosis: beta-blockers (for high blood pressure), pilocarpine (for glaucoma), or antidepressants; as well as smoking and spicy food. In women over 45, menopause may be the cause.

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With secondary hyperhidrosis, almost the entire surface of the body sweats. In rare cases - separate areas, for example, stumps after limb amputation.

People often wake up drenched in sweat at night. If you have similar symptoms, go to your doctor right away.

Can I get rid of this?

Yes, but with some conditions. With primary hyperhidrosis, everything depends on the therapy plan proposed by the doctor. With the secondary - from the success of the treatment of the underlying disease.

How to get rid of excessive sweating

For mild primary hyperhidrosis, these simple tips will help:

• Try not to use soap, which removes fat from the skin.
• Use antiperspirants, not deodorants. The former clog up the sweat glands, while the latter only mask the smell.
• Wear loose-fitting clothing made from natural fibers (cotton, linen, wool or silk) and avoid synthetics. Black or white clothing is best for masking the signs of sweating.
• Use an underarm pad.
• If your feet are sweating, wear leather shoes and alternate them every day.
• Wear natural fiber socks and change them regularly.
• Avoid spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine - they increase sweating.

If these tips do not help, consult a dermatologist, he will select a more radical method:

• Iontophoresis: areas with increased sweating are immersed in a special solution through which a safe low-frequency current is passed. It is especially effective in treating hyperhidrosis of the hands, feet and armpits. Helps in 70-80% of cases.
• Botox injections. Botulinum toxin blocks the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. The result appears after several procedures, but the disease returns after 3–6 months.
• Anticholinergic drugs. They, like botox, block the transmission of nerve impulses. The problem is that these medications affect other cells as well and, in addition to reducing sweating, cause dry mouth, constipation, and difficulty urinating.
• Surgical operations. They are used if other methods did not help. There are several types of such operations: removal of the gland itself, its duct, or cutting of nerves. Although this method does not give a XNUMX% guarantee either.

   

   

   

   

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