Sweating, also known as Perspiration is an essential function that helps the body stay cool. Sweat is commonly found under the arms, on the feet, and on the palms of the hands. How much you sweat depends on how many sweat glands you have. A person is born with about two to four million sweat glands. The glands start to become fully active during puberty. Women actually have more sweat glands then men, men's glands are just more active. Because sweating is the body's natural way of regulating temperature, people sweat more when it is hot outside. People also sweat more when they exercise, or in response to situations that make them nervous, angry, embarrassed, or afraid.
Excessive sweating is a condition known as hyperhidrosis. This is when a person sweats excessively and unpredictably. People with hyperhidrosis may sweat even when the temperature is cool or when they are at rest.
The different types of focal excessive sweating (focal hyperhidrosis)
There are two types of excessive sweating:
It is important to know what type you have because each type erupts due to different causes and each type has to be treated accordingly pending on the type you have.
Although neurologic, metabolic, and other systemic diseases can sometimes cause excessive sweating, most cases occur in people who are otherwise healthy. Heat and emotions may trigger hyperhidrosis in some, but many who suffer from hyperhidrosis sweat nearly all the time, regardless of their mood or the weather.
What can trigger hyperhidrosis and cause the severity to worsen?
Hyperhidrosis is usually a condition that stays with you for a long time, but symptoms improve in some cases over time.
The symptoms of excessive sweating (focal hyperhidrosis)
Focal hyperhidrosis is a common condition in which the person will experience excessive sweating in the following areas:
The rest of the body sweats normally; it is the palms, feet, and armpits, which are mainly affected. Doctors are unsure of the underlining cause for excessive sweating, but they do know that it is not linked with any other medical conditions. Doctors have concluded that the excessive sweating is due to overactive or abnormally sensitive glands that overproduce.
Hyperhidrosis usually starts in adolescence or young adulthood, but it can develop at any age. Some people can develop hyperhidrosis because it runs in the family. Both men and women are affected in the same way. It affects about 3 in 100 people.
Generalized excessive sweating (generalized hyperhidrosis)
Generalized hyperhidrosis causes you to sweat all over your body. Generalized hyperhidrosis is usually secondary to an underlying illness or a side effect of a medication, the first approach to providing relief from the excessive sweating is to investigate the cause. Underlying conditions should then be treated correctly and your doctor, to relieve the sweating symptoms, should adjust appropriate medications.
Conditions that can bring on generalized hyperhidrosis are:
Treatment depends on the underlining cause and has to be treated accordingly.
IontophoresisIontophoresis was introduced over 50 years ago as a treatment for excessive sweating. Its exact mechanism of action is still unclear. The procedure uses water to conduct an electric current to the skin, which combats production of sweat. Current is applied typically for 10-20 minutes per session, initially with two to three sessions per week followed by a maintenance program of treatments at one- to three-week intervals, depending upon the patient's response. Iontophoresis treatments sound potentially painful but, in fact, they are not.
Patients purchase devices for this treatment through a doctor's prescription.
Botulinum toxin injections Botulinum toxin (Botox), a nerve toxin that can temporarily paralyze muscle, is much in the news as a cosmetic treatment for wrinkles. However, it has been used in many areas of medicine for some time, such as in the treatment of muscle spasms, and certain types of headaches. Its latest medical niche is the treatment of excessive underarm sweating.
Fifty units of Botox are injected into roughly 20 spots in each armpit. This may produce approximately six months of relief from sweating. The injections are uncomfortable, but use of a very small injection needle makes them tolerable.
Now that this treatment has received FDA approval, many health insurers are providing coverage for the injections and the Botox itself, which is quite costly.
There are many non-surgical alternatives to treat patients with hyperhidrosis. Some patients with hyperhidrosis have mild symptoms, which can be helped with medication.
These drugs are not commonly used because the success of these drugs is inconsistent. There are also, side effects to medications for excessive sweating such as a dry mouth and blurred vision. Although, it works well for some people because as you know everyone reacts differently to medications.
The surgical procedure for excessive sweating is called Thoracic sympathectomy. It is a surgical interruption of the sympathetic nerves. The sympathetic nerves are the nerves that cause the excessive sweating in your body. Sympathectomy is a surgery procedure intended to destroy part of the nerve supply to the sweat glands in the skin. The surgeon inserts a special endoscopic instrument into the chest between two ribs just below the armpit. The lung is temporarily depressed so surgeons can see the area more clearly and destroy the nerves necessary to stop the excessive sweating.
A newer technique to stop excessive armpit sweating - is to 'scrape' the sweat glands from the under side of the skin through a small hole cut in the skin. This procedure has had positive results and has been very successful will fewer risks of complications.
Before you decide to have surgery, you should consult with your surgeon. He or she will explain the pros and cons of each procedure, different surgical techniques offered, they will go over the success rate (usually high), and possible risks that go along with the procedure.
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