About Excessive Sweating or Hyperhidrosis—Causes, Complications and Treatments

Excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis is a common disorder that can be experienced by individuals of all ages. Studies show that there are more than 8 million Americans that experience such disorder and complications are rarely medically serious. Hyperhidrosis refers to the excessive sweating of a certain part of the body which usually includes the soles, armpits, feet and palms.

As people normally sweat to keep their body temperature steady when having fever, exercising or during hot weather, hyperhidrosis is not normal. There are many factors that cause such condition to an individual. It can also be frustrating as it can lead to several complications which could be alarming at times.

Factors that Cause Hyperhidrosis

There is a variety of factors that cause hyperhidrosis which could include medical conditions of a person. It can also be inherited and commonly experienced at puberty aged. When left untreated, it can continue seriously at adult age and brought some damage to a person at functional, emotional and social level.

People who suffer from Frey’s syndrome often experiences excessive sweating in one side of their body, usually the face, after eating a certain food that causes such reaction. This can occur after saliva producing glands, injury near or surgery on. Medications taken for diabetes thyroid disease or endocrine problems can also trigger hyperhidrosis. Likewise, medicines taken for high blood pressure and antidepressant can cause excessive sweating. Also, certain cancers, lung or heart disease, stroke and infections can cause such condition.

Possible Complications brought by Hyperhidrosis

As hyperhidrosis is a common disorder, it can also lead to several complications in the emotional, physical and social level. People who suffer from excessive sweating may experience emotional and social complications. Intolerable excessive sweating can embarrass a person during social functions. Excessive sweating often results to moist skin which can be prone to mild skin conditions. Moist skin is prone to fungal infection such as having an athlete’s foot that occurs between toes or body odor on armpits.

Sever sweating can also lead to warts as well as bacterial infections as the skin breakdown and provides an easier access to viruses and bacteria. Serious complications brought by such condition can be damage to emotional level as people becomes embarrassed during gathering due to body odor. They can also experience too much difficulty holding things, grip the steering wheel when driving or shake hands to other people.

Treatments for Excessive Sweating

There are various approaches in treating excessive sweating. It usually depends in the causes and severity of the condition. By having a systematic evaluation of hyperhidrosis’ causes and a wise approach for treating the condition, people with hyperhidrosis can achieve favorable results and improve their quality of life. Some of the common treatment for excessive sweating includes the following:

• Use of antiperspirants. People who suffer from excessive sweating on their underarms can make use of antiperspirants. Over the counter antiperspirants should be usually tried first to test their effectiveness when treating such condition.
• Use of microwave destruction. Microwave destruction uses a device that destroys the skin sweat glands without damaging other tissues.
• This is a device uses to pass direct electricity through the body’s skin using the tap water.
• Oral medications. There are some prescribed oral medications that people can take to reduce their sweating such as those that belong to the group of anticholinergics.
• People who want to eliminate the excessive sweating in the certain part of their body can undergo surgery like cervical sympathectomy.
• This can be used for treating excessive underarm sweating and is approved by FDA in the U.S.

This article was provided with thanks to support from Advanced Dermatology Sydney.