Are You Suffering From Hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating affects about two percent of the population. Often it is limited to certain body areas like the palms, soles, armpits, nose and groin. It is sometimes inherited,but in most cases no genetic link can be established. Excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis can be secondary to a medical condition like menopause or hyperthyroidism and usually occurs with one any precipitating medical condition. It rarely causes problems in other parts of the body because excessive although mildly embarrassing, at times it is often just an inconvenience.
Excessive sweating of the armpits can affect on ones social life and may lead to emotional problems because it can produce or aggravate disagreeable armpit odor. Unlike most types of the body where there is only one type of sweat gland, called eccrine that produces clear and watery sweat while the armpit has a second type of sweat gland called the apocrine which produces a stickier form of sweat.
Sweat from eccrine glands remains odorless but apocrine sweat although initially odorless, is promptly broken down by bacteria, a process which releases chemicals with disagreeable odor. There are a variety of proprietary preparations and medical or surgical procedures that are being used for hyperhidrosis. The former are either applied topically (externally) or taken systemically in the form of tablet or capsule while the latter includes botox injection and endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy .
Most topical preparations used to control sweaty armpits containing antiperspirants and deodorants. They generally are well tolerated but in most cases control of sweating and odor is not complete. The antiperspirants like aluminum chloride, aluminum hydroxide and aluminum potassium sulfate control sweating by plugging the sweat glands. The deodorants on the other hand, mask the odor released by the bacteria, but they only work if the armpits are washed frequently.
Systemic preparations used to combat excessive sweating include anticholinergics, sedatives, tranquilizers and calcium channel blockers. The use of any of these preparations, however, had not gained popular support because of their numerous side effects and adverse reactions. Botulinum toxin (botox) injection is the procedure that was approved by the USFDA in 2004 for the treatment of severe underarm sweating.
Small dose of the toxin, when injected in the armpits, block the nerves that stimulate sweating. Botox, however, does not cure hyperhidrosis, and its effect is temporary. The symptoms gradually return over a period of weeks and the procedure has to be repeated at intervals of seven to sixteen months to maintain dryness. Side effects of botox include injection site pain and flu like symptoms.
A surgical procedure that is being performed for hyperhidrosis is endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS). This procedure is very effective (ninety to a hundred percent) for sweaty palms but is not as effective for sweaty armpits.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 am
My friend suffers this sweating symptom, wearing cotton glove anywhere day and night. Maybe I should remind her of the surgical treatment you mentioned above. Thanks for the interesting information!
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July 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 am
Hyperhidrosis is a fairly common disorder shared by millions across the world.
By definition, Hyperhidrosis is the excessive sweating of the head, face, hands, feet and armpits no matter the temperature or conditions.
The sweating is erratic, unpredictable and uncontrollable. You do have some options.
To stop the excessive sweating try:
1. Drysol
Drysol is a prescription deodorant that works wonders for underarm, hand and foot sweating.
Apply it to your hands, feet, armpits or anywhere else you sweat at night before bed. You only need to apply it once a day - it’s not like regular deodorant. This stuff is Clinical
Strenghth. Beware of irritation with Drysol. You may have to take a day or two off from this treatment if your skin gets too dry, sensative or red with a rash.
2. Drink more water to lower your body temperature.
A lot of people are confused by this solution. They think if they drink more water, it will give them that much more fluid to sweat out. This is totally incorrect.
Drinking more water cools your core temperature and will alleviate some of the excessive sweating.
Of course now you’ll need to worry about all those bathroom breaks.
3. Drink Green Tea or Sage Tea at night
Tea contains an astringent property which will dry out oils and prevent excess moister from escaping the skin. It essentially drys you from the inside out.
In addition to helping your complexion, green tea will neutralize many of the toxins that create the pungent odor in sweat. By the way, that odor is caused by bacteria that treats your sweat as a breeding ground. Gross!
4. Try Certain Dri (non-prescription deodorant)
You can buy this one at most pharmacies. Certain dry is a little less abrasive than Drysol so you won’t need to worry as much about irritation. It is however a little less strong.
You’ll want to gauge your level of Hyperhidrosis by first trying Certain Dri. If your sweating continues, upgrade to Drysol and that should do the trick.
5. Avoid spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine
Don’t underestimate the power of your diet. Onions, Garlic, Curry, Coffee and a whole host of other ingredients are powerful triggers for hyperhidrosis sweating.
Cut out some of these cultprits and see gradual but noticeable results. Add leafy greens and tea into your diet for a positive effect on sweating. Changing your diet will really cut out the spontaneous sweating from your daily lunch breaks.
6. Try Iontophoresis treatments.
This is more of a phase 3 solution. Try the clinical deodorants and diet fixes first.
However, there is a treatment called Iontophoresis where you place your hands and feet into bowls or plates. The plates are filled with mineral water.
Connected to the plates is an Iontophoresis electromagnetic device. Gentle electic pulses are distributed through mineral
water. The minerals bond and temporarily change the nature of your sweat pores to block the sweat.
This treatment works well. You can learn about it through the Source link I’ve provided below.
7. Try a Sage Tea Soak
There’s something called a Sage Tea solution what you do is…
a. Buy Sage Tea from your supermarket
b. Fill a large bowl with room temperature water
c. Put the sage tea bags in the bowl
d. Let the tea dissolve a bit.
e. soak your hands or feet for 15 minutes.
Sage Tea will act as an astringent to dry the skin and prevent excessive sweating for many days to follow.
Don’t just do this soak one day. Do it everyday for 5 days straight (15 minutes at a time) and you’ll see great results.
If your hands tan from the tea, just wash them in the sink with antibacterial soap. The residue will come off easily.
8. ETS (Endoscopic Thorasic Surgery)
If the sweating is bad enough, some people will opt towards ETS (Endoscopic Thorasic Surgery).
This is, however, a LAST resort. I recommend you try everything else possible before opting towards surgery. You can speak with your Dermatologist to find out more.
FOR MORE NATURAL TREATMENTS, CHECK OUT:
http://www.Prevent-Sweating.com
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August 9th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I have read somewhere that someone’s hyperhidrosis was cured by just removing sugar from his diet.
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