Excessive sweating: causes and remedies
Everybody sweats, some more than others. Sweating is a completely natural bodily function. We sweat when it’s hot or when we exercise: our ecrine sweat glands produce and release a salty, transparent liquid (99 % water and 1 % salt) whose function is to cool our body.
At times, we may also sweat because we feel stressed or nervous However, the liquid secreted at those times by our ecrine sweat glands is mixed with liquid from the apocrine sweat glands, which contains proteins and fats and produces an unpleasant smell.
Intense sweating is called hyperhidrosis. Many of us have experienced excessive sweating at some time or another, in places with hot climates or after working out. However, people with hyperhidrosis sweat intensely even if they don’t feel hot or if they aren’t exercising. In these cases, sweating can become a real problem in the lives of people who have the condition and cannot control it.
What can be done about excessive sweating?
There is no real solution for excessive sweating. However, several options are available for people who suffer with hyperhidrosis that noticeably minimise and alleviate their symptoms.
- Pharmacological treatments for controlling hyperhidrosis in localised areas (such as hands, feet, armpits and groin. These are formulas containing alpha-bisabolol and salicylic acid, antiperspirants which instantly dry the skin, control excessive sweating and eliminate body odour.
- Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections: this treatment is an alternative to surgery and must be administered three times per year. The effects of the injection are felt after a few days; however, after several months, sweating will become intense again and the treatment must be repeated.
- Electric treatment: an electric current is used to introduce ions to the skin. The electricity paralyses the sweat glands for a time. This treatment is suitable for treating hyperhidrosis in the hands and feet.
- Surgical intervention: surgery on the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. The procedure interrupts the neural pathway that transmits the sweat stimulus to which the body overreacts.
Although effective treatment may give rise to a considerable improvement in quality of life for the person with the problem, it is advisable to consult a doctor and get a proper diagnosis before opting for one alternative or another.
Why do men sweat more than women?
Generally, physical exercise reduces the threshold at which a person starts to sweat. However, women still perspire at a slower rate than men, even after a workout. Women have to exercise at a high level of intensity before they will start to sweat.
The scientific explanation for this is that they have fewer sweat glands and are more sensitive to dehydration than men, who transpire more because of testosterone.
Whatever the case may be, sweating is a normal reaction of our bodies and we have to accept that when we exercise or feel hot or nervous, our sweat glands release more liquid than usual. Effective treatments for localised hyperhidrosis can assist in reducing these discomforts and help you in your day-to-day life.
