Hyperhidrosis:
Usually, people look forward to the summers because it means beaches and vacations. But if you suffer from hyperhidrosis, aka excessive sweating then you are likely to dread the heat, because you sweat buckets all year round. Summers only exacerbate the problem. Actually, summers are not the only thing that opens the floodgates; anything from eating spicy food to walking a flight of stairs can stimulate excessive sweating and embarrass you. But the good news is: you are not alone in the journey. Although hyperhidrosis is one of the most under-talked medical conditions, there are a lot of people suffering from it unknowingly. If you think you might be among one of the heavy sweaters, then you need to know all about your condition.
Usually, people look forward to the summers because it means beaches and vacations. But if you suffer from hyperhidrosis, aka excessive sweating then you are likely to dread the heat, because you sweat buckets all year round. Summers only exacerbate the problem. Actually, summers are not the only thing that opens the floodgates; anything from eating spicy food to walking a flight of stairs can stimulate excessive sweating and embarrass you. But the good news is: you are not alone in the journey. Although hyperhidrosis is one of the most under-talked medical conditions, there are a lot of people suffering from it unknowingly. If you think you might be among one of the heavy sweaters, then you need to know all about your condition.
What is hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis merely is a medical term for excessive sweating. It is divided into two types. Primary hyperhidrosis, which is because of genetics, or psychological conditions and secondary hyperhidrosis, which is caused because of the underlying medical condition. Some medical conditions that contribute to excessive sweating include hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus among others.
Why do we need to sweat?
An inexorable rise in temperature can cause stroke and even brain death. To protect our body from the increase in temperature, nature has set in a thermoregulation process by which our body starts to sweat whenever there is a rise in temperature. Due to sweating the temperature comes down via evaporation process. Usually, sweating happens when we are working out or during extreme summers. But people suffering from hyperhidrosis sometimes don’t need a reason to sweat.
How do I know that its hyperhidrosis?
We usually sweat because we feel hot. In case of hyperhidrosis, the patients don’t necessarily feel hot while sweating; they can be sitting in a meeting or strolling down the streets and sweating buckets. If you notice that you are excessively sweating even in the absence of physical activity or hot weather from your armpits, palms, soles or head, then these might be the early signs of hyperhidrosis.
When does hyperhidrosis occur?
As if puberty isn’t rough enough, the sweat glands also go into the overtime around this time. Patients of hyperhidrosis develop the symptoms into their early teens with multiple episodes per week. Excessive sweating that begins after the mid or late twenties is secondary in nature and occurs due to some underlying medical conditions.
How does hyperhidrosis affect my health?
Excessive sweating can lead to skin infections due to the growing bacteria and unevaporated sweat on the skin. If you don’t maintain proper hygiene, the unaerated areas of the body such as underarms and feel can be affected by fungal infections. You can prevent this by wearing loose clothing made from natural fibres and change into dry clothes as frequently as possible. Other than this, hyperhidrosis has also got psychological effects which include depression and anxiety if the condition remains untreated.
What are some treatment methods for underarm sweating?
Fortunately, there are a lot of treatment options for excessive sweating. The first method to prevent sweating is by using antiperspirants. Most of the patients do not respond to the antiperspirants available in the market, and they have to be prescribed aluminium chloride based antiperspirants. If a patient doesn’t respond well to them, the next option is Botox. Botox is one of the most effective treatments of hyperhidrosis with more than 80% success rate. Botox will be injected on various sites in the underarms which will paralyse the sweat glands for a period of four to five months. After this duration, you will have to go for a maintenance procedure. Otherwise, the sweating will resume at its original pace. According to Doctor Etemad-Shahidi, who is an expert in Botox and filler treatments and practices in CosmeDocs Clinic, Botox is one of the most performed cosmetic treatment in the whole world. People usually think that it is only useful for its anti-wrinkle effects. However, it has other cosmetic and therapeutic uses as well.
Hyperhidrosis merely is a medical term for excessive sweating. It is divided into two types. Primary hyperhidrosis, which is because of genetics, or psychological conditions and secondary hyperhidrosis, which is caused because of the underlying medical condition. Some medical conditions that contribute to excessive sweating include hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus among others.
Why do we need to sweat?
An inexorable rise in temperature can cause stroke and even brain death. To protect our body from the increase in temperature, nature has set in a thermoregulation process by which our body starts to sweat whenever there is a rise in temperature. Due to sweating the temperature comes down via evaporation process. Usually, sweating happens when we are working out or during extreme summers. But people suffering from hyperhidrosis sometimes don’t need a reason to sweat.
How do I know that its hyperhidrosis?
We usually sweat because we feel hot. In case of hyperhidrosis, the patients don’t necessarily feel hot while sweating; they can be sitting in a meeting or strolling down the streets and sweating buckets. If you notice that you are excessively sweating even in the absence of physical activity or hot weather from your armpits, palms, soles or head, then these might be the early signs of hyperhidrosis.
When does hyperhidrosis occur?
As if puberty isn’t rough enough, the sweat glands also go into the overtime around this time. Patients of hyperhidrosis develop the symptoms into their early teens with multiple episodes per week. Excessive sweating that begins after the mid or late twenties is secondary in nature and occurs due to some underlying medical conditions.
How does hyperhidrosis affect my health?
Excessive sweating can lead to skin infections due to the growing bacteria and unevaporated sweat on the skin. If you don’t maintain proper hygiene, the unaerated areas of the body such as underarms and feel can be affected by fungal infections. You can prevent this by wearing loose clothing made from natural fibres and change into dry clothes as frequently as possible. Other than this, hyperhidrosis has also got psychological effects which include depression and anxiety if the condition remains untreated.
What are some treatment methods for underarm sweating?
Fortunately, there are a lot of treatment options for excessive sweating. The first method to prevent sweating is by using antiperspirants. Most of the patients do not respond to the antiperspirants available in the market, and they have to be prescribed aluminium chloride based antiperspirants. If a patient doesn’t respond well to them, the next option is Botox. Botox is one of the most effective treatments of hyperhidrosis with more than 80% success rate. Botox will be injected on various sites in the underarms which will paralyse the sweat glands for a period of four to five months. After this duration, you will have to go for a maintenance procedure. Otherwise, the sweating will resume at its original pace. According to Doctor Etemad-Shahidi, who is an expert in Botox and filler treatments and practices in CosmeDocs Clinic, Botox is one of the most performed cosmetic treatment in the whole world. People usually think that it is only useful for its anti-wrinkle effects. However, it has other cosmetic and therapeutic uses as well.