Introduction

Excessive sweating can be a problem and discomfort for those patients who suffer, especially in the warmer seasons. If left untreated, hyperhidrosis can cause fungus, flaking, lousy odor, irritation in various parts of the body, and even skin pigmentation.

Luckily, some treatments allow treating excessive sweating and helping those affected to improve their quality of life in the face of this uncomfortable situation.

What is excessive sweating?

Excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis is a disease known for the excessive sweat that a patient can generate. It is known that this can be at various levels of the body, as it usually happens. Still, being chronic can lead to physical or emotional problems, such as interfering with personal relationships, recreational or professional activities.

Although this is a disease produced at the dermatological level, it is already known that it originates from a failure that the sympathetic nervous system may have within the autonomic nervous system. This means that our brain sends too many signals indicating that we must produce a large amount of sweat, more than is necessary, to regulate body temperature.

Each case is unique. Excessive sweating can occur from pregnancy, certain diseases, obesity, alcohol consumption, etc. The professionals indicate this at However, this disease has general conditions in which it can be seen that people suffer a lot from this disease since it prevents them from having any physical contact and, at the body level, their body also begins to feel weak because of the excessive dehydration.

Hyperhidrosis is a comprehensive classification that includes four levels of the disease. Among the characteristics that unite them all are palmar sweating, plantar, axillary, and facial sweating, in addition to the fact that most patients present facial redness. We detail them below:

Primary hyperhidrosis: It is the first phase of the disease. It does not have a specific cause, and it includes all the symptoms that we mentioned above, and it can appear at all times in the life of a human being. It is considered the most common of all.
Secondary hyperhidrosis: Occurs when the cause is more specific and includes disorders such as the thyroid gland, which controls hormone levels in the body, and the pituitary gland, but it is also known that it can be caused by certain types of infections, diabetes, some tumors, menopause, and even some medications. This is the level of the disease when it can also be caused because a person does not absorb nutrients well for the body due to Wernicke’s disease, which can lead the patient to complications with the hypothalamus.
Severe hyperhidrosis: This is a chronic level of the disease, where its severity leads patients to suffer from fainting and other complications, so patients must be under strict medical supervision. Its causes are unknown, and each patient must have a specific treatment.
Moderate hyperhidrosis: At this level, the patient is examined with the HDSS (Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale), consisting of a series of questions to determine how much the patient can tolerate sweating. Based on this, it is considered whether or not the person will have complications to lead a better social life.

How do you know when excessive sweating appears?

Experts state that the causes of this condition are diverse and that the exact time when excessive sweating appears has not been discovered. Scientists have been trying to find more information about this condition for years, but the results are not satisfactory. However, there is already enough data so that those affected can lead a normal lifestyle.

A person who has hyperhidrosis does it almost from the moment they are born. That is, it has already been shown that, although it does not manifest itself, the nervous system of a patient with hyperhidrosis begins to fail from a young age, but the symptoms are too mild for parents to notice. Even this is almost impossible for a doctor who does not examine you closely.

The first appearance of the effects of excessive sweating is more clearly shown during puberty. It is here when the hormonal alteration awakens what was kept asleep inside the patient. Generally, since hyperhidrosis is activated, it never stops, so patients must detect it in time to apply the most effective treatments.

At present, it is estimated that around 3% of the world’s population suffers from hyperhidrosis. Still, these are only cases of primary excessive sweating, which affects men and women with the same intensity. Another interesting fact about this is that 40% of those affected have family members who also suffer from it, so it has been shown that it is a hereditary disease.

Remember that each patient is unique, so you can also find cases in which the person shows symptoms of excessive sweating long before reaching the stage of adolescence.

How to choose the doctor?

The appropriate medical specialty to treat excessive sweating is dermatology, although cosmetic doctors often treat this disease. In the words of, in his office, most patients have excessive armpit sweating.

It is important to choose a hyperhidrosis specialist to offer you the best treatment for your case and indicate if there may be any side effects after the treatment.

How is the first consultation?

In the first appointment, the patient tells the specialist everything related to his excessive sweating and how it affects him in his daily life. In this way, the degree of sweating is inferred, and, based on this, it will be decided which treatment will be the most appropriate.

Therefore, it will be vital to see the type of hyperhidrosis that the patient presents. On the other hand, the doctor will also ask the patient their habits since these can also influence the causes. It is necessary to know if the sweating is constant or if it occurs in times of stress, after eating, or at certain times of the day. For example, some people suffer from night sweats.

How is the treatment for excessive sweating done?

Thanks to advances in technology, there are currently several types of treatments that can help patients with hyperhidrosis control the levels of sweat in their bodies. Many of them must be prescribed by a specialist.

According to a statement, one of the most used treatments for axillary and palmar hyperhidrosis is Botulinum Toxin type A Botox ) which is applied using small superficial injections in the area to be treated. Its effect begins to be noticed in a few days and lasts approximately six months.

Still, there are other options like the ones listed below:

An aluminum chloride solution: This is a drug that works as an antiperspirant since the concentration of aluminum chloride has been adapted to prevent excess hyperhidrosis. However, this is a hazardous drug, so specialists can only supply it. Otherwise, its misuse and excessive use can lead to patients ending up with irritated skin.
Lontofoterisis: It is a treatment that works with electrical current with a low voltage level to stimulate the skin. The idea is that it can activate the proteins that live on the skin’s surface so that they coagulate and, in this way, begin to block the ducts that allow sweat to escape partially. There are several sessions that you must attend, and a doctor must monitor your progress.
Oral remedies: They are anticholinergic drugs, either like glycopyrrolate and oxybutynin, but these are highly dangerous remedies, so before ingesting them, they should do previous tests to determine if they will not cause side effects after you take them. Please don’t buy them without a prescription, as they can cause dry mouth, nausea, headaches, and other complications.
Videothoracoscopic sympathectomy: This is a surgical procedure in which doctors perform an artificial pneumothorax, which means that they blow air into the lungs so that the lungs deploy the nerve ganglia. It is a quite radical and complicated option, so the prescribed people have severe hyperhidrosis and have no choice but to have this operation.

Home remedies that will help you with excessive sweating

Although we have already mentioned effective treatments, there are home remedies that can help this have a more prolonged effect, but you can also take these options if your level of hyperhidrosis is not that high. So grab a pen and paper to find out how you can take care of your excessive sweating from the comfort of your home:

Have cold water on hand: Having warm water and at a lower temperature will always help you lower the heat levels in your body.
Buy a special deodorant: Do not get carried away by misleading commercials and promotions. The ideal in your case is that you buy a deodorant that does not have an odor since it will be a bad idea for it to mix with your sweating. The idea is that you can block hyperhidrosis, so a quality product that lasts and has an effect is worth more than one that makes you smell good.
Antiperspirant: These are misleading options since you must know your case very well to know exactly whether it is convenient for you to use this, so we recommend you be patient and try different options until you find the one that works for you. Sometimes it is best to enlist the help of a dermatologist for advice.

Causes of excessive sweating

Although hyperhidrosis is caused, in most cases, by neuronal and hereditary conditions, there are elements and external conditions that can cause it to appear or activate with greater force. The experts mention problems such as alterations in the functioning of the spinal cord, peripheral neuropathies, brain injuries, intrathoracic tumor lesions, systemic issues, and mercury poisoning.

Many of these things appear to be very obvious or harmless, but the problem arises when a hyperhidrosis patient is subjected to these contexts. Some of the causes are:

The heat: It seems obvious, but high temperatures can be harmful to someone who is usually sweating in a cold or temperate climate. If you are someone with excessive sweating, you should stay away from these hot places since, although they make someone normal sweat, in your case, hyperhidrosis can multiply.
Obesity: Being overweight can be counterproductive if you are a patient with hyperhidrosis, as this greatly complicates the normal conditions of this disease. An overweight and sweating person can have various health problems such as diabetes, cancer, and problems with the heart.
Poor diet: This is the main cause of hyperhidrosis since patients are unaware that foods such as alcohol and caffeine are their worst enemies in these conditions. Besides, we can add to this list tobacco, which worsens functioning and increases sweat on the body.
Stress: Hyperhidrosis is a disease generated in the brain, so your mind must be free of bad thoughts. In this context, people suffer a lot on an emotional level, so it is common to see them with depression caused by shyness, embarrassment, or nervousness because of making others uncomfortable due to the excessive sweating they suffer.

Other less common causes can include acromegaly, cancer, carcinoid syndrome. It is also taking many medications that have this as a side effect and glucose disorders, heart disease, lung disease, Parkinson’s, menopause, and hyperthyroidism.

Results of hyperhidrosis treatment

In this opinion of the results of treatment with botulinum toxin are indeed optimal. It is possible to minimize sweating and discomfort for the patient. On the other hand, it is a speedy and ambulatory application. In the beginning, there is a particular sensation of numbness in the armpits and hands, but it is temporary, nothing that causes major inconvenience.

Patients are advised to wait a day to perform physical activity and not massage the treated area. Sometimes red dots may appear in the treated area and some slight purple after treatment. Although it is not usually very frequent, they will leave after a few hours in case of appearance.

Frequent questions

Is Excessive Sweating Corrected? A very effective method is the application of Botox that has a certain duration depending on the area where it is applied.
Can sweating on the hands be corrected? Yes, with the application of botulinum toxin, an excellent result is achieved.
Is there any treatment for excessive armpit sweating? The doctor takes stock of the possible causes of this sweating. Again, the application of botox is a way to solve this circumstance.
Is excessive sweating a symptom of a disease? It rarely happens, but certain conditions of the nervous and endocrine system result in this sweating.
Is the smell in sweating a reflection of problems? When sweating has a peculiar smell, it is sometimes due to diabetes or other health problems.
What can I do to avoid sweating both my chest and back? Your case should be assessed in a personalized way to advise you appropriately according to your needs.