It is estimated that hyperhidrosis affects 3% of the world’s population and most of those affected agree that this problem often prevents them from fully enjoying social life, since they end up always being aware of the level of sweat.

It is common for people with hyperhidrosis to try to hide it by wearing more layers of clothing, which exacerbates the problem, since with more clothing the body temperature rises and the body has to sweat to regulate it.

It may seem that all cases of hyperhidrosis are the same, but they are not. On the one hand, there is primary (idiopathic) or focal hyperhidrosis, which affects specific parts of the body such as the hands, armpits, face or feet.

Secondary hyperhidrosis is one that is a symptom of another health condition. Often excessive sweating is a side effect within a medical condition or underlying cause is hormonal reasons, such as pregnancy or menopause.

Why does hyperhidrosis occur?

Excessive sweating is due to an overactive sweat or eccrine gland. The problem is not always permanent, there are people who suffer from hyperhidrosis but only in cases of changes in their lifestyle or due to an alteration in their health.

Treatments for hyperhidrosis

Use of antiperspirants

In those cases that are not excessively serious, the problem can be solved with the application of antiperspirants based on aluminum salts. This product occludes the sweat glands and therefore reduces the level of sweating.

Often antiperspirants must be used both in the morning and at night, so that the occlusion of the sweat glands is effective and the effect achieved is not lost with the passage of time.

Botox

The use of botulinum toxin type A or botox has already become very common to treat excessive sweating problems, especially if they affect the armpits. By injecting a small amount of this substance, the transmission of signals to the eccrine glands is blocked, thereby inhibiting sweating.

This treatment has in its favor that it produces immediate effects, but it is not permanent. After a while it is normal for the effect of botox to wear off and the problem to reappear, so the operation will have to be repeated.

Iontophoresis or electrical treatment

What this method does is introduce ions into the skin through an electrical current, causing the electricity to temporarily shut off the sweat glands. This treatment is widely applied in cases of excessive sweating in the hands and feet.

Microwave

With the passage of time, more and more treatments have appeared aimed at ending excessive sweating without having to go through the operating room, one of them is microwave treatment, which destroys the sweat glands. It is used mainly in the armpit area and the results are definitive.

Pharmacotherapy

In some cases it is possible to control excessive sweating through anticholinergic medication. By avoiding stimulation of the sweat glands, it reduces sweat levels throughout the body.

This type of drug is used mainly to treat secondary hyperhidrosis, but its side effects are important, so the indications given by the medical specialist must be respected in any case.

Surgical intervention

What is done in the operation is to cut the nerves that are responsible for carrying nerve impulses to the sweat glands. It is performed under general anesthesia and two small incisions are made in the armpit to insert a small camera and locate the nerves that leave the spinal column and are responsible for carrying the nerve impulses to the sweat glands, then they are cut to stop the excessive sweating permanently.

The patient is discharged within 12 to 24 hours and in 10 to 15 days he is fully recovered and can carry out his usual activities normally.

Sometimes as a side effect after the operation, compensatory sweating may appear in another area of the body. This sweating can be mild or severe and it cannot be predicted in which cases it will develop. But most patients agree that sweating is much more bearable than the hyperhidrosis that led them to undergo surgery.

Tips to control sweating

There are a number of easy-to-follow tips that can help people with sweating problems improve their quality of life. The first thing to do is avoid spicy foods, as well as coffee and alcohol, since they stimulate the sweat glands.

It is better not to expose yourself directly to the sun and try to wear clothes made with natural fibers that allow perspiration, such as cotton. To avoid sweat spots on shirts and T-shirts, underarm liners can be of great help. They stick to the garment and are totally discreet, preventing sweat from being absorbed by the clothes.

Another alternative is to choose colored clothes that hide sweat stains. It is best to opt for light colors or very dark colors, in both cases the signs of sweating are well hidden.

Nor can a quality antiperspirant that helps reduce the volume of sweat be missing in daily hygiene.