Excess Sweating Conditions
Nearly everybody sweats to some degree or another, especially upon exertion or when in extremely hot situations. However there are some people who sweat excessively even when they are not exercising, just during the normal course of the day. This is known as hyperhidrosis. It is a very disturbing condition for those who suffer from it, and it is not always that simple to accurately diagnose and treat. In order to treat it correctly however it is important that the doctor is able to make an accurate diagnosis and know exactly why it is happening and what is causing it.
Commonly, it is caused by the sympathetic nervous system becoming overactive and sending too many signals to a person’s sweat glands. This in turn causes overactive sweat glands and the person sweats excessively. What complicates things however is that there are also certain specific medical conditions that can cause the same symptom, such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, gout, rheumatoid arthritis and hypoglycaemia. It can also be a common symptom of someone who is suffering anxiety attack. Women going through menopause also often have frequent outbreaks of excessive sweating. If excessive sweating is the only symptom a person has, and they do not have symptoms of other diseases it is fairly easy to make a diagnosis.
There are many different ways to treat excessive sweating. Usually a physician will try the least invasive methods of treatment first, such as a prescribed antiperspirant. This is different from regular, across the counter antiperspirants as it is much stronger and while it is effective in some cases frequently people experience skin irritation when using it. Botox injections are also frequently given and these are fairly successful at stopping excessive sweating especially sweating in the armpit region. However these injections do need to be repeated every 4 to 6 months. Another more permanent treatment is surgical procedure whereby a surgeon will actually either cut or take out the sympathetic nerves. This brings immediate and permanent relief from excessive sweating.
Leave a Reply