Excessive Sweating

For many people, sweating excessively can often be an embarrassing problem. This is a medical condition known as hyperhidrosis, which is sweating more than what your body physically needs. It may involve sweating extensively for no reason all over you body, also called general hyperhidrosis. If sweating is confined to a specific part of the body such as the underarms, face, head, groin, feet and hands, this is known as localized hyperhidrosis. Controlling excessive sweating involves non-invasive and surgical treatments.

Symptoms

Excessive sweating affects your social and general quality of life and some signs may include:

•Sweating over your entire body,
•Breaking out into cold sweats at night or waking up to soaked sheets and pillows,
•Unexpected worsening of sweating problem,
•Sweating from one side of your body,
•Changes in medications, resulting in excessive sweating.

Causes

Some medical conditions and medications contribute to hyperhidrosis. These may include thyroid problems, menopause, diabetes, heart disease, infections, pregnancy, obesity and some medications for blood pressure, mental illness and dry mouth.

Treatment

Since no cure is available for excessive sweating, managing this medical problem is important. For localized or focal hyperhidrosis, some helpful treatment methods may include:

•Prescription or over-the-counter antiperspirants, which may be used on the affected areas at nights,
•Medications such as anticholinergic drugs that prevent the stimulation of sweat glands,
•Iontophoresis, a low-level electric current device that temporarily blocks the sweat glands,
•Botox, which involves injecting the substance into the sweat glands’ nerves,
•Surgery options that range from the minimally invasive to the more extreme forms. These include fusiform excision, mini excision, LaserDry, and ETS surgery, which is very invasive.

The non-surgical treatment methods may result in temporary control of hyperhidrosis that may last for a few weeks to months and some may lead to side-effects such as skin irritation, constipation, hives and urinary retention.

Controlling excessive sweating is important to your comfort and overall wellbeing. Depending on your symptoms, many treatment methods are available to help you have a better quality of life. For more information on treatment techniques for excessive sweating, visit the website of Procedure Clinic at http://www.onestopmedicalcenter.com/Services/Excessive-Sweating/Excessive-Sweating-Hyperhidrosis.html.