According to healthline.com, Sweating is a bodily function that helps regulate your body temperature by releasing salt-based fluid from your sweat glands. But sometimes, your body produces too much sweat which causes a condition known as hyperhidrosis. This condition can affect the sweat glands in your palms, feet, underarms, face, hairline or any combination of these areas. But hyperhidrosis mostly effects the sweat glands of the underarms.
It’s estimated that excess sweating affects approximately 7.8 million in the world and more than 4 million in the United States. According to the National Institute of Health, a normal amount of sweat is one quart of liquid per day. People suffering from hyperhidrosis can sweat up to two to eight times more!
If you feel like you are suffering from hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating, there are several different treatment options available to you ranging from over the counter drugs, prescription treatments, natural remedies and cosmetic procedures. But with each type of treatment come certain pros and cons.
The first logical treatment for too much sweat would be to purchase stronger antiperspirant/deodorant from your local drug store. There are certain brands that contain aluminum chloride. This compound interacts with your skin cells and causes a temporary blockage of sweat glands (thus producing less sweat). When, this fails, many people seek prescription strength deodorant that contains aluminum chloride hexahydrate. The prescription strength deodorant is applied to the underarms every night for 7-10 days in a row, then the treatment continues to about once or twice a week. This doesn’t seem like a very cost effective or long-term solution to hyperhidrosis.
When over the counter and prescription drugs are ineffective, many people switch to home remedies. One of the most common home remedies for excess sweating is sage tea. This proves to be effective because sage contains high concentrations of magnesium and Vitamin B, which both help reduce the activity of sweat glands. If you can’t handle the taste, sage is sometimes sold in capsule form. The recommended dosage is 1,000mg a day. If you are currently pregnant, sage tea should be avoided as a treatment because it has been known to cause uterine contracting. Similar to the over the counter and prescription drugs, you will need to continuously drink sage tea to prevent excessive sweating.
When excess sweating is impacting your life, making you uncomfortable in public and afraid to go outside, then it might be worth investigating more aggressive treatments. There are currently several different cosmetic procedures available if you are suffering from hyperhidrosis.
The most common cosmetic procedure used to treat excess sweating is Botox injections. Botox is is actually a neurotoxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. This toxin can cause paralysis, which is how it’s beneficial to those who have excessive sweating. Botox is injected directly into the tissues of the armpit with a very fine needle, blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a chemical our nerve cells make to communicate with each other. When this chemical is blocked, it doesn’t signal our brain to start producing sweat. Although effective, Botox eventually wears off, so you will need to keep getting injections every 4 to 6 months. Therefore, this isn’t a long term solution either.
The best solution to solving your hyperhidrosis problem is through laser removal of the sweat glands themselves. The laser is pointed directly at the sweat glands and destroys them, creating a permanent long-lasting solution. Although this sounds scary, your sweat will be released from other areas of your body – so you will still sweat – just not from your underarms! It’s also minimally-invasive and only one treatment is needed!
The best course of treatment for your hyperhidrosis depends on the severity of the situation. If you are looking for a long-lasting solution then finding a medical spa that offers laser removal of sweat glands might be the best avenue.
