Reducing Excessive Sweating
Around fifteen million people suffer from hyperhidrosis, the medical name for excessive sweating in the US, which is around two percent of the population. But while excessive sweating is limited to just a small percentage of the population, the embarrassing results can cause deep psychological anxiety in those that do have this problem.
While there are some medical diseases that can trigger hyperhidrosis, for the most part, it’s a mystery why certain people suffer from this problem, with their hands and feet, armpits, or over their entire body. It can be a very embarrassing and annoying problem to deal with.
According to Web MD, a recognized medical site, doctors that have narrowed out other medical conditions, often prescribe prescription antiperspirants containing aluminum salts to block a certain percentage of the sweat glands.
Other treatments include:
- Iontophoresis, a treatment where you sit with your hands and feet in a small tray of water while low levels of electricity run through your body
- Botox injections in the armpits and hands
- Oral anticholinergic drugs
- Microwave therapy to kill a percentage of sweat glands
- Surgery to remove sweat glands
SweatBlock, a company that sells antiperspirants presoaked into towelettes that can significantly reduce sweating for seven days at a time, has a really great article answering the question, “Why do I sweat so much?” It is an article about how sweating works, the problem of excess sweating, diet, puberty, heat, stress, and various treatments on excessive sweating, as well as everyday procedures for reducing excessive sweating. A great many people do find SweatBlock to be of great help with their excessive sweating. It’s a great read.
According to the Mayo Clinic article regarding tips for hyperhidrosis sufferers, besides getting treatment by a doctor, there are many common sense remedies that can help. These include:
- Applying over-the-counter astringents that contain Zilactin to problem areas
- Bathing at least once daily and carefully drying the area to reduce the bacteria affecting the skin
- Wear shoes made of leather and socks made of cotton to help your feet breathe
- Consider changing your socks twice per day and, if you are a woman, consider wearing pantyhose with cotton soles
- When possible, air your feet by going barefoot
- Wear clothing made of natural fabrics such as silk and cotton, and when exercising, wear exercise shirts made of material designed to wick sweat away from the body
- Also, consider biofeedback, learning meditation, or other relaxation techniques that may help you control stress and consequently reduce the amount of sweat you give off.
Another helpful tip is to learn to use antiperspirant properly. The best time to apply antiperspirant is at night before you go to bed because what an antiperspirant does is block the sweat glands so the sweat can’t reach the surface of the skin.
In order to successfully do this “blocking” job, the ingredients in the antiperspirant work rather slowly, besides which you sweat less at night. In the morning, take your shower as usual. Apply deodorant (not more antiperspirant) under your armpits to block odor. The whole thing may seem counterintuitive, but you’ll get better results after a few days of applying your antiperspirant at night. Try this to see if it helps you combat the wetness.
Pay attention to your health
Another key tip is to pay attention to your health. After gaining several pounds of excess weight, your heart has to work harder, your blood pressure may increase, and you run a high risk of sleep apnea, which can even lead to death.
It’s not so much what you look like, although losing weight can make you more attractive, but how much better your body will function. Do it gradually, but reduce your weight by exercising more and eating less refined foods and sugars. By losing weight, you will simultaneously sweat less which is our overall objective here.
Also, give up smoking, and reduce your alcohol consumption if you want to be healthy and have a good immune system. You may find the resultant health benefits translate into your sweating more normally.
