Hyperhidrosis - Symptoms & Treatment

Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excessive sweating. It is a disorder characterized by excessive sweating that occurs in up to 1% of the population. Stressful situations such as examinations, job interviews, or an important date will aggravate the sweating. Most over-the-counter antiperspirants do not control hyperhidrosis.

The excessive sweating can occur in the hands (palmar hyperhidrosis), in the armpits (axillary hyperhidrosis), or in the feet (plantar hyperhidrosis). Although nobody understands the exact cause of this excessive sweating in specific individuals, it is known that the sweating is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.

Symptoms of Hyperhidrosis

For all the different types of Hyperhidrosis viz: Palmer hyperhidrosis , axillary hyperhidrosis , plantar hyperhidrosis , and/or facial hyperhidosis, it is a profound and dramatic experience. Patients with palmar hyperhidrosis have wet, moist hands that sometimes interfere with grasping objects. Most patients with palmar hyperhidrosis also consider it a difficult social problem since every time they shake hands, they leave the other person's palm very moist, a sensation most people find unpleasant Plantar hyperhidrosis is the excessive sweating of the feet and leads to moist socks and shoes as well as increased foot odor.

Causes of Hyperhidrosis

Although there is ongoing research investigating this abnormality, it is not known what specific defect occurs that results in excessive sweating. It is directly related to the sympathetic nervous system since sweating is controlled by CNS.

Home Treatment and other treatment options for Hyperhidrosis

Apply the medicine at bedtime to your dry armpits. To prevent irritation, wash it off in the morning with plain water. Do not use your regular daytime deodorant. Repeat the treatment nightly until the sweating is under control. The best treatment method of Hyperhidrosis is 20% aluminum chloride hexahydrate alcoholic solution (Drysol). It is available with a prescription. When using the medication, follow these directions:

• Aluminum chloride may irritate your skin; if your armpits become sore or itchy, contact the office for advice. Until your excessive armpit sweating is controlled, apply aluminum chloride medicine and water to your armpits. Later, when the sweating is under control, you may try your daytime deodorant.
• The thick skin of the palms and soles is more resistant to aluminum chloride's effect. At first, apply the medicine at bedtime to your dry palms or soles, and in the morning wash it off with plain water. If, in 10-14 days, you do not see a decrease in sweating, cover your hands and feet overnight with plastic film. For your hands, use the thin, pliable plastic disposable gloves available at most drugstores.
• Usually, local applications of aluminum chloride hexahydrate provide satisfactory sweat control; when they fail, we can try internal medicines or electrophoresis. For almost everyone troubled by excessive perspiration, there is a treatment to control the problem.