HYPERHYDROSIS TREATMENT
What is hyperhydrosis?
Hyperhydrosis is excessive sweating or perspiration. Sweating is a natural process to regulate body temperature but in some people, sweat production is much higher than normal. Sweat production may increase temporarily on physical exertion, intense emotions or eating spicy foods. Or it may suddenly increase following the use of certain drugs, obesity, menopause, infections, hormonal diseases or cancer. Psychological factors can also give rise to hyperhydrosis. But in a number of people, excessive sweat production is hereditary or the cause is unclear. This can hinder their social life.
Excessive sweating can occur all over the body but also locally. The most common areas are the armpits, palms and soles of the feet and the face.
When will you benefit from hyperhydrosis treatment?
If you regularly suffer from excessive perspiration all over your body or select areas such as the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, armpits, groin, trunk or face or head. This may be visible through damp stains on clothes or be accompanied by an unpleasant odour, making your social life suffer or your household as you have to change clothes several times a day.
In the case of sweaty feet, in addition to an unpleasant odour, you may also regularly suffer from infections or fungi. Sweaty palms, in turn, may stop you from shaking someone’s hand or moistening your paper while writing. In severe cases, your hands may even become wrinkly. A moist forehead where sweat regularly drips off can also be very distracting when socialising.
There are different shapes and sizes of hyperhydrosis, which can not only cause skin irritation but can all lead to psychological and emotional problems: from insecurity, reduced self-confidence to even social isolation and depression. Given the number of good treatments for hyperhydrosis, there is certainly no need to let it get that far.
A preliminary examination will diagnose your situation, in some cases using an iodine solution and starch. If sweat production is not excessive, you may not need treatment and get rid of it with a few tips such as wearing airy, cool, cotton clothes, open shoes; using a quality and safe deodorant or other anti-perspirant; ensuring more ventilation; avoiding perspiration-inducing foods and stress.
There are a lot of different possible treatments available for hyperhydrosis: from local and general treatments based on aluminium chloride, botulinum toxin or anticholinergics to surgical intervention.
Aluminium chloride seals the drainage passages of the sweat glands and is effective for hands, feet and armpits. However, treatment with this substance must be repeated frequently and can cause skin irritation.
Muscle toxins as a substance have only been used fairly recently to block sweat secretion. Moreover, these toxins also block the stimulus transmission from nerve to sweat gland, stopping the production of sweat. It is injected by small injections locally into the skin where needed. The effect is immediate and stunning but temporary. After three to six months, the nerve impulse conduction recovers on its own and so the treatment has to be repeated. The treatment is also quite painful, especially on the hands, and due to the anaesthetic effect on the muscles, there are also some risks involved.
Anticholinergics are drugs that target nerve activity and thus suppress sweat production from the sweat glands. They are easily administered as tablets but regularly cause side effects such as dry mouth, insomnia and poor bowel movements.
Iontophoresis is a 15- to 20-minute treatment method using weak electrical charges. It is possible that this electric charge disrupts ion transport in the sweat glands. For excessive sweating on hands and feet, liquid trays are used in which hands and feet are immersed and sponge-like applicators are used for the armpits, face and back. This treatment is harmless should be performed three times a week until the hyperhydrosis disappears. Possible side effects include pain and skin irritation.
Hyperhydrosis can also be treated by surgery or sympathectomy in which some nerve nodes or nerve pathways are blocked or cut. Blocking is quite effective and gives a temporary effect of 1 to 2 years while severing the nerve pathways guarantees a long-term strong decrease in hyperhydrosis in a large majority of patients. Sympathectomy does give a higher risk of complications such as increasing perspiration elsewhere in the body.
Cutting away an entire area of skin with sweat glands or suctioning out sweat glands is another option. Cutting away also sometimes causes side effects, such as painful or disfiguring scars. Suctioning away gives good short-term results but long-term effects are not yet known.