While nervousness and heat will make you sweat profusely, sometimes your sweat glands overreact without possible triggers and make you sweat when others are not. Plainview hyperhidrosis experts at Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery know that excessive sweating can make you depressed. They offer their patients effective hyperhidrosis treatment options to help control their sweating. Sweating is your body’s natural response to cool down when you feel too hot. Whenever your body temperature rises, your nervous system communicates to your sweat glands and signals them to get to work. However, with hyperhidrosis, your sweat glands turn hyperactive with no exercise or body temperature rise, producing sweat your body does not need. The condition gets worse when you are nervous or under stress and you are likely to see the effects on your palms, face, or soles of your feet.  

How likely are you to get affected by hyperhidrosis?

There are two forms of hyperhidrosis: focal and generalized. When you have primary or focal hyperhidrosis, your sweat glands become excessively active without triggers. There is no medical explanation for focal hyperhidrosis. and you are likely to inherit it from your family because of its mutation in your genes. If you have this hyperhidrosis form, you will likely sweat in your hands, armpits, feet, and face.

On the other hand, you will experience secondary or generalized hyperhidrosis if you have an underlying medical condition. Various conditions and medications will make you sweat excessively all over your body. Your body parts likely to be affected could include your lower back, genitals, face, armpits, feet. and arms.

What causes you to have hyperhidrosis?

You will experience primary or focal hyperhidrosis because of emotional stress and heat. Secondary or generalized hyperhidrosis mainly results from a medical condition and your whole body will feel the effects. Conditions likely to trigger generalized hyperhidrosis include:

  •         Nervous system disorders
  •         Heart attack
  •         Diabetes
  •         Menopause
  •         Thyroid problems
  •         Low blood sugar
  •         Infections
  •         Certain cancers like Hodgkin disease (lymphatic system cancer)
  •         Severe psychological stress

How will your doctor treat hyperhidrosis?

Before recommending a treatment option, your doctor will first try to determine the cause of your hyperhidrosis. If it results from an underlying condition, your doctor will first treat the illness. However, if the reason is not clear, your doctor will focus your treatment on controlling your sweating. Treatment may include:

  • Medications. Your caregiver may prescribe various medications to minimize your sweating and anxiety. The drugs include:  
  • Prescription creams
  • Prescription antiperspirant
  • Nerve-blocking medications
  • Antidepressants
  • Botox injections
  • Microwave therapy. During this treatment, your doctor will destroy your sweat glands using a device that emits microwave energy.
  • Sweat gland removal. Your doctor is likely to recommend the treatment if the sweating only affects your armpits and it fails to react to other treatments.
  • Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS). The specialist will recommend ETS if you have a severe hyperhidrosis case that does not respond to treatments. During the process, your doctor will cut, clamp, or burn the nerves that transmit messages to your sweat glands. Though it is effective, your doctor cannot recommend the procedure to treat excessive sweating on your feet because it could put you at risk of developing permanent sexual dysfunction.

Though sweating is normal, excessive sweating is not. Contact hyperhidrosis experts today if sweating affects your quality of life and let the professionals help you control the condition.