Obviously overweight and obese people are more prone to over sweating due to their excess body fat. However, if you are of normal weight for your height and experience excessive perspiration, the condition can be both perplexing and embarrassing. If you are like many who suffer from and want to stop over sweating, you are all too familiar with stained clothing, frequent showering and an undesirable body odor. Some people even report diminished self-esteem due to appearing chronically unkempt.
More than 5 million Americans are affected by this disorder, known as generalized hyperhidrosis. The condition causes abnormal sweating of the body, or over sweating. You may experience unexplained moisture in most areas of the body, including the face, trunk and extremities. Unfortunately excess moisture can also cause skin infections that lead to body odor. The end result is a personal problem that can be socially damaging.
Excessive Sweating Causes
In some cases, patients have other systemic problems such as obesity, febrile illnesses (fever), neoplastic disease (cancers) or an endocrinological disorder (thyroid gland) that could be responsible for the over sweating. Women who are going through menopause often have excessive perspiration that is associated with hormonal fluctuations; and some psychiatric illnesses include over sweating as a symptom.
Searching for a specific reason in general can be time consuming and frustrating when all you want is to be spared the indignity of having to towel off continually. Although an assortment of treatments for over sweating is available, your physician should be consulted to consider your health and age, and to advise you based on the severity of your condition. A cause may not be found in every case and then the diagnosis of idiopathic (unknown) hyperhidrosis is applied.
Traditional Treatments to Stop Over Sweating
Over sweating caused by disorders of the sweat glands can be remedied using methods as simple as perspiration treatment or as drastic as thoracic surgery. The latter, a procedure known as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy, is considered a last resort due to its serious and irreversible complications. The operation involves destroying part of the nerve supply to the sweat glands in the skin and carries with it the possibility of creating excessive sweating in other parts of the body.
Over sweating can be addressed in less risky ways using over- the- counter antiperspirants. Those brands that contain aluminum chloride have typically been more effective, as are those antiperspirants that are labeled "natural". These remedies tend to have only localized benefit since over sweating probably affects more than just your armpits. Also, you might find that applying antiperspirant to your hands, feet and chest, although possibly effective, could be an unpleasant option. Some have tried an antiperspirant which contains aluminum hexahydrate, however it is only available by prescription and involves blocking the sweat ducts with the aluminum salts in the antiperspirant. Unfortunately aluminum chloride tends to cause irritation that requires subsequent application of an anti-inflammatory lotion.
At the present time, the FDA has approved the use of Botox (botulinum toxin) to treat excessive axillary (underarm) sweating, but this area of the body is not always the only culprit in over sweating. Botox reportedly has a 90% success rate in reducing sweating in the areas in which it is applied, however many patients find the cost prohibitive and the results are relatively short-lived.
Stop Over Sweating Naturally
Generalized hyperhidrosis, or over sweating, is not a temporary condition. Many people who suffer from it have suffered for many years, usually since childhood. Whether you live in a hot or cold climate, you probably experience constant sweating and the many discomforts that result. Perhaps you have considered natural prevention or homeopathic remedies to avoid the more costly and complicated traditional methods. Most will agree that a systematic approach in order to stop over sweating can yield good results and bring about a much-improved quality of life, but you must carefully weigh your options to enjoy maximum benefits, with minimal side effects, and at a reasonable cost.
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