Hyperhidrosis: what it is, what causes it and how to treat increased sweating

Hyperhidrosis is a well-studied disease characterized by excessive sweat secretion. The disease has a gender identity - it is more common in women than in men. Sweating is a natural process, which is the most effective method of thermoregulation and maintenance of water and electrolyte balance, relieves the body of the formed toxins. At room temperature, without pronounced physical activity, an adult of average build produces up to half a liter of sweat. And in the hot season, especially in tandem with intensive training, this number increases several times.

Our body temperature is normally 36.6º, and deviations from this indicator by only a few degrees are fraught with the occurrence of pathological reactions that can lead to death. That is why sufficient thermoregulation is so important, literally keeping us alive. Sweat is almost 99% water, the remaining 1% is slags, trace elements, sodium and potassium salt, remnants of some medicines and metabolic processes, poisons.

Sweating is regulated by both the autonomic and sympathetic nervous systems. The most common areas of hyperhidrosis are the natural folds of the groin, anus, and the palmar-plantar region. If timely assistance is not provided or the appointment of an insufficient volume of therapy, aggressive components of sweat gradually disrupt the integrity of the skin, forming maceration zones. The secretion of the sweat glands is an almost ideal environment for the development of pathogenic flora, pyogenic infection and the growth of fungal colonies.

Moreover, the smell of a person's sweat can change from many factors: characteristics of the diet, medications taken, associated somatic diseases, etc. Sometimes this "aroma" becomes so intense that cosmetics and frequent hygiene procedures stop "working". This brings a lot of discomfort, especially if a person is required to be in public places.

Which doctor to contact

If hyperhidrosis is present, a person must first make an appointment with a general practitioner or visit a family doctor. Sometimes it is quite difficult to identify the root cause of the disease, but it is she who will tell the doctor the treatment tactics. At a consultative appointment, the patient is asked for a detailed history, duration of the course and the severity of the pathology, subjective sensations and accompanying symptoms.

Next, the required amount of diagnostic procedures is determined, and after the results are obtained, related specialists may be needed:

• dermatologist, if there is a skin disease;
• endocrinologist, if you suspect a malfunction of the endocrine system and hormonal imbalance;
• phthisiatrician and / or infectious disease specialist, when there is suspicion of tuberculosis or other infectious agents;
• an oncologist to rule out a tumor;
• psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, toxicologist, cardiologist, narcologist, depending on the most likely root cause of hyperhidrosis.

What is hyperhidrosis of the head, limbs, armpits

To correctly answer the question "What is hyperhidrosis", it is necessary to familiarize yourself in detail with the localization of the disease. If the area of ​​the scalp and facial area suffers (cranial-facial hyperhidrosis), then probably a few wet handkerchiefs in your pocket, sweaty face, wet hair running down your neck streams. Sensitive skin on the face under the influence of irritating secretions quickly becomes covered with unpresentable and itchy red spots.

At the end of the day, do you feel an unpleasant "squelch" in your shoes, an unpleasant odor emanates from your feet, your socks become damp in the evening, the skin of the lower extremities itches and traces of fungal activity are visible? Most likely, the doctor will diagnose “Hyperhidrosis of the feet». What is palmar hyperhidrosis is known for certain by those people who are reluctant to stretch out their hand for a handshake when leafing through documents leave stains on the paper, drop writing utensils due to wet, slippery fingers and palms.

Disfiguring spots on clothes in the armpit area can ruin even a perfectly matched image. What can we say about the terrible smell, discomfort and emotional instability caused by such a cosmetic defect? All these are signs of axillary hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis: Causes and Methods of Traditional Therapy

In localized hyperhidrosis, the causes that caused the pathological condition are divided into large groups:

• burdened heredity associated with atypical development of sweat glands;
• some diseases: vitiligo, psoriasis, Jadasson-Lewandowski syndrome;
• reception of spicy and / or hot food, some spices, a specific reaction to some food components;
• surgery sympathectomy, when compensatory sweating develops.

Generalized hyperhidrosis has other causes.

This form of the disease often develops:

• due to changes in hormonal levels. For example, during menopause in women and men;
• after resection of the stomach;
• with dysfunction in the work of endocrine organs: hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, persistent or sharp increase in insulin content in the blood, etc.
• in patients with neurological pathologies: diseases of the peripheral nerves, spinal cord, stroke;
• when a tumor process of any localization is present in the body;
• during stressful situations, poisoning, the progression of alcoholism, drug addiction, cardiac and renal pathologies;
• as a result of the introduction of infectious agents in malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, brucellosis, helminthiasis, sepsis, AIDS.

In today's world of developed pharmacology and effective hardware procedures, the treatment of hyperhidrosis is successfully carried out using traditional methods. Complex therapy consists of a combination of techniques that allow you to eradicate the problem as soon as possible. Let's list the most common ones.

Electro and hydrotherapy methods

Electrotherapy is a full-fledged type of treatment for hyperhidrosis of the extremities. In a physiotherapy room or at home, you can carry out iontophoresis (galvanophoresis), phonophoresis, drug electrophoresis, electrotherapy. Baths using natural ingredients and elixirs will help prolong remission and act as a reliable prophylactic agent. Hydrotherapy with radon baths gives a good effect.

Surgery

How to surgically treat excessive sweating? As the quality of the instrumentation improves, hyperhidrosis can be radically cured. For example, with excessive sweating of the armpits, excision of a skin flap in the problem area is used. The operation allows you to permanently remove sweat glands and hair follicles, so in the future there will be no need to use antiperspirants and depilation of armpits.

The recovery period after such an operation is not painful, short-lived, and does not bring many inconveniences and cosmetic defects. An inconspicuous scar remains at the site of the operating field.

Instead of removing a skin flap, use:

• Sternal sympathectomy - minimally invasive surgery using optical equipment. Through 3 small incisions, under the control of a video camera, the surgeon crosses the sympathetic trunk, which innervates the problem area.
• Curettage. The manipulation is carried out under local anesthesia. The doctor gently removes the nerve endings and most of the sweat glands. The procedure involves wearing compression bandages and a short postoperative period lasting several days.
• Excision of the hairy part. This kind of intervention involves the excision of a skin flap along with the subcutaneous sweat glands. The operation is traumatic, painful, requiring suture and postoperative wound care. The postoperative period may be complicated by the appearance of excessive pigmentation in the area of ​​the procedure performed.

Surgery is more warranted than Botox treatment. Botulinum toxin gives a short-term effect, has a considerable cost, and the manipulation is often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms. Re-injection of Botox will cost much more than a minimally invasive intervention.

Drug therapy

Includes the use of drugs for internal and / or external use. Medicines are selected after clarifying the root cause of the pathology.

The treatment regimen may include oral agents:

• sedatives;
• tranquilizers. Drugs in this group are dispensed only by prescription;
• antispasmodics;
• antihypertensive medicines;
• plant-based tablets Belloid, Bellataminal, Bellaspon contain atropine, which effectively inhibits the secretory function;
• a calcium channel blocker that regulates the tone of the vascular wall and normalizes the sweating of fluid from the vascular bed. These drugs include Diltiazem, etc.

Local treatment is more suitable for hyperhidrosis of the lower extremities and hands. The drugs of choice are creams, ointments and aerosols aimed at suppressing the work of sweat glands, deodorizing, disinfecting and cooling the epidermis. Antifungal agents will be required if pathogenic foot fungus stimulates sweating. Means with zinc and magnesium salts, Clotrimazole, 911 nepotin cream, Teymurov's pasta, sprinkling the legs with crushed activated carbon, etc.

Botulinum toxin injection

An expensive and rather painful manipulation based on the specific action of botulinum toxin (botulinum toxin type A). Botox, Dysport, Xeamin are administered, observing all the rules of asepsis and antiseptics, under the supervision of medical personnel in a medical clinic. Before the introduction of botox, detailed medical advice is required, and it is the doctor who decides on the appointment of botulinum toxin.

Laser therapy

The advent of the laser has made it easier to find an answer to the question of how to treat increased sweating. A needle with an LED is inserted into the skin of the problem area. Laser radiation destroys the sweat gland itself, which loses its ability to heal itself. The procedure is painless, but it can "tame" hyperhidrosis for life. Only in rare cases does the ailment return after a few years, but it will manifest itself much less intensely. The technique is not suitable for the treatment of excessive sweating of the palms.

Cosmetical tools

Many cosmetics are not curative factors for severe sweating, but they are able to smooth out the unpleasant manifestations of pathology. You should pay attention to antiperspirant deodorants from the leading firms Fa, Rexona, Dry Dry, Deo Pure. In the presence of a fungus, be sure to use cosmetics with an anti-fungal effect.

Treatment of childhood hyperhidrosis: briefly

In a healthy baby, increased sweating is more often associated with non-observance of the temperature regime. Parents should dress the child appropriately for the weather outside. In the room for night sleep, the air temperature should not rise above 21 - 22 degrees. Celsius. Choose linen baby bedding and underwear.

If sweating persists, install climatic equipment in the children's room that maintains a normal microclimate, removes pathogenic microorganisms and fungal spores from the air. Unfortunately, profuse sweating in infants and children of the younger group can be a harbinger of rickets, so do not skip routine medical examinations. The pediatrician will timely notice the development of a serious pathology and prescribe treatment for the main cause of hyperhidrosis.

How to treat perspiration using folk methods

Treatment of sweating can be time-consuming and costly, as it is difficult to achieve sustained therapeutic remission. Only an integrated approach to the selection of therapeutic measures gives a satisfactory result, and if remission does not occur, then a radical operation will be required. Let's list the modern hardware, medication and other techniques that can "defeat" hyperhidrosis.

"Grandma's" recipes

Folk recipes are inferior in effectiveness to products of modern pharmacology, but they have less negative impact on the human body and are more suitable for sweating during pregnancy. It is useful to use powdered oak bark. If you sprinkle it overnight on areas with increased sweating, then in a few days you can achieve significant positive results.

Baths are useful with the use of:

• decoctions of tanning and medicinal herbs;
• vinegar;
• bay leaf;
• acids (tartaric, boric, lactic acid), etc.

The procedure is prohibited for varicose veins, thrombotic disease, heart pathologies, advanced diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), intolerance to components, open wounds and other violations of the integrity of the skin cover. If there are contraindications to foot baths, manipulation is replaced by the use of decoctions, both inside and in the form of applications and compresses. Medicinal chamomile, sage, oats, birch buds are suitable as raw materials for the preparation of decoctions.

Healthy lifestyle

For hyperhidrosis, it is important to know how to treat sweating with diet therapy. Food should be rich in calcium, therefore, the diet includes hard and soft cheeses, low-fat yoghurts, acidophilic milk, buckwheat dishes, kohlrabi cabbage. Carrots, leafy greens of parsley and young nettles, sprouted wheat, yeast, legumes, especially lentils are useful.

Eat fermented milk products, sea or river fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables, lean meat daily. It is better to cook fish and meat dishes without the frying process, they are more useful when baked. Iron, zinc, magnesium, B vitamins and vitamin E are the best allies to avoid excessive sweat secretion.

From the diet should be removed or sharply limited:

• Meals that are high in calories from animal and vegetable fats. These include fast food, semi-finished products, sausages, canned food, nuts, cream, mayonnaise. Tomato sauce or natural lemon juice is used as a dressing.
• Extractive substances, which are abundant in spicy dishes, irritating spicy and odorous seasonings and spices, alcoholic drinks, sweet soda.
• Theobromine and caffeine. Therefore, do not overuse strong coffee and tea.
• Sugar, replacing it with honey.
• Salt and canned food.

Compliance with the drinking regime is an important factor in the fight against hyperhidrosis. In hot weather, try to consume less liquids; for drinking, use regular non-carbonated mineral water with the addition of a small amount of lemon juice and / or honey. If herbal teas are more to your taste, then use mint, lemon balm, sage, nettle, blueberry leaves, peas and beans for their preparation.

Additional methods for solving the problem

How to treat perspiration without taking special complex measures? First of all, pay attention to the frequency and quality of the hygiene measures taken. Personal hygiene will reduce the unpleasant manifestations of hyperhidrosis, although it will not be able to eradicate it. Take a contrast shower, do some hardening, give up bad habits, stay more in the fresh air and lead an active lifestyle. All these simple measures will increase stress resistance and strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system, which means that they will reduce its negative impact on excessive sweat secretion.

Choose quality clothing with a preference for natural fabrics. Shoes with excessive sweating of the feet can help solve the annoying problem. Choose leather models that do not interfere with air and moisture exchange. Insoles with a special ventilation system that positively affects perspiration are ideal.

To deodorize and adsorb an unpleasant odor, a bag of activated carbon, clove buds, dry lavender stalks are placed in the shoes. At your leisure, systematically practice yoga, Chinese wushu gymnastics, breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, meditate, do not forget about aromatherapy. All this can become.

Preventive actions

The main preventive measure aimed at preventing the development of excessive sweating of any part of the body is to eliminate the causes and factors that increase the risk of developing pathology. General strengthening procedures, rehabilitation of foci of infection, timely treatment of somatic diseases, self-control over your own well-being will help get rid of excessive sweating at the earliest stages. Strict adherence to hygiene rules, especially after visiting common areas.