Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is a disease that can easily be treated. With the right
medication and proper tools, this medical condition can be addressed, leaving you with a perfectly
healthy body.
While hyperhidrosis is rarely a life-threatening problem, it has to be diagnosed and treated right
away. This will allow doctors to determine early on if the sweating problem that you have is a symptom
of a deeper and a much severe medical concern.
The treatment therapy for hyperhidrosis can be classified under obtrusive and less obtrusive procedures.
These are:
Non-Obtrusive Methods
Antiperspirants can be further classified into two – the over-the-counter types and the prescription-strength
antiperspirants. Those who are suffering from mild cases of hyperhidrosis are advised to start their
medication process by using over-the-counter antiperspirants. If these seemed to be very helpful
for them, then they can continue using it until the problem disappears.
However, if they fail to work, the use of prescription-strength antiperspirant maybe required. You
are going to need the guidance of a dermatologist for this. These antiperspirant creams, lotions,
and powders usually contain aluminum chloride hexahydrate and need to be applied carefully on the
affected parts to prevent irritation.
There are oral medications for sweating. These medications are referred to as anticholinergics and they can considerably reduce sweating in a person. An example of such drug is Robinul with the active ingredient glycopyrrolate. However, you have to check with your doctor first before using this drug as it can produce side effects such as blurred vision and dry mouth.
Iontophoresis is considered a non-obtrusive method of treating hyperhidrosis, even though the
use of electrically-charged device is used to treat the problem. Here, tap water is used to apply
an electric current to the skin, targeting the sweat glands. Each session requires 10 to 20 minutes
each. Around three sessions each week is required to successfully treat hyperhidrosis. After that,
maintenance sessions with intervals ranging from one to three weeks will be required.
Obstrusive Methods
Botox is a popular treatment therapy for wrinkles. However, it can be used for hyperhidrosis as well. Further studies regarding the use of Botox to treat other disease have been carried out. Now, this treatment procedure is used for headaches and muscle spasms. Botox is short for Botulinum Toxin. For hyperhidrosis, around 50 units of the substance will be injected to as many as 20 spots in the armpits. This can provide temporary relief from hyperhidrosis that can last for as long as six months.
The use of surgery for hyperhidrosis is fairly complicated. Because sweating is controlled by
the nervous system, thoracic sympathectomy is required to address hyperhidrosis. Sympathectomy is
the process of destroying the nerve supply to the skin's sweat glands. To conduct it, an endoscopic
instrument is inserted between the ribs, just below the underarms. The lungs need to be dilated
so that the surgeon can see the nerves to destroy. The procedure is effective but it can be a risky
for patients.