Excessive sweating: causes and treatment. Excessive sweating is not a reason for despair

Working up a good sweat in a bathhouse or sauna, sweating profusely during physical activity in the gym - it can even be pleasant. Excessive sweating is normal for the human body. However, sometimes it becomes a problem. in humans it is called hyperhidrosis. It is imperative to understand the reasons for this condition, because the inconveniences we experience signal to us that we need to pay attention to our health, and the sooner the better.

The mechanism of sweating in the body

On the surface of our body there are about 2-3 million glands that produce sweat. Their activities are controlled by nerve signals. Skin receptors react to heat, food, overheating of the body as a result of stress or illness. Nerve impulses stimulate fluid production during sleep and wakefulness. Moreover, all this happens without the participation of consciousness. No one has ever been able to dry their armpits by force of will. Why is it that in 1 case out of 10 sweating is higher than normal, too profuse?

Profuse sweating in a person can be observed both on the entire body and on individual parts. Excessive sweating of the whole body is called generalized hyperhidrosis. In the second case, when it is abundant in the armpits, arms, legs, back, groin area - this is local hyperhidrosis.

Causes of local hyperhidrosis

Abundant, in certain parts of the body (legs, arms, armpits, head, face, etc.) is observed in both men and women.

Moreover, the reasons for such selective sweating may be different.

Before we start fighting hyperhidrosis, let’s look at what profuse sweating in certain parts of the body may indicate in men and women.

Extremities sweat profusely

The most common problem in men and women is profuse sweating of the extremities. Moreover, for some reason, women suffer from this disease much more often. By the way, they say that in Great Britain, a husband even has the legal right to divorce his wife if her feet are cold and wet. But in South American countries, the sweaty smell is considered stimulating.

According to experts, it is in these places on the body that there are too many cells that are simply doing their job. There is also an incorrect, too strong reaction of the body to such stimuli as physical exercise, warm weather, and emotional experiences. In a situation of stress, sweating can become very profuse and exceed the norm by 10 times. Such sweating can already be called not just profuse, but excessive.

Why does my face sweat a lot?

Some people experience profuse sweating on the face. As a rule, this happens more often during the day rather than during sleep. They want to take out a handkerchief, blot their forehead and the area above the upper lip.

More often, men suffer from facial local hyperhidrosis. The reason for this is various factors:

• Tea, coffee, alcohol or other hot and intoxicating drinks.
• Chocolate, honey and other sweets.
• Spicy dishes.
• Thyroid disease.
• Damage to the facial nerve in newborns. This happens if the doctor uses obstetric forceps.

Causes of profuse sweating of the head

According to statistics, the head sweats more often in women than in men. Although many ladies wear voluminous hair in the heat and do not sweat a bit. Some representatives of the fair sex, even in cool weather, are forced to wash their hair every day due to excessive sweating. Increased sweating on the head, especially often occurs in women and men at night, during sleep. The head may sweat profusely for several reasons:

• Excess weight (here profuse sweating may be caused by a metabolic disorder, which obese people often suffer from).
• Problems with the endocrine system (here hormonal changes or diabetes mellitus lead to sweating of the head).
• Diseases of the nervous system (hyperhirdosis in this case is a consequence of stress, panic attacks).
• Hypertension (sweating in the head area is caused by changes in intracranial pressure);
• external factors (it may simply be hot in the room where a sweating person sleeps).
• Synthetic bedding and accessories.

Generalized hyperhidrosis

In this condition, the whole body is literally drenched in profuse sweat, regardless of the ambient temperature. The weather may not be hot at all, the person does not engage in sports or any physical work. If this is exactly what happens, experts advise carrying out a thorough diagnosis of the body, because the reasons for constantly having to change shirts that are soaked with sweat may lie in a variety of diseases and no deodorant will save you. Here are just a few of them:

• Excessive sweating is one of the signs of hyperthyroidism.
• Diabetics have severe dryness in their hands and face, but their feet, on the contrary, can be excessively dry.
• With obesity, sweating also becomes profuse, because the energy that comes from food is not consumed due to the sedentary lifestyle that overweight people lead. They often have metabolic problems and other pathologies, which also leads to profuse sweating.
• Hormonal imbalance leads to the fact that a person often gets a fever; it happens that during sleep he sweats so much that the bed linen needs to be replaced. This is especially true for men during puberty, women during the menstrual period and during menopause.
• The course of infectious diseases (ARVI, tuberculosis, brucellosis and others) is characterized by copious sweat production.
• can manifest itself in problems with the kidneys and cardiovascular system, as well as in genetic, tumor and neurological diseases.
• Abstinence syndrome or withdrawal or overdose of medications can cause profuse sweating.
• It can make a man or woman sweat in case of acute food or chemical poisoning.

Purely women's problems

The cause of profuse sweating in women can be natural hormonal processes in the body:

• Puberty.
• Menstrual cycles.
• Climax.

Sweat is produced especially profusely at night, during sleep. This may be local hyperhidrosis or general increased sweating of the entire body, armpits, head and limbs. The main danger is that during bouts of profuse sweating, a woman tries to cool down: she unwraps herself, opens windows, and creates drafts. An incorrect assessment of your condition at these moments often leads to colds and the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system, which aggravates the situation. At night, you can take herbal sedatives; there should be no nervous activity during sleep.

Hormonal medications help during these periods. However, you should not take them during your menstrual cycles. Warm baths before bedtime will help you get rid of profuse sweating during your period:

• with sea salt,
• chamomile,
• lavender,
• a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Also, eliminate synthetic materials from your bedding sets. Thick cotton fabrics (satin, calico, knitwear) are also best left until the end of the process. Use items made from light chintz or natural silk. After taking a bath or shower, dry your body with a cotton towel and apply powder (talc, starch). The use of cosmetics (deodorant, antiperspirant) is not recommended.

How to deal with excessive sweating

In most cases, people use only cosmetic products, without thinking about the causes of sweating, until it becomes profuse and deodorant no longer provides an opportunity to get rid of the smell of sweat. Deodorants can help treat excessive discharge in the areas of the feet and armpits. Sprays only help get rid of odor; roll-on deodorant has a creamy base and allows you to block sweating for a while. Cosmetics such as roll-on and gel in the fight for a clean armpit area. A special deodorant is produced for legs, so you should not use the same product for legs and armpits.

Excessive sweating must be treated. To do this, you need to be examined for the presence of the diseases listed above.

Traditional and traditional medicine offers a wide range of solutions to the problems of sweating during sleep and wakefulness at any age. As a rule, when the illness that causes profuse sweating is treated, the problem resolves on its own. In case of genetic predisposition or chronic diseases, a local effect is applied. The smell will be removed by deodorant, powder, ointment, gel.

Thus, people who suffer from any type of hyperhidrosis need to understand whether it is an independent disease or whether some other serious illness needs to be urgently treated. In any case, it is necessary to treat profuse sweating; cosmetic products alone will not get rid of this problem.

Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) is an unpleasant situation that everyone has encountered at least once in their life. Why this happens and what to do you will learn from this article. And, if this difficulty is not associated with any disease, then traditional medicine methods and special exercises will help to cope with it.

In order to quickly and permanently get rid of profuse sweating in men and women, it is necessary to find out the causes of its occurrence.

Sweat is the main and irreplaceable functioning of our body, since it is primarily due to it that the optimal operating body temperature is maintained. It is also important that all accumulated harmful substances, salts, toxins and wastes come out with sweat.

Causes of hyperhidrosis and remedies for its treatment

Typically, natural sweat is odorless. But with various adverse effects on a person, the smell of sweat appears from the dirt that comes out of the body along with it, as well as microbes and bacteria that multiply on the surface of the skin.

There are many reasons for the appearance of profuse sweating: stress, anxiety, heat, physical activity, eating spicy and hot foods, excess weight, various diseases, etc.

Sweat can appear all over the body at once, or in individual parts of it (head, armpits, palms, feet, etc.). Most people try to get rid of the smell, forgetting that the most important problem is sweating itself.

Methods for getting rid of excessive sweating

1. The first remedy for excessive sweating is to wash yourself more often and be sure to shave off all “unwanted” hairs on the body; many bacteria accumulate on them. It is also necessary to visit a cool or contrast shower at least twice a day, so that areas exposed to excessive sweating do not develop complications such as diaper rash, pustular or fungal diseases.
2. Also a very effective remedy is baths with extracts of various herbs. Here the first place is occupied by pine baths. Salts and extracts that are freely sold in cosmetic departments are well suited for this purpose. If possible, you can collect fresh pine needles. Its preparation is quite simple, just pour boiling water over it and let it sit for 15 minutes, then just strain it into the bath. Living pine needles will not only help cope with sweat, but will also calm the nervous system, relieve stress, and heal the lungs and joints. Taking baths with infusions of chamomile, string and St. John's wort are also very effective. It is acceptable to use aromatic oils based on these herbs. Approximately per bath you need to add 8 drops of oil to one tablespoon of salt or for better dilution add a little milk
3. Of all the usual cosmetics, to combat the annoying situation, preference should be given to deodorants that do not contain aluminum. They perfectly protect the skin from bacteria, and pleasant perfume additives protect against unpleasant odors. It is best to avoid using antiperspirants; they will cause much more harm than positive effect. The fact is that they heavily clog the pores of the skin, thus sweat and all the accompanying dirt from the body do not have access to exit. As a result, self-poisoning occurs, and in the worst cases, against the background of stagnation of sweat, inflammation of the glands occurs, which gives rise to the development of oncology.
4. It must be remembered that severe sweating is the first sign of incipient and developing illnesses such as: pituitary adenoma, diabetes mellitus, pre-infarction condition, etc. In this regard, any, even minor, deviations in health require urgent examination and consultation with specialists.
5. In order to avoid excessive sweating, it is necessary to remove all spicy foods and alcohol from the diet; this also gives the sweat a stench. Instead, you should consume live, non-processed food. There are a lot of video lectures on healthy eating on the Internet, but the most effective are Professor V. Zhdanov or Professor Neumyvakin.

Traditional medicine

Even in ancient times in Rus', our previous generation gave their preference to sage. And the whole point is that it has no contraindications or side effects, but has rich beneficial properties and helps against ailments such as bronchitis, gout, and sore joints. It also shrinks pores without harm, reducing sweating.

The method of preparation and use is very simple: pour 1 tablespoon of the herb with one glass of boiling water in a thermos and let it brew for 40 minutes. Take the drug three times a day, 70 milliliters.

It is very good for women to take this infusion during menopause; it reliably relieves excessive sweating and hot flashes. If hypersweating occurs in extreme or stressful situations, you need to mix sage 4:1 with valerian root, pour boiling water and leave, take half a glass twice a day.

Apple cider vinegar can help you deal with the problem of sweaty palms. Dilute one and a half tablespoons in a liter of water, keep your hands in this solution for about five minutes. You should always keep wet antibacterial wipes on hand and, if necessary, use them to treat problem areas on your body.

Solving the problem of sweaty feet

Excessive sweating of the feet in men and women causes many unpleasant situations. This problem leads a person to have complexes, since it is inconvenient for him to even change his shoes in public. But there is also a solution to this predicament:

1. Decoction of oak bark. One of the most popular methods. In a saucepan, add 100 grams of oak bark purchased at a pharmacy to a liter of water and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Soak your feet in the cooled medicine for 10-15 minutes, then wipe them dry. In turn, it is enough to grind the bark into powder and pour it into socks before putting it on. Any of these methods should be done daily until sweating is completely eliminated.
2. An old and effective technique that helps in about two weeks is to lightly sprinkle the feet and spaces between the toes with boric acid powder every morning; in the evening, you need to wash it under running hot water.
3. Evening baths with a weak solution of manganese reduce foot odor and reduce sweating.
4. Cool rubdowns with water and salt or warm rubdowns with soda will help combat hypersweating feet. To do this, you need to dilute a teaspoon of powder in a glass of water. Traditional healers using this method guarantee quick relief from odor.
5. It is very effective to braid your toes with dry wheatgrass stalks at night for a week and put on socks. It is also acceptable to use straw made from wheat, barley or oats.
6. In late spring and summer, it is very effective to cover your toes and feet with fresh birch leaves; you should change them as they dry out.

To get rid of excessive sweating of the feet, daily ten-minute workouts with simple exercises are very effective. During exercise, blood circulation in women and men is normalized, which subsequently eliminates excessive sweating, as well as flat feet.

All of the above methods have proven themselves over the years. There is not a single universal remedy; everyone chooses one for their own structure and problem. The most effective method will be the one prescribed by an experienced doctor after a thorough examination of the cause of profuse sweating.

Disruption of the natural process of sweating in the body can cause a lot of trouble. These are constantly wet armpits, forehead, wet hands, feet, sweaty stains on clothes and an unpleasant odor. How to get rid of sweating is a question that interests many.

Reasons for appearance

Moderate sweating is a sign of normal functioning of a healthy body. This is necessary for thermoregulation, maintaining water-salt metabolism, and removing harmful substances.

Sweating increases after eating hot or spicy food, drinking heavily, taking medications, during anxiety, stress, or during sports training. Depending on the individual characteristics of the body, the location and degree of sweating varies for each person. Sweat can appear locally under the arms, on the arms, legs, and certain areas of the head and back. May appear all over the body.

General sweating on the body for no apparent reason may be a symptom of a hidden disease. And this is a serious reason to contact a specialist doctor for examination: a therapist, endocrinologist, neurologist, cardiologist, infectious disease specialist or immunologist.

Three stages of sweating

To combat excessive sweating, many different methods are used, their effectiveness depends on the exact diagnosis made by a dermatologist. Depending on the stage of the disease, he will suggest how to get rid of excessive sweating and prescribe treatment for each specific case. There are three stages of sweating:

1. A mild stage, in which the perspiration is almost unnoticeable and the person does not recognize himself as sick.
2. The middle stage reveals itself with sweaty spots on clothes, an unpleasant odor, wet hands and feet. Problems may arise in communication at work and in personal relationships.
3. A severe stage of hyperhidrosis, which is difficult for the patient to cope with on his own. He tries to isolate himself from society and experiences psychological discomfort.

How to get rid of general sweating

In most cases, general hyperhidrosis is a consequence of some hidden disease. There are quite a lot of them, the most common are:

• hypothyroidism;
• diabetes;
• menopause;
• infectious disease;
• genetic disease;
• myocardial infarction;
• Parkinson's disease;
• neuroses and stress;
• tumor diseases.

How to get rid of excessive sweating in this case? All efforts are aimed at combating the underlying disease. If it is carried out successfully, you can get rid of profuse sweating forever. During treatment, deodorants and antiperspirants are usually used to mitigate the unpleasant effects of hyperhidrosis.

The main thing in the fight against general sweating is treatment of the underlying disease.

How to treat local sweating

This type of hypersweating occurs for unknown reasons, causing a lot of inconvenience. How to get rid of severe sweating if individual areas on the body sweat or several at the same time?

To get rid of profuse local sweating forever, first of all, you should understand the mechanism of its development. If there is no serious disease in the body, hyperhidrosis can be hereditary or due to increased excitability of nerve endings associated with the sweat glands. Only by understanding the cause can local hyperhidrosis be cured forever.

Body hygiene

With hyperhidrosis, water procedures in the form of a daily shower, rubbing and dousing with cool water and changing clothes are not easy hygiene methods. Doing them every day strengthens the nervous system and helps normalize sweating.

Using deodorants and antiperspirants

How do antiperspirants and deodorants help get rid of sweating? When treating mild stages of the disease, these drugs are indispensable. With their regular use, a double effect is manifested - deodorants eliminate odor, and antiperspirants reduce the intensity of sweating.

Aluminum chloride, which is part of antiperspirants, interacts with skin proteins to have a narrowing effect on sweat tubules. As a result, with prolonged use, they acquire normal sizes, reducing the intensity of sweating.

It is necessary to use not cosmetic, but medicinal antiperspirants with a concentration of aluminum chloride from 15 to 40%. For example, one application at night can keep your armpits dry for up to 3-5 days. With regular use, excessive sweating goes away.

Treatment with drugs

Some medications can both get rid of excessive sweating and eliminate the cause that causes it.

1. Excessive sweating is typical for emotional people with an easily excitable nervous system. For them, 2–4 weeks of treatment with sedative herbal remedies (motherwort, valerian, persen, etc.) or tranquilizers may be effective. But under the supervision of a doctor.
2. In some cases, multicomponent preparations based on belladonna alkaloids may be prescribed. Under their influence, the secretion of sweat glands decreases.
3. Botox injections are expensive, but the most effective modern method of treating hyperhidrosis, which is carried out after preliminary consultation with a specialist. Botulinum toxin type A, injected under the skin, has the property of blocking the nerve endings approaching the sweat glands. As a result of the drug, sweating stops. The effect lasts up to 4–8 months.

Temperature compliance

You can combat excessive sweating by maintaining optimal temperature conditions. Clothing should be loose-fitting, made from natural, breathable, easily moisture-absorbing materials. The room is well ventilated.

Liposuction

This treatment method is suitable for those whose hyperhidrosis is caused by an excess of adipose tissue in the armpits. When performing liposuction, the subcutaneous fatty tissue is completely removed and the nerve nodes connected to the sweat glands are destroyed. This reduces sweating. The method is suitable for determined people, but there are contraindications - diseases of the circulatory system and diabetes.

Curettage

When performing curettage, the area of ​​the sweat glands is completely removed along with the nerve endings in the armpit. Complications such as bleeding and hematoma may occur. They go by quickly. And the effect, like after liposuction, lasts from 3 to 5 years.

Sympathectomy

A surgical method in which the nerve responsible for sweating is clamped or cut. If someone wants to know how to get rid of sweating for life, then it is a sympathectomy, a traumatic and painful treatment method. Relapses occur in no more than 5% of patients. Approximately half of patients may experience compensatory hyperhidrosis of the trunk or inguinal folds.

The problem of increased sweating can be completely solved by various methods. You just need to identify the cause, determine the complexity of the problem and systematically begin to get rid of it!

In this article we will explain what hyperhidrosis is and describe the most common causes that cause it. We will also touch on the main manifestations of excessive sweating and methods of treating this problem, including at home.

Content:

Hyperhidrosis is increased sweating, which is not associated with physiological, that is, normal, provocateurs of increased work of the sweat glands (physical or emotional stress, overheating, high ambient temperature). At the same time, excessive sweating can be an individual trait and inherited, or it can have a pathological basis.

Types of hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is classified according to several factors. Based on the reason for its occurrence, there are primary (adolescent) hyperhidrosis, which occurs very rarely during the peak of puberty, and secondary hyperhidrosis, which is diagnosed more often and has a somatic, neurological or endocrine cause. According to the “scale” of the manifestation of the disease, there is local hyperhidrosis, that is, local, when a certain area of ​​the body sweats intensely (armpits, face, feet, groin area, palms), and generalized, when increased sweating is observed throughout the body and is most often consequence of a serious illness.

Armpit hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis of the palms

Increased sweating in the armpits

Hyperhidrosis of the head and face

Inguinal-perineal hyperhidrosis

Local hyperhidrosis

Causes of excessive sweating

It would seem that it is not at all difficult to find the cause of hyperhidrosis. In fact, the true mechanism for the occurrence of this condition is still unknown. What is certain is that the function of regulation, or rather activation of sweating, is assigned by nature to the sympathetic parts of the nervous system. Scientists have not yet determined exactly when the failure occurs, but they have named the possible factors that could cause it.

These included: poor personal hygiene, wearing synthetic clothing and underwear, infectious diseases, hormonal disorders, obesity, traumatic brain injuries and focal brain lesions, tumor processes, Parkinson's disease, neurasthenia, diseases of the cardiovascular system or kidneys. There is also so-called essential hyperhidrosis, the cause of which cannot be determined.

Infectious diseases as a cause of hyperdrosis

Diseases of the endocrine system as a cause of sweating

Oncological diseases as a cause of profuse sweating

Excessive sweating and pregnancy

Main symptoms of hyperhidrosis

• Excessive sweating, accompanied by a feeling of moisture and discomfort at the site of its manifestation.
• An unpleasant odor, which may indicate both untidiness and the addition of a bacterial or fungal infection.
• Skin changes in the area of ​​increased sweating: on the hands - cyanosis, coldness to the touch, in the armpits and groin - irritation, rashes, diaper rash.

Treatment of hyperhidrosis

The main rule for successful treatment of excessive sweating, like any other disease, is identifying and eliminating the cause. And first of all, it is necessary to exclude the most significant pathologies (oncology, infectious diseases and endocrine disorders). Naturally, it is impossible to do this on your own, so you should definitely consult a doctor, who will prescribe (if necessary) additional examinations from specialized specialists.

Treating hyperhidrosis at home

• Sweaty palms can be relieved with salt baths (1 liter of hot water + 3 tablespoons of any salt), which should be carried out twice a day, without removing your hands from the water until it cools.
• Foot sweating can be reduced by using oak bark powder or potato starch powder.
• Sweating of the face and head can be reduced by rubbing them with cucumber juice in the form of ice cubes several times a day.
• An infusion of sage (2 tablespoons of crushed plant in 0.5 liters of boiling water) will help overcome general sweating, which should be taken three times a day no earlier than an hour after meals.

If all of the above factors are excluded, the main treatment regimen for excessive sweating consists of the following conservative methods: psychotherapy, medications, antiperspirants, physiotherapy (iontophoresis).

At the same time, a prerequisite for successful treatment of hyperhidrosis is personal hygiene: frequent washing of problem areas of the body, regular replacement of underwear and bed linen, taking baths with soda, string, chamomile, and calendula. It is recommended to limit your intake of liquids and spicy foods, especially hot ones. If the cause of increased sweating is excess weight, then you should get rid of it.

Modern methods of combating hyperhidrosis include the introduction of botulinum toxin-containing drugs - Botox, Dysport - into the problem area. They block the work of the sweat glands, but only for a while (from six months to 8 months).

Laser treatment for sweating

Surgery for hyperhidrosis

The surgical techniques used to treat hyperhidrosis can be divided into 2 types:

1. Local, that is, surgical intervention in the problem area (liposuction, curettage - removal of sweat glands, excision of a section of skin along with the glands).
2. Central(sympathectomy, that is, partial or complete disruption of the sympathetic trunk, which regulates the process of sweating). Such a radical method as sympathectomy is used only in severe cases of hyperhidrosis.

Medications against hyperhidrosis

• Sedatives (calming) and tranquilizers to relieve nervousness and thereby prevent increased sweating.
• Atropine drugs, which affect the sympathetic nervous system, reducing its activity.
• General strengthening agents, these include vitamins, iron, fluorine, and calcium supplements.

One of the most unpleasant diseases for humans, especially in the summer, is hyperhidrosis. This disease is characterized by the fact that the patient experiences very strong sweating (above the physiological norm) at high air temperatures or with slight excitement. People suffering from excessive sweating often experience difficulties in their social and personal lives. Severe sweating in itself is not dangerous to human health, but at the same time, the patient’s quality of life noticeably decreases.

The human body contains approximately four million sweat glands located throughout the body, and their main function is to regulate the human body temperature. People suffering from excessive sweating do not observe any anomalies in the structure and development of the sweat glands; they only experience hyperfunction of these organs. Most often, increased sweating occurs in the armpits, arms (palms), legs (feet), and in some cases, profuse sweating is observed even in the face and chest. It happens that severe sweating occurs throughout the body, then it is called general hyperhidrosis, and most often it is caused by some other diseases.

Symptoms of excessive sweating.

• Profuse sweating in the armpits, palms, feet, back, chest;
• Heavy sweating during any physical activity or stress;
• (bromidrosis).

Causes of heavy sweating.

Depending on the type of disease (primary or secondary hyperhidrosis), the causes of excessive sweating also differ.

Secondary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating caused by another disease):

• Hormonal imbalances (pregnancy, adolescence, menopause, pheochromocytoma, diabetes mellitus);
• Some medications;
• Infections;
• Neurological diseases.

Primary hyperhidrosis (sweating is not caused by any other diseases):

Although doctors don't know exactly why primary hyperhidrosis occurs, they have successfully determined that excessive sweating is caused by an overactive sympathetic nervous system.

Remedies for hyperhidrosis, or how to get rid of heavy sweating.

The main thing to consider is that if the disease is caused by any other disorders in the body, then first you need to cure these same diseases.

Antiperspirants. Use antiperspirants to combat sweating. Do not confuse the concepts of antiperspirant and deodorant. The fact is that deodorants are intended only to remove or mask the unpleasant odor of sweat, and antiperspirants block the excretory ducts of the sweat glands, thereby reducing the process of sweating. The most effective antiperspirants are those containing aluminum chloride, but again these can cause irritation, which can be relieved with mild (1%) corticosteroid creams or ointments.

Iontophoresis. The iontophoresis method is based on the fact that under the influence of direct current, an ionized substance penetrates through intact skin. Iontophoresis is very often used to treat sweating of the feet and hands. Iontophoresis is not very suitable for the treatment of armpit hyperhidrosis, so it is used in conjunction with other methods. The whole procedure consists of the patient immersing his feet or hands in special baths filled with water, and the device generates weak currents. The whole process takes from 20 to 40 minutes. Treatment is carried out every day or every other day for 7 - 10 days, until sweating drops to the desired level, and then the iontophoresis procedure will need to be carried out approximately once a month.

Since iontophoresis uses current, there are contraindications, for example, it is not recommended to use this method of treatment for pregnant women, people with metal prostheses, chronic heart failure and an installed pacemaker; it is also not recommended to use iontophoresis in case of violations of the integrity of the skin.

Botox. Botulinum toxin type A, known as Botox. As a subcutaneous injection, it is most often used to treat underarm hyperhidrosis, but can also be used on other areas of the body. Botox is a protein mixture that is injected under the skin in small doses, thereby blocking the nerves of the sweat glands, resulting in reduced sweating in the patient. The effect of the drugs begins on the 2nd – 3rd day (maximum 2 weeks). And for 7 days the patient is not recommended to visit the sauna or solarium. The disadvantage of this method is that increased sweating is blocked for 6–12 months, and then the procedure must be repeated. Botox is usually used if antiperspirants or iontophoresis have not helped.

Medicines. Sometimes doctors may prescribe medications to their patients to treat excessive sweating (antcholinergic drugs, beta blockers). Theoretically, these drugs can reduce sweat production in humans, but there are doubts that they can help with primary hyperhidrosis. Some patients, for example, achieve good results by adding anticholinergic drugs to the water during the iontophoresis procedure.

With long-term use of such medications, a person may experience other problems, since these medications have a number of unpleasant side effects: dry mouth, extreme thirst, blurred vision, difficulty urinating, drowsiness, constipation, heat stroke.

The fact is that taking medications reduces sweating throughout the body, so the body experiences greater stress at high temperatures. It is also worth considering that anticholinergic drugs do not cure, but only temporarily block profuse sweating.

Surgical intervention. If all other methods against sweating (antiperspirants, iontophoresis, medications, Botox) have not helped the patient, then surgery is used to remove the sweat glands or block the nerve pathways.

To treat sweating (hyperhidrosis) of the armpits, a special operation is used - curettage. The operation is performed under local or general anesthesia and takes about 30 – 40 minutes. First, the doctor makes one or two punctures in the armpit, and then, using a special instrument (curette), the surgeon performs a closed curettage (scraping and peeling of the skin) of the axillary area from the inside. During this operation, small nerve endings that affect the sweat glands are destroyed, and a small part of the sweat glands is also removed. The patient's sweating disappears immediately and most often does not appear throughout life, but sometimes a repeat operation is required when the nerve endings grow into the sweat glands.

Another method that has proven effective in treating the disease is endoscopic sympathectomy. This operation is performed in two ways: the first is the destruction of the sympathetic trunk with high-frequency current, and the second is the application of a clip (clamp) to the nerve. Most often, this operation is used to treat sweating of the feet and hands. The effect of both methods is very high and lasts forever, but when using the second method, the integrity of the nerve is not compromised, therefore, if a complication occurs, all the consequences of the operation can be reversed and the nerve’s functionality can be restored. In rare cases, patients after surgery experience complications such as Horner's syndrome, compensatory sweating, pain in the legs and, during surgery on the lower back.

• Avoid wearing tight, tight-fitting synthetic clothing. Try to choose clothes made from 100% linen, cotton, silk or wool.
• Try not to eat foods that cause sweating: spicy foods, hot drinks, alcohol and coffee.
• Try to maintain hygiene and take a shower every day, the fact is that hyperhidrosis creates very good conditions for the development of fungal and pyogenic flora, as a result of softening and swelling of the skin.