Excessive Sweating - Condition, Causes & Remedies

Excessive sweating is known by the medical name "hyperhidrosis". There are two different types of hyperhidrosis - primary hyperhidrosis and secondary hyperhidrosis.

In primary hyperhidrosis, the excessive sweating is the medical condition, while in secondary hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating is caused by a medical condition or medication. There are many different conditions and medications that can cause secondary hyperhidrosis, so you should always talk to your doctor to rule out any of those before attempting to treat your excessive sweating on your own.

Typically with primary hyperhidrosis (which is just excessive sweating by itself without an associated medical condition), the sweating is very localized...such as in the armpits, on the palms, on the feet, etc.

When sweating is related to another medical condition in secondary hyperhidrosis, the sweating usually is less localized, meaning that your whole body sweats excessively rather than just a specific part of your body. Additionally, sweating that is related to a different medical condition often happens only at night, which is less common with primary hyperhidrosis.

Keep in mind that these are just general rules of thumb, and again, if you are at all concerned about whether your exessive sweating may be related to an underlying medical condition you should always see your doctor. Some medical conditions that may cause secondary hyperhidrosis are:

• hyperthyroidism
  
• infection
  
• low blood sugar
  
• diabetes
  
• gout
  
• drugs and medication
  
• alcoholism
  
• obesity
  
• pregnancy
  
• menopause
  
• heart failure
  
• diabetes
  
• Parkinson's disease
  
• rheumatoid arthritis
  
• chronic arsenic intoxification
  
• withdrawl from a chemical substance
  

This is not a complete list by any means, so be sure to check with a doctor to rule out any other medical conditions.

If you believe your excessive sweating is not caused by an underlying medical condition (which is often the case) read on to learn more about primary hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating.

Everybody sweats. It's normal for sweating to increase when it is warm out, during stressful situations or from exercise. Our bodies use sweating as a natural way to regulate temperature, which helps keep us from getting overheated. Most people are fortunate enough to be able to control their sweating by using deodorants or anti-perpirants.

For many people, however, sweating is a big problem because they don't sweat normally. People who suffer from excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) usually find that the sweating in concentrated in specific parts of the body. The places where sweating is most common with hyperhidrosis are:

the face
the hands
the feet
the underarms or armpits
the thighs

Excessive sweating is a problem that you may have suffered from for a long time, or it may just suddenly appear from out of nowhere. Those of us who suffer from excessive sweating can't just pick up an antiperspirant or deodorant from the local drugstore and have it work. Over the counter treatments for sweating just don't seem to have any effect on people suffering from excessive sweating.

Most people consider sweating a minor nusance. If you have excessive sweating, though, it is practically intolerable. Excessive sweating can stain and ruin your cloting and bedding, it is embarrassing, and it can cause people who suffer from it to be self concious and afraid to socialize or participate in activities that may cause sweating.

The good news is that there are a variety of treatments that can work to help control the sweating and help you to get your life back. I've outlined some of the treatment options below including the pros and cons of each that you can use as a guide for your research.

Want to Stop Sweating with a Quick, Easy Home Remedy? Click Here to Learn More

There are a variety of treatment options available for excessive sweating. These treatments range from easy to fairly invasive, and also vary greatly in cost. Here's a list of some of the options available including what worked for me:

Perscription antiperspirants with a 20-25% content of aluminum chloride hexahydrate can sometimes help with excessive sweating. There are, however, some downsides to perscription antiperspirants as well. Probably the biggest downside is that they don't work for everyone, and many people who use them find them to be irritating.

The cost of the perscriptions antiperspirants themselves isn't too outrageous, but keep in mind that you also have to pay for the cost of a visit to your dermatologist or doctor to get the perscription. If you find success using these antiperspirants, that's a very worthwhile cost. However, if you are one of the people who don't get relief from them you'll be left still sweating and out the money for the doctor's visit and perscription.

Another thing to think about with perscriptions antiperspirants is that while they may be easy to use in your underarms, if it is your palms, feed, face or some other body part that is sweating excessively, antiperspirants may not be the best answer since they would be difficult to apply or wear without feeling self concious or accidentally wiping them off.

Iontophoresis is another option for treating excessive sweating. With this treatment your doctor uses a battery operated device to shoot mild electronic currents and "plug" the sweat ducts. The treatment is temporary and must be repeated daily or every other day for the first few weeks.

After that you'll need to get treatments as needed to control the sweating - usually every 2-4 weeks. Once you have received your treatments from the dermatologist you can purchase the equipment to give yourself treatments at home from that point on. The cost of the equipment is not covered by insurance and typically runs around $600.00.

Needless to say, there are also downsides to this option, the most obvious of which is the cost. Whether you continue to pay for treatments from the dermatologist or your buy the equipment to use yourself, you'll be investing a good chunk of change into controlling your excessive sweating.

The frequent treatments can also be a hassle for many people. In one study about 85% of people experienced an improvement in their sweating, which means it doesn't work for everyone. Again, if you are one of the unlucky 15% or so, you'll be out a whole bunch of money with nothing to show for it.

The most recent buzz to hit the sweating circuit is botox injections to help control excessive sweating. With this treatment, a series of small injections of botox are applied to the site where you have excessive sweating.

The success rate of treating sweating with botox is very high, however it is quite expensive. Typically, you'll be charged between $200-$300 for each site that is injected, which can really add up if you need to get both your armpits and your hands done, for example. The treatment last for up to 9 months and then needs to be repeated to continue controlling the sweating.

Again, the biggest downside to this treatment option is the cost - especially when you factor in the cost over a lifetime of injections. Additionally, many people are afraid of needles and getting injections may a traumatic experience for them.

Surgery is almost always a last resort for treating excessive sweating since it is the most invasive method of treatment. During the surgery a portion of the main sympathetic nerve is destroyed or removed along with the possible removal of several ganglia which control sweating in the armpits and hands. How much and what is removed depends upon the needs of each particulat patient.

All other options should be expolored before having surgery since there are always risks associated with any type of surgery. With surgery to control excessive sweating, most patients leave the hospital within about a day and have a fairly short recovery time if there are no complications during surgery. There is pain associated with the surgery, however, and most patients require pain medication during recovery.

This is the treatment choice I made to control my excessive sweating, and guess what? I don't have a problem with sweating anymore!

Stop Sweating, Start Living is a book that teaches you how to stop your sweating problem on your own using natural treatments, diet and some other great ideas.

When I was struggling with excessive sweating I was having a hard time deciding between all the options available. I found this book and decided to give it a shot. Here are a few reasons why I chose this to start with:

* It's the cheapest option. Compared to the hundreds or even thousands of dollars that the other treatments cost I figured it was worth at least giving a chance before trying any of the other options.

* It has a money back guarantee so if it didn't work I could get my money back no questions asked. None of the other treatment options had that so I figured this was the lowest risk and, hey, if it didn't work for me - oh well, at least I tried!

* It is non-invasive and doesn't involve weird drugs or invasive procedures. It's always been my opinion that if there is an easy way to treat a problem without causing more harm to your body in the process that's the best way to go.

* This program teaches you to control your sweating for good. It doesn't just treat the symptoms of excessive sweating, but helps you get to the underlying cause and treat that, stopping your sweating for good. That beats having to get repeat treatments every couple weeks or months in my book.

* I could download it right away and get started. I'm all about instant gratification, and this was a great option for me. Within about 7 days of downloading the book and starting the program my excessive sweating had stopped and I haven't had problems with it since them. Pretty phenominal.

It worked for me, and has worked for a whole bunch of other people, too. I'd recommend at least starting with this option before any of the more expensive, invasive options. You can always get your money back and try something else if it doesn't work for you.

To me it makes sense to start with the easiest thing and work your way up to the harder, more intensive treatments if you don't get results. Here's a link to the book's website if you want to learn more:

Click Here for Stop Sweating, Start Living

Excessive sweating can be a severly limiting condition, and I would encourage you to explore getting treatment for it. Living sweat free is truly exhilarating and liberating. It is really fun to put on light colored clothes and know that you are going to sweat through them and be embarrassed.

Here's the part where I cover my butt. I am not a doctor - just someone who suffered from excessive sweating and wanted to share what I had learned in my research. I provided this page for informational purposes only and it should not be considered medical advice. You should always see your doctor before starting treatment for any condition. I can't be held liable for how you choose to use the information I have provided above.