Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for sweating too much. Usually no underlying cause can be found. There are many remedies to remedy excessive sweating.
Hyperhidrosis
Sweating is important to cool the body. Some people have sweat gland production that is higher than necessary to maintain body temperature. A person suffers from hyperhidrosis if he produces more than 100 ml of fluid within 5 minutes. It usually occurs in the armpits, soles of the feet or palms of the hands.
Species
- Generalized hyperhidrosis: sweating all over the body
- Local hyperhidrosis: excessive sweating in only one specific area of the body such as armpits, soles of feet and palms
Causes
- Diabetes
- Malfunctioning thyroid gland
- Damage to the spine
- Hereditary predisposition
- Overweight
- Menopause
- Cancer
- Tuberculous
- Certain medicines
- Anxiety attacks
Diagnosis
The place where you sweat excessively is easy to detect with a simple iodine test. The skin is dried well and rubbed with iodine. A purple discoloration occurs where you sweat.
Treatments
There are several options to solve the problem:
Electrotherapy
Water or certain medications are allowed to act electrically on the skin. The sweat ducts are temporarily closed. This therapy may help for milder cases, but it is not recommended for severe cases. It must also be repeated often.
Botulism
This is a local injection with botulinum. This paralyzes the nerve impulse to the sweat glands. The sweat gland no longer receives stimuli and stops working. However, this is a temporary condition. Over time, new branches develop to the muscle or gland. A new nerve stimulus is created, resulting in a recovery of function.
Operation
An operation permanently destroys the nerve pathways to the sweat glands. This is mainly used for excessive sweating under the armpits. A number of buttons are burned so that you can no longer sweat in those places. Before the operation, a blood test is done. We will investigate whether there is an underlying cause for excessive sweating. If the blood test does not reveal anything, you will be referred to a lung surgeon. This performs the operation via keyhole surgery. To protect the lungs, sufficient air is first pumped around the lungs. A camera will be used to look into the lung. Then we look for the nerve that is responsible for excessive sweating. This nerve is burned with electric pliers. A burn is made through the membrane. The chance of recurrence is very small.
Sweaty feet
You have more than 250,000 sweat glands on your feet. These can produce more than ¼ liter of sweat per day. The sweat itself is odorless. It is the waste products that cause smelly feet. The humidity together with these waste products are the cause of many ailments such as athlete’s feet (athlete’s foot), extensive fungus or broken nails.
Tips to avoid sweaty feet
- Wear open or leather shoes
- Change shoes regularly
- Wear cotton stockings and change at least once a day
- Dry your feet thoroughly, especially between the toes, after every wash