Ways to Prevent Profusely Sweaty Feet and Underarms

Q: Hi, this is regarding a sweating problem. I have been experiencing abnormal sweating. Even in AC my arm pits, palms and feet are sweating vigorously. I am in much embarrassed position because of this during official meetings. Please advice me for overcoming this problem.
-By Riyaz Cheruparambil

Reply:

This condition of producing excessive sweat is referred to as Hyperhidrosis. Before we attempt to treat it, it’s essential to know why it occurs.

Hyperhidrosis suggests that our sweat glands are overstimulated by some trigger to produce more sweat. Since these glands are under the control of sympathetic nervous system, overactivity of this system due to some reason may cause this.

Sympathetic nervous system is directly affected by our emotions. So the commonest cause of excessive sweating is any kind of nervousness. It may be anxiety, stress or apprehension.

Medical Conditions Producing Excess Sweat

If you feel that there is no underlying anxiety problem in your case, you require further evaluation. Sweating too much may be an early symptom of some systemic disease. These would include:

• Diabetes
• Hyperthyroidism
• Thyrotoxicosis
• Pituitary problem or any other hormonal disorder
• Menopause
• Some kind of tumor
• Gout
• Chronic infections like tuberculosis

You need to get yourself examined by a doctor to rule out any of these conditions.

Excessive sweating is also observed in people taking excess of stimulating drinks like tea, coffee or nicotine. It is advisable to avoid them for some time.

Management of Hyperhidrosis

First of all , to assure that you are really sweating too much for your situation, a few tests may be performed. They include:

Starch Iodine test– Here an iodine solution is applied to the sweaty area. After drying it up, starch is sprinkled there. Appearance of a dark blue color would suggest excess sweat.

Paper test– A special paper is placed on the affected area. It is weighed after sometime to see how heavy it becomes after absorbing sweat from that area. This gives us an idea of sweat produced.

Treatment and Helpful Tips

• Wear loose cotton garments to help drying and absorption of excess sweat.
• Change clothes more often in a day.
• Drink a lot of plain water to continuously replenish your hydration level.
• The first line of treatment is applying antiperspirant (sprays or gels) to the affected area. These are readily available in the market. When choosing one, just assure that it contains the active ingredient aluminium chloride. You may apply them four to five times a day for relief.
• The next step would be treating the cause of excessive sweat. The cause can be detected only by thorough examination by a doctor, and ruling out the different medical conditions causing excess sweat.

Other Medical Treatments

Anti-anxiety pills (benzodiazepines) are sometimes found to be useful in patients of hyperhidrosis of unknown cause.

Medicines under the group called anticholinergics (for example, glycopyrrolate) are used to treat this problem. These drugs block the production of sweat by its glands.

Side effects are minimal. They include: drowsiness, blurred vision and dry mouth and other mucous membranes.

Surgical Interventions

Botox injections may to used to block the action of nerves supplying the sweat glands of the area.

The glands may be removed in selective regions of the body. This is done only in extreme cases where symptoms are unbearable. There are many methods for sweat gland removal like retrodermal curettage, axillary liposuction or ablation by laser beams.

Sweating in your case is confined to areas like armpits, hands or feet. This is a better situation. Generalized excessive sweat (in whole body) is more difficult to treat.

Take Care,

Buddy M.D.