Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)

Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) is fairly common and when treated can positively impact your quality of life. Sweat glands in our feet, palms, face and underarms get activated in response to emotional stress/ anxiety, exercise and heat . Sometimes, overactivation of the sweat glands lead to excessive sweating. This can be embarrassing in social or work circumstances. Maybe you avoid certain situations so there’s no physical contact, or wear certain clothes, and avoid eating certain foods due to the increased risk of sweating.

How to stop excessive sweating

There are things you can do to try and control excessive sweating:

• Avoid soaps and use emollient washes which will not strip your skin of its natural protective oils
• Wear loose clothing and clothing made from natural fibres such as cotton or linen
• Use anti-perspirants (block sweating) rather than deodorants which merely masks your smell
• Wear leather shoes/ sandals which allow your feet to breathe
• Chang your socks regularly and wear socks made from natural fibres
• Avoid spicy foods, caffeine or alcohol which can induce sweating.

If having tried the above and you are still struggling, come and see us!

Treatment for excessive sweating

At the initial consultation, we need to rule out anything medical causing excessive sweating such as an over active thyroid or low blood sugars especially if it is a new onset. Once a full medical history is taken and some blood tests (if needed), we can address the issue with topical (creams) or oral medications.

First line treatment would be to try topical anti-perspirants (you might need a prescription for these). There are also tablets to try which can help on the nerve endings to block the sweat glands. This is effective for localized and generalized  excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).

If these methods fail to control your symptoms, the next step is to try injections on the areas where you sweat the most (armpits, palms of hands and soles of your feet). This method is very effective and lasts for 6-8 months or longer.

For comfort, we apply numbing cream before the procedure. After 20-30 mins if this, the actual injections take approximately 15 mins maximum. The procedure consist of small amounts of a safe toxin at multiple superficial injection sites on your armpits, palms and soles. The effects are significant and you would not have to worry about sweating for the whole of the summer!

Get in touch to learn more. We’re happy to help your skin in any way we can.