Hyperhidrosis is an extreme production of watery sweat which can occur in any area of the body, and is often apparent due to beads of dripping sweat on skin or damp patches on clothes.
People often assume that excessive sweating is purely a summer issue. In fact, many people are surprised to learn that sweating is not just a problem for the warmer months, and can occur at any time of year, even during the cold winter months!
To provide some clarification on the condition, here internationally renowned specialist, Professor Mark Whiteley of The Whiteley Clinic, addresses the actual causes of excessive sweating, and the various treatments that are available:
1. Watch your water intake
No one would ever believe that water could have a negative effect on our bodies. On the contrary; misleading advice from water companies and beauty franchises about water consumption is encouraging people to drink too much water, a common cause of excessive sweating.
Professor Mark Whiteley says "It is quite common for people to believe that they need to drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day to 'detox' or to keep their skin healthy. In actual fact, drinking this much water can cause problems with metabolites in the blood, and can also result in extreme perspiration. Based on an average 70kg person, we suggest only drinking around 1.5 litres of any fluid - including tea, coffee and water in your food such as soup - to avoid an odorous outcome. This is the amount of fluid medically shown to be required by a normal person. If you are involved in sport then you can increase this, but you will sweat."
2. Lose the layers
It might seem obvious, but many people are unaware that adding additional layers to the body, whether it's in clothing or body fat, will make you more likely to radiate a sweaty stench.
Professor Mark Whiteley says "People who are overweight or who dress inappropriately with very warm clothes in conditions where they are not needed can force themselves to sweat excessively. Many people do this to "soak up" the sweat - when in reality it causes more to be produced. In this instance, the body's Eccrine sweat glands are forced to produce sweat to cool the body down. Losing unnecessary fat or clothing layers will instantly reduce your sweat production."
3. Don't do drugs
Like all other health practitioners that encourage you to steer clear of drugs, Hyperhydrosis specialists are no different. In this case, the Class A drug, Cocaine, has been especially linked to excessive sweating.
Professor Mark Whiteley says "Cocaine causes abnormal excessive sweating for reasons that we do not fully understand yet. Unfortunately, something in the effects caused by cocaine usage means that it is almost impossible to treat people with an excessive sweating condition in this instance. Avoiding drug use is a quick and effective way to stop sweating."
4. With strength, comes sweat
Men and women who begin injecting or taking steroids as part of a bodybuilding regime should also be prepared to kick-start a new deodorizing routine.
Professor Mark Whiteley says "Men who take body building steroids are replacing their own natural testosterone with anabolic steroids, which switches off the natural production of other steroids required. Due to this, they will undergo a male menopause which will lead to abnormal and excessive sweating. So although they may gain muscle mass and reduce fat, they will also start experiencing uncomfortable, and quite often embarrassing, perspiration problems. Simply side-stepping the steroids and exercising naturally will end all sweat irritation."
5. See a Specialist
If the above do not apply to you and you still suffer from excessive sweating, then book an appointment with a Hyperhidrosis specialist as you may be suffering from a medical condition, such as hyperthyroidism or menopause. Luckily help is at hand from experts such as Professor Mark Whiteley and his team at The Whiteley Clinic who offer the brand new and revolutionary Laser Swear Ablation (LSA) treatment which works by destroying the sweat glands using laser and removing them from the area completely.
Sweating is not just a problem in the the summer months