Many times, I have asked myself, “Do I sweat too much?” But where do you draw the line between normal and excessive sweating, exactly? As it turns out, hyperhidrosis, the medical term for excessive sweating, is more common than you might think, especially if you’re one of the people who are afraid that they sweat more than other people around them. What’s more, hyperhidrosis is surprisingly easy to treat.
What is hyperhidrosis, exactly?
Primary hyperhidrosis
The most common type is primary hyperhidrosis, which has no known underlying physical cause. “Primary hyperhidrosis is due to overactive signaling of sweat glands to secrete sweat without stimuli. In other words, your body starts sweating without any explicable reason (like feelings of anxiety, hot temperatures, or exercise). This kind of hyperhidrosis can occur at any given time or during any season of the year, even if the person is not physically warm or is completely at rest. Primary hyperhidrosis is most commonly seen in the underarms, palms, and soles of the feet.
Secondary hyperhidrosis
Secondary hyperhidrosis, on the other hand, is excessive sweating that’s caused by an external factor such as medication or illness, like a tumor, diabetes, or thyroid issues.
What’s the difference between normal vs. excessive sweating?
Of course, the next question then becomes: What’s the threshold between normal and worrisome sweat levels? Are there any other symptoms to look out for that don’t involve perspiration?
Excessive sweating, or how someone perceives it, is very personal in that what might be excessive to you is normal or not troubling to somebody else.
Because sweat is not really a quantifiable thing, like blood pressure, it’s really complicated to measure someone’s sweat levels throughout any given day. It’s hard to define exactly what hyperhidrosis is, but it could be something along the lines of increased amounts of sweating, which causes social or personal embarrassment, withdrawal, and/or avoidance behavior.
How is hyperhidrosis treated?
Good news: There are many hyperhidrosis treatment options, including topical creams, injections, and oral medications. What your physician prescribes will likely depend on the area where you’re experiencing hyperhidrosis as well as the severity.
Botox therapy. Yes, the very same injectable that you might get to prevent wrinkles between your brows can also help stop excessive sweating. Experts agree that Botox is most effective in the underarm area, where it can work for up to six months. On other areas of the body, however, such as the hands and feet, Botox isn’t the best line of treatment because it’s both painful and only lasts two to three months.
