Overactive Sweat Glands
Causes And Treatments For Overactive Sweat Glands
Overactive sweat glands can affect your whole body but they usually occur in the armpits, hands, feet and groin area. This can be due to fever and anxiety or something more serious such as a nervous system disorder or a thyroid problem. Areas where excessive sweating occurs, may appear scaly, cracked and white with a bad odor that is due to bacteria.
There are a large number of things that can be the cause of overactive sweat glands. Excessive sweating causes sweaty and smelly feet and palms that can often be the sign of hyperhidrosis. This is characterized by more of a dripping sweat without intense physical activity being performed.
Excessive sweating can actually lead to hyperthyroidism, reduced immunity, low estrogen level and social isolation and depression that is caused by embarrassment.
How The Thyroid Gland Is Influential
Your thyroid gland has many veins, like most other organs. It is found near your voice box and a large role that it plays is to absorb iodine from your body. If your thyroid gland is malfunctioning, it can lead to overactive sweat glands.
Your thyroid gland discharges hormones that contain iodine which can affect your body temperature and cause hyperhidrosis. An overactive thyroid gland increases your metabolism which increases heat production that results in excessive sweating.
Treating Overactive Sweat Glands
The first step to treating overactive sweat glands is by becoming familiar with all of the possible causes. For some people, the problem is hereditary or it is simply caused by specific medication that they are taking while for others, it is a medical condition.
It is helpful to determine if your excessive sweating is mild or severe. For mild cases, prescription antiperspirants are often prescribed. These are applied topically at night and then the area is washed clean in the morning. Prescription antiperspirants will need to be used several nights in a row and then application can be reduced to only a couple of times per week.
Botox is another helpful treatment for overactive sweat glands. Although these injections are effective, they are only a temporary fix and can become expensive when used for extended periods of time. Most insurance companies will not cover Botox therapy so this is an out-of-pocket expense. Many people will splurge and pay for this treatment option to ensure that they have minimal sweating before a vacation or a big event.
Lontophoresis may be recommended by your doctor as well. This is a weekly treatment that is performed at hospitals in certain locations. Lontophoresis involves the use of electrical currents that pass across specific areas to stop sweat production temporarily.
If other treatment options have been tried and were unsuccessful, surgical methods may be your only choice and this is only recommended for very severe cases. Liposuction removes the sweat glands out of your armpits and surgical sympathectomy can also be performed on other areas however, these may require skin grafts.
Lastly, you may want to examine your diet and lifestyle. Meat and animal byproducts such as dairy and eggs cause more sweating and odor than consuming a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Alcohol, cigarettes and foods that are high in sugar should always be avoided as well if you have an excessive sweating problem.
Organic cotton is an ideal material to wear on your body and bamboo socks are excellent for keeping your feet dry. You should also examine the personal hygiene products that you are using. Soaps and shampoos that are made with glycerin are prone to clogging your pores which could make your body work extra hard to release toxins. Cold press soaps that are made from an olive oil or a plant glycerin base are ideal to ensure that there is no build up left behind on your skin.