Summer is here and so is an odd worry – of sweating and body odour. No matter how many deodorants or talcum powders you try, there is no respite from profuse sweating during the summer months. Excessive sweating can put other people off and ruin your confidence. What’s more, offending body odour, bad breath or dirty fingernails can spoil your social life and may force you to retreat into a shell.

Sweating is one summer problem that also triggers other discomforts like itching and irritation. The bad odour which accompanies sweating also poses the question of personal hygiene.

Why do we sweat?
When you are exposed to a hot or humid environment or when you do exercise or heavy work, the sweat glands on your skin start secreting water. It is also one way to excrete toxins from your body. Thus it plays an important role in maintaining optimum physical health.

Causes of Hyperhydrosis
People who sweat excessively suffer from a condition referred to as hyperhidrosis. Those with hyperhidrosis appear to have overactive sweat glands.

Primary hyperhidrosis: When excessive sweating affects the hands, feet, and armpits, it’s called primary or focal hyperhidrosis. Primary hyperhidrosis affects 2 to 3% of the population, yet less than 40% of patients with this condition seek medical advice.

In the majority of primary hyperhidrosis cases, no cause can be found. It seems to run in families.

Secondary hyperhidrosis: If the sweating occurs as a result of another medical condition ie it is a symptom of underlying diseases or conditions like Hyperthyroidism (the condition where the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormone) and Hypoglycemia (low level of blood sugar), it is known as secondary hyperhidrosis. In this case, the sweating may be all over the body, or it may be in one area. 

Must-read: How to Curb Body Odour During Summer

Excessive sweating can also happen when people encounter emotional, stressful or traumatic events. These accounts to the psychological causes of excessive sweating.

Among women, abnormal sweating often occurs during menopause. Menopause sweating is just an indicator of changes, which occur in the relationship between the ovarian hormones and those produced by the pituitary gland. Sweating during this period is an indicator of hormonal imbalance in the body due to the decline of the ovarian hormone. These changes can differ from to person to person, but most women experience sweating during their menstrual cycle and this phenomenon can last for whole menopause transition.

The discomfort caused by sweating has more of an emotional impact than a physical one. It rarely is associated with serious medical conditions or illnesses. However, sometimes abnormal sweating could be a sign of life-threatening diseases like a stroke.

How to Reduce Sweating and Body Odour
From the clothes we are wear to the food we eat, there are several factors that play a vital role in causing and treating hyperhydrosis. The consumption of pungent foods like onion and garlic and alcohol can lead to excessive sweating. Drinking coffee or eating products containing caffeine also causes sweating. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly improves your body’s overall circulation and makes it easier for you to stay cool.

Make sure to have a bath after an intense workout, as exercising makes you dirty and sweaty. While having a bath, use a mild soap or shower gel to avoid dryness of the skin. One of the other common practices to get rid of bad odour is to use deodorants or talcum powder.

However, bathing or using deodorants is beneficial if you sweat in moderation. They do not work when it comes to excessive sweating. In such cases, it is always advisable to seek medical assistance.

How to Treat Hyperhidrosis
Among the treatments for excessive sweating, Botox is a helpful solution that has been gaining ground over the past few years. Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) is an FDA-approved medicine for the treatment of severe underarm sweating or primary hyperhidrosis.

After performing a harmless and painless starch test to locate the sweat glands, a small dose of Botulinum toxin is injected in approximately 12 to 15 places on each underarm. It temporarily blocks the nerves that stimulate sweating. And also checks the overactive sweat glands and maintains normal sweating levels. Botox is a one-time treatment and its results could last for 6 months. It is a very safe treatment if done by an experienced doctor.  

Also for focal hyperhidrosis, like excessive sweating on the forehead area/face, Meso Botox is the best solution. Here diluted Botox is injected into the dermis to decrease sweating.

In terms of medication, anticholinergics drugs help to prevent the stimulation of sweat glands. Although effective for some patients, these drugs have not been studied. Similarly, Beta-blockers or Benzodiazepines may help reduce stress-related sweating.

Having healthy habits, both in terms of diet and personal care, to keep your body clean and hygienic is essential. However, hyperhidrosis needs medical attention along with routine self care behaviour.

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