Excessive sweating, usually referred to as hyperhidrosis, is a condition in which a person may sweat from any part of the body without any underlying reason. People suffering from hyperhidrosis may sweat so profusely that the moisture could drip from their hands.

For the small population of people who suffer from hyperhidrosis, the sweat glands behave erratically, and sweating can happen even while performing a leisure activity in an air-conditioned room. Here are the main causes of excessive sweating and how to treat it.

Causes of excessive sweating

1. Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis
“Focal” are points in the body where sweat tends to show up naturally, which includes places like underarms, face, and palms. People who suffer from excessive sweating due to primary focal hyperhidrosis tend to have more and larger sweat glands, causing excessive sweating. It is currently believed that this is a genetically transferred condition related to the nervous system. There are several treatments available for the condition.

2. Pregnancy
There are certainly bodily changes that women experience during pregnancy. These include hormonal changes with increased blood flow and higher rates of metabolism. Thus, pregnant women tend to sweat more than usual. The condition will be automatically contained after pregnancy.

3. Issues related to thyroid
Hyperthyroidism, which is the name of the condition in which the thyroid becomes overactive, is another condition that is linked to hyperhidrosis. This manipulates the metabolic rate of the body and produces a higher number of metabolic hormones like thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). As a reaction to the increase in the number of hormones, the body speeds up certain functions, and thus excessive sweating happens. There are other symptoms that might be related to hyperthyroidism, including tremors, fatigue, weight loss, and faster heartbeat.

4. Diabetes
In diabetic people, there are 3 main causes of excessive sweating, and how to treat it is a question that has been answered in certain studies. Excessive sweating may occur as a response to low blood sugar levels, or in relation to food, or it may occur only at night. While in the first case, it can be the response of the nervous system to low blood sugar levels, the second is considered comparatively rare. The third case may be related to sleep apnea.

Treatment of excessive sweating

1. Iontophoresis
In this kind of treatment, the patient sits with hands, feet, or both in water for around half an hour and an electrical current is run through the water. It is believed that sweat is blocked from getting to the surface of the skin with this process.

2. Botulinum toxin
Another medical treatment includes injecting botulinum toxin A or botox to the skin. It successfully prevents sweat glands from activating and thus, one can manage the symptoms for up to a year with a single sitting of treatment.

3. Surgery
When the case of hyperhidrosis is severe, surgery is recommended. The sweat glands are cut, suctioned out, or scraped to stop them from functioning.