Stop Excessive Sweating | Hyperhidrosis Treatments

body. They do this with an active ingredientthat reacts with your sweat ducts to form a superficial plug just under the surface of your skin, which temporarily stops sweat from escaping. These active ingredients are usually metallic salts, the most commonly used ones are aluminium-based. Extra-strength anti-perspirant have a higher percentage of active ingredient, i.e. a higher dose of aluminium.

Iontopherisis – This is a treatment mostly used on excessive sweating for the hands and feet and has quite a high success rate if used correctly. Whilst it isn’t fully understood how iontopherisis works, the process itself uses water to conduct a small electric charge through the skin’s surface. It is believed that the outer layer of the skin is thickened, by the electric current and the minerals in the water working together, which stops the flow of sweat to the skin’s surface. A number of sessions are usually needed, with each session lasting 20-40 minutes.

Botox – A cosmetic treatment for a number of years, Botox (or botulinum toxin) is becoming more popular as a treatment for excessive sweating. Botox is injected into the local area (e.g. armpit) where it reacts with the nervous system to effectively ‘turn off’ the body’s sweat glands. Experts have commented on Botox injections being an effective and successful treatment for excessive sweating, when antiperspirants have had little or no success. Though there is a degree if discomfort during the administration, i.e. the injections, it appears to be an increasing popular and promising treatment.

Medication – Prescription medications such as beta blockers and anticholinergics are available and have been used to treat excessive sweating. These drugs work by preventing the stimulation of the sweat glands. However, many doctors are unconvinced of their use as a treatment and they probably would not recommend them as a long-term solution due to the potential side effects of these drugs.

Surgery – If your excessive sweating is persistent and serious, you might decide to consider surgery as a possible solution, although most people would agree that this is probably only appropriate in the most extreme cases of hyperhidrosis. Procedures such as an Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy or Lumbar Sympathectomy would be done under general anaesthetic and involves clamping the sympathetic nerve chains along the patient’s vertebrae. Whilst effective, surgery can also lead to compensatory sweating in other areas.

Whilst most of these options have been around for some time and seen a good level of success, there can be side effects from some treatments and an increasing number of people are now looking for more natural cures.

Acupuncture – Acupuncture appears to have had very successful results in the treatment of excessive sweating. Many cases report that acupuncture has radically alleviated their symptoms and some claim to be completely cured. Also, even though it does involve the manipulation of needles on the skin, regular users of the treatment do not regard it as painful. Acupuncture is an ancient Oriental medicine that uses fine needles to stimulate ‘acu-points’, special places along your meridians (your body’s energy channels). In the sophisticated manipulation of these points, the treatment aims to correct any mis-aligned energy channels that are causing illness, pain or suffering.

Hypnosis – The aim of hypnosis treatments is to access your unconscious or subconscious mind. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for all of your automatic body functions. By accessing and positively impacting on the subconscious in relation to your hyperhidrosis, it can be possible to significantly reduce the problem. This could also be worth considering if your excessive sweating is related to anxiety issues.

Yoga - Although sweating is a normal human function, excessive sweating occurs when the body is over-

compensating for a certain problem. For this reason, it can be helpful to find ways of rebalancing your body’s systems. Yoga is an ancient discipline which combines breathing and movement with the aim of harmonising your body and correcting any imbalances. Like all exercise, yoga is also an effective stress-buster. Regular yoga practice is great at inducing inner calm and emotional stability. So, if your excessive sweating is related to stress or anxiety, yoga could help immensely in reducing those occasions when you feel stressed.

Homemade remedies - A number of natural remedies are becoming increasing popular with sufferers of excessive sweating. Although it seems to be the case that there is no single guaranteed solution, but since these are natural remedies, you can try all or any of them without worrying about side-effects:

It is always advisable to seek the professional advice of a doctor or qualified dermatologist before trying any new treatment for excessive sweating.