Hyperhidrosis: Diagnosis and treatment
Aesthetic Medicine Dubai | 5 October 2020
Excessive sweating is common and can affect the whole body or just certain areas. Sometimes it gets better with age but there are things you can do and treatments that can help.
What is excessive sweating?
It’s normal to sweat if you get hot or do exercise, but you may be sweating excessively if you’re sweating when your body doesn’t need to cool down. Excessive sweating can happen for no obvious reason, because of another condition you may have or as a side effect of medication you’re taking.
Things you can do to help with excessive sweating
Do
wear loose-fitting clothes to minimise signs of sweating
wear socks that absorb moisture and change your socks at least twice a day if possible
wear leather shoes and try to wear different shoes day to day
Don’t
wear tight clothes or man-made fabrics – for example, nylon
wear enclosed boots or sports shoes that may cause your feet to sweat more
do things that might make your sweating worse – for example, drinking alcohol or eating spicy food
Treatment with botulinum toxin temporarily blocks the nerves that cause sweating. Your skin will be iced or anesthetized first. Each affected area of your body will need several injections. The effects last six to 12 months, and then the treatment needs to be repeated. This treatment can be painful, and some people experience temporary muscle weakness in the treated area.