Excessive sweating is calledhyperhidrosis in the medical field. There are two types of sweat glands in our body. Eccrine sweat glands are found almost everywhere in the body. Hyperhidrosis is seen as a result of the eccrine sweat glands working more than normal. These sweat glands are most densely located in the palms, soles of the feet and armpits.
Sweating is a physiological condition and helps cool the body. However, when it is excessive, it can negatively affect a person's professional and social relationships and impair their quality of life. When it is excessive, it can cause embarrassment, anxietyand even depression. In addition to its psychological effects, it causes physical irritation on the skin, facilitating the development of bacterial and fungal infections.
There are different subtypes depending on the areas affected by excessive sweating. The most common type; It is a type of regional hyperhidrosis that affects the armpits, palms and soles of the feet. In its generalized form, the whole body is affected. Excessive sweating throughout the body is an expected situation in people who are overweight, when the environmental temperature is high, or after excessive physical activity. However, without these factors, sudden onset of widespread hyperhidrosis may be a sign of a disease. In this case, diseases such as infection in any part of the body, tuberculosis, overactivity of the thyroid gland, diabetes or lymphoma should be investigated.
Excessive sweating is a problem that makes people uneasy in their professional and social lives and can create psychological and physical problems, especially in hot weather. is the problem. In the treatment of the most common regional sweating in the absence of any accompanying disease, antiperspirant agents, iontophoresis, systemic anticholinergic drugs, botulinum toxin type A or surgery can be used. Reducing sweating will not harm you. The view that toxins can harm the body because they cannot be excreted is not true.
Antiperspirant agents can be prescribed as medical creams or are available in many commercial products in the form of spray, roll-on or lotion. The most commonly used active ingredient is aluminum salts. Antiperspirants should be applied in the evening and care should be taken to ensure that the skin is dry when applying. is. These agents need to be washed off in the morning. Their effectiveness is limited and they can sometimes cause irritation and allergies. There is not enough scientific data on whether it causes cancer.
Iontophoresis is used for excessive sweating, especially affecting the palms and soles of the feet. In this method, low electrical current is applied to the treatment area with a special medical device and the sweat glands are blocked. 2-3 applications of 20-30 minutes per week should be performed until sweating decreases. Its effect is temporary and it is not practical to use it in the armpits.
Systemic anticholinergic drugs are drugs taken orally and must be used continuously to maintain their effectiveness. They are not preferred due to the seriousness and frequency of side effects.
Botulinum toxin (Botox or Dysport) is an effective and safe method used in the treatment of regional hyperhidrosis and has almost no side effects. Botulinum toxin is diluted in certain proportions and injected into the skin in the area where excessive sweating occurs. The effect of the nerves that activate the eccrine sweat glands is blocked. So the glands cannot produce sweat. This effect occurs in the 2nd-7th century. The sweating starts in 1-2 weeks and almost all of the sweating stops in 1-2 weeks. Although its effect varies from person to person and the number of injections made, it lasts for 4-8 months. While once a year application in April-May is sufficient for those who complain of excessive sweating, especially in summer, twice a year application is recommended for people who suffer from excessive sweating throughout the year. Before botulinum toxin application, the area of excessive sweating can be determined by your dermatologist using a colorimetric technique. Then, the diluted toxin is injected into the skin at 1-2 cm intervals with the thinnest insulin syringes.
During surgical treatment, the nerve impulses responsible for the functioning of the sweat glands are blocked. It is called sympathectomy. However, it should be taken into consideration that while sweating in the problem area decreases, sweating may increase in neighboring areas.
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