Does Excessive Sweating Ever Go Away?

Excessive sweating, which results in a medical condition called hyperhidrosis, is evident when sweat glands---usually in the hands, feet and underarms---secrete more perspiration than needed to keep the body cool. If you have excessive sweating, the cause can be something that can be cured with your doctor's help. But for according to the International Hyperhydrosis Society, for three percent of the world population, hyperdhidrosis can pose a lifelong struggle to find the right treatment plan.

Perspiration: It's Normal

• The sweat glands in your body provide a natural cooling system whenever your body gets overheated during exercise or other physical exertion or whenever you're exposed to hot weather. You also perspire when you become anxious or nervous, as well. There are two types of sweat glands in the human body. The eccrine glands, which are present on most of your skin, have a direct conduit to the skin's surface. The aprocrine glands are in parts of your skin where hair is present---your scalp, armpits and groin. Whenever you get overheated, you secrete perspiration that's comprised of sale, water and a minute amount of electrolytes.

More About Hyperhidrosis

• If your perspiration is excessive to the point where it saturates your clothing or if you notice a lot of sweat on your feet, palms, underarms, head, and face to the degree that your skin is clammy or frankly "wet," you might have hyperhidrosis. General hyperhirosis has an underlying cause, such as a medical condition like hyperthyroidism, hot flashes (during menopause), leukemia, or low blood sugar; alternately, it could be the side-effect of a medication that you're taking. But focal hyperhidrosis doesn't have an underlying cause. Most of the time it starts before you're 20 years of age and is noted during the daytime when you're not asleep, says the Mayo Clinic. Although the cause of focal hyperhidrosis is unclear, it's often hereditary.

The First Step in Treating Hyperhidrosis

• If you have general hyperhidrosis, once your medical condition is resolved, so does excessive sweating. In the interim, a doctor might prescribe a stronger antiperspirant to help you combat excessive sweating, or a drug called an anticholinergic, which prevents the sweat glands from secreting too much perspiration. However, those with focal hyperhidrosis seeking a permanent remedy to excessive sweating have additional treatment options that may include ongoing home procedures.

Other Treatment Options

• According to the IHS, drug therapy isn't a good long-term solution for focal hyperhidrosis due to the pronounced side-effects that these medications can have. Some alternate solutions, in addition to prescription antiperspirants, include Botox injections, which paralyze the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. A home treatment called iontophoresis can also provide some relief from excessive sweating. Your doctor will instruct you how to use a battery-operated device to send a small current of electricity to your hands, feet or armpits through wet pads. This temporary treatment can cause some physical discomfort, and has to be done twice daily for three or four weeks to yield results.

Surgery: The Last Resort

• Surgery to treat excessive sweating is usually a last resort when all other treatment methods have failed. According to the IHS, local surgical procedures to remove some of the sweat glands through excision, curettage and lipsuction, can give patients good results. But a surgical procedure called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS), which severs the nerves to the sweat glands in the palms, feet and armpits, has been known to result in the undesirable side-effect of compensatory sweating. After the procedure, many patients note that they sweat excessively in other areas of the body, such as the back, abdomen and legs. The Mayo Clinic, acknowledging the risks of traditional ETS, developed a less invasive surgical procedure called endoscopic transthoracic sympathotomy that results in almost no instances of compensatory sweating. This new procedure has been available at the clinic since 1998.