Hyperhidrosis, is a condition characteriSed by excessive sweating. The sweating can affect just one specific area such as the armpits or the whole body.
Although not life-threatening, it can be uncomfortable and cause embarrassment and psychological trauma.
In hyperhidrosis, your body’s sweat glands become very overactive. This overactivity causes you to sweat much more than you normally would.
Sweating is how your body cools itself when it gets too hot (when you’re exercising, sick or really nervous). Nerves tell your sweat glands to start working. In hyperhidrosis, certain sweat glands work much harder and more and for no apparent reason This then makes you produce sweat that you don’t need.
Certain odours and foods, including citric acid, coffee, chocolate, peanut butter and spices.
Emotional stress, especially anxiety.
Heat.
Depending where on your body you experience hyperhidrosis will determine your symptoms. Typically, symptoms include:
Excess sweat on your palms, hands, underarms, face and trunk
Some patients may experience extreme flushing on their faces
There are two types of hyperhidrosis : primary hyperhidrosis and secondary hyperhidrosis.
Primary hyperhidrosis is almost inherited. Primary hyperhidrosis begins in childhood and will become worse with puberty. This is especially so in women.
Secondary hyperhidrosis is caused by some other condition or behavior. Some of these might include:
Neurologic syndromes
Thyrotoxicosis
Diabetes mellitus
Gout
Menopause
Medications that may cause sweating
Chronic alcoholism
Spinal cord injury
Some cancers are known to cause night sweats, so if you only sweat at night, see your doctor as soon as possible to rule out a serious disease.
Our medical team will diagnose hyperhidrosis by doing a physical examination as well as your history of symptoms. We also measure the level of sweating by the starch iodine test: This is a test that turns the sweat brown and is used to detect excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).
Patients can see a relief of hyperhidrosis for many months.
Treatment is by injections of Botulinum toxin a into the sweat glands of both arms. Small injections are placed approx a cm apart spreading the entire of the areas that have shown up on the iodine starch test.
Treatment costs £400
Call us at 01382 223249 or fill in the appointment form...
