Sweating is a common protective device of the body that helps a person survive prolonged physical exertion, as well as overheating of the body.
However, it happens that this system turns against us.
This phenomenon is called hyperhidrosis, or increased sweating.
Our palms, feet and armpits suffer the most from this.
In this article, we will share with you how to treat underarm hyperhidrosis at home. To do this, first of all, it is necessary to consider the reasons for its appearance.
What is armpit hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis (“hyper” – increased, “hydro” – water) is a term used by doctors to define excessive sweating. Usually sweating is a consequence of physical activity, severe stress, hot weather, but a pathological reaction not caused by these factors leads to malfunctions of the body.
The video below will help you better understand what hyperhidrosis is:
Excessive sweating - hyperhidrosis
Causes and symptoms of manifestation
The causes of underarm hyperhidrosis can vary. Here are the main ones:
- Heatwave. Give preference to natural cotton fabrics that will not float like synthetics.
- Nutrition. Spicy foods and alcohol in the summer cause inflammation of the sweat glands, which leads to an additional increase in sweating.
- Changing hormonal levels. This reason is relevant for adolescence, transitioning into adulthood, or menopause in women. Failures in the functioning of the endocrine and nervous systems also cause hyperhidrosis.
- Kidney weakness. Patients with kidney problems need to pay attention to the manifestations of hyperhidrosis. Due to the fact that the organ cannot cope with its function, the body has to remove moisture through the skin.
- Emotional stress.
- Vegetovascular dystonia. Hyperhidrosis can be a symptom of this disease - then the patient’s hands, armpits and legs are always wet.
- Diabetes.
- Tuberculosis. Particular attention should be paid to nocturnal hyperhidrosis, because it can be a symptom of this disease.
If the moisture smells unpleasant when you sweat a lot, this indicates that bacteria, fungus or microbes are multiplying in this environment. This requires the help of a doctor to establish a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
When to worry
All cases of axillary hyperhidrosis are a cause for concern. That is, increased sweating in the armpits during sports and other physical activities should not cause anxiety in a person.
Also, if a person is nervous or is simply in the heat, and there is hyperhidrosis in the armpits, then this should be treated as a normal phenomenon.
You should always pay attention to the smell of sweat. The appearance of specific odors, characteristic, for example, of chlorine (liver disease) and acetone (diabetes mellitus), may indicate pathologies more serious than hyperhidrosis.
Thus, the level of intensity of sweat secretion and its smell require special attention in armpit sweating.
If a problem is detected, the first thing you should do on your own before seeing a doctor is to carefully analyze the following aspects of your life for the presence of factors that trigger increased sweating:
- daily routine (the presence or absence of behavioral and external factors that increase sweating and are not the initiators of axillary hyperhidrosis);
- medications used;
- diet;
- the material and amount of clothing you wear (synthetic clothing, just very warm clothing, or a large amount of it - sweatogenic factors).
Even before visiting a doctor, a person can make an attempt to remove all the factors involved in increasing the sweating function and observe the intensity of sweating without interference. This kind of experiment will help those who have a problem to better understand its causes themselves.
If the sweat has an unusual odor, then you cannot do without medical help and the first thing you need to do is visit the hospital. But in order for the diagnosis of the patient to be more successful, you should definitely take with you to the hospital the instructions for the medications you are taking, if any, and also, if possible, study them. After all, the intensity of sweating, the composition and smell of sweat may also depend on the pharmacological drugs taken.
Which doctor should I contact?
To determine the safety of armpit hyperhidrosis, you need to see a therapist who will check your health and listen to complaints. This is necessary to exclude the possibility of more serious diseases. If hyperhidrosis is not caused by another serious condition, your GP will refer you to a dermatologist who can help you find the appropriate treatment.
How to get rid of armpit sweating at home
Here are a few remedies that will help you fight armpit hyperhidrosis:
- Antiperspirant (sweating in medicine is perspiration, hence the name) is a popular remedy used during excessive sweating, but it is recommended to use it rarely and not on an ongoing basis. Due to aluminum and zinc, which are part of the antiperspirant, the sweat glands become clogged. The drug should be used after consultation with a doctor and applied to clean skin. The same applies to the use of deodorants.
- Formagel. The ointment has antiseptic and disinfectant properties and helps suppress sweating. The drug must be used once, applied for twenty minutes once a week.
- Teymurov's pasta. Has antiseptic and deodorizing properties. Before treating hyperhidrosis with Teimur, get medical advice.
- Urotropine (ampoules). The liquid must be applied to a cotton swab, wiped under the armpits, and left overnight.
See the photo below for what the listed medications look like.
Special antiperspirants
Such products are suitable for any area of the skin and are more effective compared to cosmetic analogues.
Here it is important to choose an antiperspirant in accordance with the recommendations of the attending physician, since he will select an individual product for the patient that will not cause allergic reactions and irritation of the skin.
Typically, such products are applied to dry, unwounded skin in the evening, when the amount of sweat produced usually decreases.
Folk remedies
Folk remedies are widely used in the treatment of hyperhidrosis. Let's figure out how to take them:
- Sage. You need to steam a tablespoon of the herb (you can buy it at the pharmacy) in a cup or glass and leave it for several hours until it steams. After preparation, the infusion should be divided into three doses and consumed throughout the day - after meals. This remedy will also be useful to use when making baths with it.
- Lemon. If you need to quickly remove accumulated sweat, unpleasant odor, or “refresh” the armpit area, wipe the area with a slice of lemon. Lemon juice can be used as a natural deodorant.
- Chamomile. An infusion, which is prepared by pouring six tablespoons of crushed chamomile flowers into two liters of boiling water, will be an excellent aid in the treatment of hyperhidrosis. Let the chamomile infuse for an hour, then add two tablespoons of soda to the infusion and rub the armpits.
Homemade deodorants
Treatment of armpit sweating with folk remedies includes the independent preparation of deodorizing mixtures.
Therapeutic deodorant
To make deodorant for hyperhidrosis at home, you will need:
- Coconut oil for base – 100 g.
- Corn or potato starch - 2 tbsp.
- Baking soda – 2 tbsp.
- Essential oil (melissa, lemon, sage, chamomile, fir, eucalyptus, tea tree, orange, cardamom) - any of your choice.
How to cure hyperhidrosis - effective pills
The tablets can help treat hyperhidrosis. Their action is aimed at reducing the secretion of sweat glands. Often, due to the stressful cause of hyperhidrosis, the doctor prescribes sedatives and antidepressants that calm the nervous system and help the patient cope with emotional stress. If this is not the reason, hyperhidrosis in the armpit area is treated with preparations with herbal components - belladonna and belladonna have an effective effect on the problem.
What to watch out for
A person suffering from excessive sweating constantly feels discomfort. This is fraught with social problems, the development of isolation and a lack of desire to be in society. It all depends on emotional sensitivity and the state of the nervous system.
In terms of health, hyperhidrosis can provoke the development of persistent bacterial and fungal skin infections, which can spread from the armpit area to other areas of the skin. Doctors have noticed that a person who sweats a lot is more likely to get colds and suffer from mycosis of the feet.
The problem can be solved, and if it is not temporary and cannot be treated with home remedies, you should contact a specialist: a dermatologist, therapist, endocrinologist.
Treatment of underarm hyperhidrosis
In the treatment of hyperhidrosis, various measures are carried out - rubbing with herbal decoctions, using ointments, antiperspirants, tablets, drugs containing hexahydrate, surgery. Here we will look at several popular methods that will help get rid of the problem - laser, Botox, Dysport.
Laser
This effective treatment method has gained popularity, but before the operation it is necessary to undergo an examination that will identify allergies or other possible contraindications to its implementation. Laser treatment requires local anesthesia. Several advantages of such an intervention:
- After it there are no scars, hematomas, or skin damage.
- Laser radiation additionally sterilizes the armpit area.
- Hair growth decreases or stops.
- The duration of the event is short – up to half an hour.
- The rehabilitation period is several hours.
- Successful result is 80% percent.
Watch the video showing the laser treatment of hyperhidrosis:
Treatment of hyperhidrosis with laser
Botox
This method of treating underarm hyperhidrosis is the most effective - only one percent of those treated do not get the desired result. Botox treatment has a minimum of contraindications:
- lactation;
- pregnancy;
- hypertension in the stage of decompensation;
- diabetes.
During treatment in this way, the doctor injects the drug into the armpits. As a result, nerve impulses sent to the sweat glands are blocked, and the person no longer experiences heavy sweating in moments of excitement or at high body temperature.
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If you follow the necessary preventive procedures, the results will last for six months to a year. The only disadvantage of Botox is its high cost. To obtain a lasting effect, the procedure will have to be repeated after some time.
Dysport
Dysport injections, along with Botox, are gaining high popularity, despite the “youth” of the drug. Dysport, unlike Botox, eliminates not only the symptoms of hyperhidrosis, but also solves the problem from the inside. The effect after applying this procedure lasts about eight months.
Due to the painlessness and safety of the procedure, it is successfully used to solve problems in children. Dysport injections effectively eliminate not only local hyperhidrosis, but also general hyperhidrosis. To consolidate the result, you must avoid saunas, solariums and physical activity in the next week after injections, and do not use deodorants on the day of the procedure.
