Excessive Sweating - When should you see a doctor?
Although it seems unglamorous and sticky, everyone sweats. The stain under your armpits and slick hands – no one is a stranger to that. Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) which means you sweat a lot more than normal.
Sweating is the body’s natural way of cooling down while it is physically active and moving or when the temperature rises above the normal limits. Other than that, our body also tends to sweat and perspire as a reaction to anxiety and stress. Either way, it is a normal bodily function.
But there are some people who tend to sweat unusually more than the averagely active person. If you perspire excessively and have smelly and sweaty armpits, pals, neck, and/or feet without any reason, it might be an indicator of a diagnosable medical condition known as hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.
Don’t worry; this condition is not as uncommon as you might think it to be. In fact, according to the Canadian Medical Association, 3% of the population i.e. more than 950,000 people suffer from a mild to severe case of hyperhidrosis.
An interesting statistic about excessive sweating is that less than 40 percent of people with this condition actually seek medication. They credit their sweating as normal and ignore it. It’s understandable as there is no measure of how much sweating is too much.
So what counts as excessive sweating?
Medical professionals consider any amount of sweating that creates difficulties and distress as excessive. With this, you can say that what counts as excessive sweating varies from person to person. For instance, excessive sweat for an athlete will be much more than someone who doesn’t exercise regularly.
As for what causes or triggers excessive sweating, they are not exactly clear. But, it usually starts during adolescence or young adulthood. It mostly happens in different areas, including the armpits, palms, and/or soles of the feet. If excessive sweating is limited to either one or all three of these areas, it is called focal hyperhidrosis.
When it comes to other symptoms, most people with focal hyperhidrosis lead pretty normal and healthy lives. In fact, different studies suggest that these people are no more or less nervous or anxious than people without focal hyperhidrosis.
But for some people, especially ones more concerned about appearances, this condition can have negative implications. For instance, they feel too embarrassed to be in public, meet people, shake hands, hug and lead a normal sex life.
When should you see a doctor then?
The moment you start feeling that your quality of life is getting impacted negatively and you’re missing out on opportunities. There are several treatments that have proven effective in treating hyperhidrosis. There are both medications and procedures that can lower the amount of sweat you produce.
If you live in Edmonton and areas , Excellence Medical and Skin Care clinic can help you there. You can call us and book an appointment to get a consultation for excessive sweating. We’ll make sure that you get treated right and gain your confidence back, improving the quality of your life.
*Note: Besides that, if your heavy sweating is accompanied by vertigo, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, high temperature, and/or chest pains, seek emergency medical attention.