Who says excessive sweating is no cause for concern? Whether you're interviewing for a new job, wooing a prospective client, orienting newbies, or doing the groceries, stepping out with dripping armpits is a no-no. The only time sweat is okay for public display is when you're at the gym, on the court, or on a Maxim or Playboy photoshoot where sweat is highly welcome because it amps the body's sexy factor. Everywhere else, though, sweat is icky and socially handicapping.
Excessive Sweating, Your Name Is Hyperhidrosis Sweating in itself isn't alarming; it's normal. It's your body's way of cooling off. But when you sweat to the point where you have to change shirts three to four times a day or sweat so much you look like you just stepped off the shower without bothering to towel yourself dry, then Houston, you have a problem. That problem is called excessive sweating and it's one that affects millions of people around the world.
Medically, excessive sweating is called hyperhidrosis. It occurs when your body generates more amounts of sweat than it needs to cool itself. Often, hyperhidrosis affects the soles of the feet, the underarms, and the palm of the hands. However, it's not unheard of for people to sweat buckets in other areas - the back, face, and neck for example.
What Causes Sweating? The causes of excessive sweating vary according to the problem type.
Focal hyperhidrosis. Ever sweat so much during the day your socks feel soggy and your shoes start to smell? The most common type of focal hyperhidrosis involves excessive sweating of the soles, palms, and even the underarms. It happens only during daytime and for no reason that you could pinpoint. Strangely, excessive sweating stops once you go to sleep.
Could focal hyperhidrosis be caused by lack of sleep? Not so, says experts. Excessive sweating may stop while you're sleeping but its severity and the frequency of occurrence doesn't change when you change your sleeping habits. Then, too, you could sleep all you want and still end up sweating torrents when you get up at daytime. What causes focal hyperhidrosis, then? Experts blame genetics. The condition has been observed to run in families.
Generalized hyperhidrosis. There's good news and bad about this type of excessive sweating. The good news is that it's treatable because it's caused by an underlying problem. It's typically brought about as a side effect of medication or is the symptom of a condition or disease such as:
blood sugar menopausal hot flashes overactive thyroid lymphoma leukemia possible infectious disease a heart attack in the making.The bad news is that this type of excessive sweating involves large areas of your body, such as the chest and the back.
Hyperhidrosis HorrorsExcessive sweating is terrible enough on its own. It could turn you into a social pariah or the office's laughingstock. But there are other horrific consequences of excessive sweating. Believe it or not, sweating buckets takes a serious toll not just on your confidence but also on your well-being. Here are some of the complications.
Prickly heat/ heat rash. When the pores surrounding your sweat glands are blocked, sweat gets trapped underneath the skin. When this happens, bumps and fine red spots appear on the chest, arms, or upper back. This rash mostly occurs in humid, hot weather and affects infants and young children.
Fungal infections. People who sweat a lot are prone to different types of fungal infections. This is because fungus thrives in moist, warm environments such as sweaty shoes. For this reason, excessive sweating is highly likely to cause infection in your toenails and fingernails.
Nail infections begin as yellow or white spots under the tips of the nails. As the infection spreads, your nails will go through the following stages.
Yes, your nails could fall off as a result of nail infections caused by excessive sweating. Is it painful? Extremely so.
Warts and bacterial infections. If there are two things bacteria love best of all, it's dampness and darkness. For this reason, hyperhidrosis makes you a prime candidate for bacterial infections, especially those occurring between the toes and around the hair follicles. But wait, don't shrug it off just yet. Excessive sweating can also cause warts or skin growths that are caused by HPV or the human papilloma virus. Worse, even when you start treatment, the fact that excessive sweating keeps areas of your body constantly damp means your infections cannot heal as quickly or efficiently.
Clearly, excessive sweating is not something you should shrug off, with wet armpits or otherwise. Look for systems that offer iron-clad guarantees. When you find a system that works, such as Mike Ramsey's 'Stop Sweating and Start Living' ebook, you can say goodbye to sopping and soggy and say hello to dry.