Treatment of Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating of hands,
foot & underarm sweating.
Hyperhidrosis
or excessive sweating is a common disorder affecting
many people. Palmar hyperhidrosis or sweaty palms is the most common
form of hyperhidrosis, causing excessive sweating of the hands.
Hyperhidrosis
can also cause excessive foot, underarm and facial sweating. It
is thought that hyperhidrosis is a result of over activity of the
sympathetic nervous system.
Sweating
is often uncontrollable, embarrassing and not anticipated . Normal
sweating is needed for thermal regulation however in people suffering
from hyperhidrosis, sweating exceeds the bodys need for physiological
thermal regulation.
Hyperhidrosis is an inherited problem that
has been seen in almost every ethnic group. People don’t get
used to living with hyperhidrosis but they continue to suffer throughout
their lives from it.
Hyperhidrosis can have severe physiological
consequences such as cold and clammy hands, dehydration,
and skin infections secondary to maceration of the skin. Hyperhidrosis
can also have devastating emotional effects on
one’s individual life.
Affected people are constantly aware of their
condition and try to modify their lifestyle to accommodate this
problem. This can be disabling in professional, academic and social
life, causing daily embarrassments. Many routine tasks become impossible
chores, which can psychologically drain these individuals on a constant
basis.
Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition with severe negative psychological consequences. Unfortunately friends, relatives of affected individuals and even most doctors usually do not understand the tremendous negative impact that this condition can have on one's life. Fortunately with the recent advances in medicine, many forms of treatment are available to treat hyperhidrosis. Medications, topical antiperspirants, iontophoresis, botox and surgery have been tried to treat hyperhidrosis. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy or ETS is the most effective method to treat hyperhidrosis. The California Institute for Hyperhidrosis and Facial Blushing provides a comprehensive site about hyperhidrosis and the ETS procedure.
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