Axillary Hyperhidrosis – What Is It?

Everyone sweats to some extent, but a person with axillary hyperhidrosis has a real problem with excessive underarm sweating. They will constantly apply and reapply deodorant and antiperspirant. They will change their clothes more often than a runway model, and only buy clothes made with natural fibres, in certain colours and materials that don’t show the sweat rings.

People with axillary hyperhidrosis will decline an invitation to get comfortable and take their jacket off. They will be the ones who’d rather give you a little finger wave than a great big arm over the top of the head swing. They are the ones who won’t raise their hands, even if only they know the answer. They will be the ones who feel ill at ease in social settings, constantly worrying about offending anyone.

Most people who have this excessive underarm sweating problem usually start to see the signs of it in early adolescence. Then comes along puberty, when the problem tends to get much worse. Interestingly though, medical research has not found any evidence of hormonal surges being the culprit. The blame seems to depend on which type of axillary hyperhidrosis you have. Primary (or Idiopathic) Hyperhidrosis has no apparent cause. It’s just one of those quirks of human biology, not as fun as having, say, a photographic memory, but not as bad as having an extra limb.

On the other hand, Secondary Hyperhidrosis might be caused by a disorder of the endocrine system, the sympathetic nervous system, from a secretory tumour or even a psychiatric disorder. Primary Hyperhidrosis is the most common form, though, and it’s estimated that up to 3% of the population suffers from it. If you’re the person with excessive underarm sweating you will notice that there seems to be a constant and continuous seepage. It’s aggravated by exercise, heat and, in fact, the food you eat. That’s the logic behind the consumption of very spicy foods by people living in hot climates, such as India and Africa – heat up the inside to increase the sweat on the outside, and speed up cooling.

It may feel as though you’re sweating buckets, but in actuality it’s only about 200 mg of sweat each minute. “Where did that figure come from?” you’re probably wondering. Some brave researcher donned his rain gear, umbrella and a litre jug and measured it, how else? All kidding aside, medical researchers used filtered paper and a precision scale and measured the weight of the filter paper when dry, then weighed it again after it was applied to the test subject’s skin for about a minute. The excessive sweating stains your clothing, creating ring after ring of sweat stains. And as if that weren’t awful enough, there is usually a smell involved. This is because the sweat creates a rich environment for bacteria to thrive in.

The good news is you don’t have to put up with this excessive underarm sweating any more. Doctors and surgeons are now offering a permanent minor surgical solution to this problem. Look for a surgical practice that offers Vaser Lipo for the permanent treatment of axillary hyperhydrosis. And start living a drier life!

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Sue Woodall is the Patient Advisor at Dundrum Medical Cosmetic Clinic in Dundrum, Dublin in Ireland. If you want to know more about excessive underarm sweating, download a free copy of a comprehensive report called 'The Facts About Underarm Sweating and What You Need to Know' from http://UnderarmSweating.ie