How to treat excessive sweating - Dr. Sherry Ingraham from Advanced Dermatolgy & Skin Care

Sweat is annoying for most people. But for some, it's so debilitating that reducing it can be life changing. Hyperhidrosis, the clinical name for excessive sweating, can affect the entire body or targeted areas, most commonly the hands, feet and armpits. The most promising and minimally invasive medical treatments beyond antiperspirant include: 1. Topical solutions or prescription-strength antiperspirants that contain aluminum chloride hexahydrate. The aluminum salts in this preparation collect in the sweat ducts and block them. 2. BOTOX® Cosmetic injections are FDA approved for axillary (underarm) hyperhidrosis treatment as it temporarily blocks neurotransmitters that stimulate sweat production. 3. Oral anticholinergic medications, which work by blocking the transmission of acetylcholine, the chemical messenger responsible for excessive sweating. When suffering from hyperhidrosis, other things to avoid include alcohol, spicy foods, caffeine and nicotine. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, raising overall body temperature and increasing sweating, while caffeine and nicotine stimulate the central nervous system and activate the sweat glands.