If you want to feel comfortable even in the heat - reach for the appropriate deodorant or antiperspirant. Our journalists' test results can help you choose. This is how you will solve the problem of excessive sweating that increases in summer.
Sweat is the secretion of the sweat glands. You sweat all the time, even when you don't notice it at all. Under normal conditions, a person secretes approx. 800 ml of sweat, while in hot weather, fever or exercise, much more, even several liters per day. This is how the body's natural temperature regulating mechanism works - moisture evaporates from the skin and cools it and the blood flowing under the skin, preventing the body from overheating. However, this is not always smooth.
Excessive sweating is troublesome
Some people sweat extremely intensively for various reasons. In adolescents, it usually happens during adolescence, because the hormonal storm increases the sensitivity of the nervous system responsible for sweat secretion. Excessive sweating is also common during menopause, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and cancer. It is not uncommon for excessive sweating to affect only certain parts of the body. Mental sweating most often affects the hands, feet, armpits, groin and face and usually appears under the influence of even the smallest emotional stimuli. Increased sweat production may also occur in areas of the body where a disease is taking place, for example, intestinal disorders or leg ulcers. There is also the so-called gustatory sweating, appearing after eating hot or spicy food - sweat droplets are visible on the nose, forehead, above the upper lip. And sometimes the cause of such sweating is damage to the nervous system - then during chewing, instead of the salivary glands, the sweat glands are stimulated.
Excessive sweating - water, soap, good deodorant
Sweat itself is almost odorless, only when it is broken down by bacteria on the skin it starts to smell unpleasant. Therefore, water and soap are the first allies in the fight against the smell of sweat, as they wash away bacteria from the skin. However, they do not remove them completely, because they are also found in pores and hair follicles. Armpit hair is a particularly sensitive place - the secretion of sweat glands accumulating on it is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. Therefore, it is worth shaving armpits not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for hygienic reasons. The unpleasant smell of sweat is very effectively eliminated by deodorants and antiperspirants - each of these cosmetics should be used on freshly washed, dry and preferably shaved skin. Deodorants contain compounds that inhibit the growth of bacteria that break down sweat (e.g. aluminum chloride) and last for several hours. They also contain fragrances that hide the unpleasant smell of sweat. These cosmetics, however, do not stop its secretion - the task of antiperspirants. They contain compounds (e.g. alkaline aluminum salts) which, under the influence of temperature and humidity, change into a gel that narrows the orifices of sweat glands. Often they also contain talc - it dries the skin, limiting the possibility of bacteria growth. The effect of antiperspirants usually lasts for 48 hours, which is why they should not be used on large areas of the skin as it could disrupt the body's thermoregulation system. So you have to wash off the cosmetic at night so that the skin can breathe freely. It is best to use an antiperspirant alternately with a deodorant every 2 days.
Ways of excessive sweating
For sweating - botox
Currently, the most common injections are botulinum toxin (botox), which blocks the nerve endings responsible for sweat secretion. Before the procedure, the so-called Minor's test. It consists in smearing the places where the patient sweats the most - armpits, feet, hands - with iodine and then sprinkled with starch. Where the skin stains the most, there is the most hyperactive sweat gland. As a result, the doctor has an excellent indication of which places to inject. Then the skin is smeared with an anesthetic, and then botox is administered - usually 20–30 punctures are made with a thin, short needle. The procedure is completely safe, you can immediately return to your normal activities. The price of the procedure is approx. 1.5 thousand and its effect lasts almost a year.
Doctors fight excessive sweating
There are situations when even slightly wet skin causes a feeling of discomfort and creases, let alone when the sweat literally flows off it, which is usually accompanied by an unpleasant smell. For people suffering from excessive sweating, this ailment is extremely troublesome, because even meticulous attention to hygiene and perfect cosmetics only remove the problem for a short time. This is where medicine can help. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a preparation that inhibits the activity of the sweat glands, e.g. a powder or a spreading solution, containing e.g. boric acid or formalin. Tranquilizers, beta-blockers, acupuncture and psychotherapy are also used. Sometimes iontophoresis can be helpful - it is a DC treatment applied to the hands and feet. Sometimes, however, you have to resort to more radical methods. In special cases (e.g. sweating on the back or other large areas of the body), the so-called sympathectomies. It is a procedure that involves cutting the nerves responsible for the operation of sweat glands in a given area of the body. Although this method is effective, it is associated with the risk of various complications. That is why newer techniques, known from aesthetic medicine, are being used more and more. The laser ensures a lasting effect - says a specialist in general surgery and aesthetic medicine. An innovative method of treating chronic hyperhidrosis uses a laser beam. The procedure is one-time because it gives a lasting effect, it is performed under local anesthesia. It consists in inserting the laser fiber through the micro-incision of the skin into the subcutaneous tissue, dissolving the sweat glands and sucking them out. After the procedure, the incision sites are closed with plasters or sutures. The entire procedure takes about 45 minutes and after a short rest, the patient returns home. Swelling and pain in the treated area disappear within 48-72 hours, while the effect of reduced sweating is felt after only 3 days and increases over the following days. This method irreversibly eliminates sweating in the area of the armpits, it is not used on the feet or hands. The price of the procedure is 4.5–6 thousand..
The body's cooling system is formed by sweat glands
The thermoregulation mechanism consists of two types of sweat glands. Eccrine glands are located all over the skin and almost 99% of the sweat secreted by them. is water. The apocrine glands are activated only in adolescence, most of them in the armpits, in the genital area, in the groin and on the scalp. Their sweat is cloudy and sticky with protein and fat.
