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These gems are for practically everybody. You can buy antiperspirants at the drug store or a
dermatologist can give you a prescription for stronger ones. Antiperspirants work by plugging
your sweat ducts so that the sweat doesn't reach the surface of your skin. The "plugging" is
safe and too small to see. Most people use them for their armpits, but antiperspirants also work
on hands, feet, other body parts, and even your face (talk to a doctor before you start spreading
that stick on your head, though, because your face could get irritated and red). Antiperspirants
work best if you apply them everyday, both in the morning AND in the evening before bed, and
if you make sure your skin is dry first. When buying an antiperspirant, be sure to read the
label so you know you're getting an antiperspirant and not just a deodorant. Deodorants cover
B.O. - they don't stop sweat.
Learn more about antiperspirants.
Electricity turns on your lights but it can also turn off your sweat. Iontophoresis
is for people who have extremely sweaty hands or feet (or both). A doctor can prescribe a special
iontophoresis machine for you. During iontophoresis, you sit with hands or feet, or both, immersed
in shallow trays filled with water for about a half-hour while the small machine sends a mild
electrical current through the water. Don't worry, the electric current is safe. No one
totally understands how or why iontophoresis works, but scientists believe the electric current
and particles in the water work together to invisibly thicken the outer layer of the skin,
which blocks the flow of sweat to the surface. The process is repeated every other day for
five or ten days or until sweating is reduced to a comfortable level. Once dry, most people
only have to continue doing iontophoresis once a week or even just once every four weeks.
Learn more about iontophoresis.
Botox is the newest way to stop excessive sweating. You've heard of the rich-and-famous
getting Botox injected into their wrinkles, right? Well Botox also has amazing medical uses.
Neurologists use Botox to help people with disabling muscle problems, and dermatologists use
Botox to stop hyperhidrosis. It can be injected into the armpits, hands, feet, and face to help
stop uncomfortable, embarrassing, and dripping sweat. Botox is a natural, purified protein that
can temporarily block the secretion of the chemical in your body that is responsible for
"turning on" your sweat glands. By blocking this chemical messenger, Botox "turns off"
sweating at the area where it has been injected. Follow-up injections are required every
seven to sixteen months to maintain dryness. The injections can be a little uncomfortable
but teens who've had it done say it's not that bad and totally worth it.
Learn more about Botox.
Antiperspirants,
iontophoresis, and
Botox
are the most useful and safe ways to treat hyperhidrosis (and of course, antiperspirants are great for "regular" sweating, too).
You may hear some people talking about getting surgery to stop excessive sweating.
We think that's pretty extreme and because the side effects can be awfully bad, most doctors don't recommend surgery,
particularly for young people.
Oral medications that a doctor can give you
may work for a short time but they have side effects too, so they're not a good choice for long-term use.
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Find a doctor who treats excessive sweating. |
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