STORY BYAll of a sudden, the water just starts pouring out. It might be at
a black-tie event, or on the tennis court, or during the walk to
your car. Sweat. Lots of it.
Why does it happen and what can you do about it?
“There are two aspects to sweating: the production of fluids to cool the skin—and the psychological thing,” explains Stephen B. Tucker, MD, clinical professor in dermatology at The University of Texas Health Medical School at Houston.
“Some people sweat tremendously due to weather or when they’re exercising. Then there are those who don’t sweat very much. They’re the ones who have a really hard time keeping cool and can be candidates for heatstroke,” Tucker explains.
The Sunbelt, including cities like Phoenix and Houston that have the distinction of being the first and second sweatiest cities in the US, might just as easily be called America’s Sweatland. If you’re outside, you’re going to sweat. But that’s not all bad.
Sweat is the body’s air-conditioning system. The reason it just happens, without a conscious decision, is that sweating is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. The eccrine—or sweat glands can be found all over the body, including our hands and feet. They secrete mostly water and fluids, producing little- to- no odor.
The sweat glands known as apocrine glands exist where there are hair follicles. Scalp, underarm (axillary) and pubic areas are the ones that can excrete a milky-white solution and give us our distinctive body odors. When bacteria in the apocrine glands degrade the organic matter, this can cause an odor.
Just like breathing, we don’t have to think about sweating. The muscles in the sweat ducts just go to work. People who suddenly have sweaty palms, wet underarm rings or glistening foreheads at an air-conditioned dinner party have as little control over their damp disasters as the guys who play 18 holes in humid Houston heat.
Choose a deodorant with an antiperspirant. Antiperspirants contain an aluminum compound that will work to shut down the sweat duct. Tucker suggests you apply antiperspirant at night to give it an opportunity to work before your daytime perspiration washes away the active ingredients.
When the over-the-counter antiperspirants are not enough, the prescription Drysol can be helpful. Apply at bedtime and wash off each morning for about two weeks. When the sweating is under control, a weekly or twice-weekly application keeps the water level in check. Drysol can be used in the underarm arm and on palms, feet or forehead.
“Some people have a real problem with sweating, just way overboard. They need some type of prevention,” Tucker empathizes. He says patients respond well to prescriptions along with behavior modification. “There is behavioral modification to learn how to control this tendency, but it’s not perfect. Medicines are much easier.”
He mentions that prescriptions such as Robinul, an anticholinergic (drying agent) drug, can reduce sweating, although they may cause dryness in the eyes and the mouth, as well as other side effects.
“For the axillary area, Botox is great. When you get to the palm, it is very uncomfortable. But three or four sessions might take care of the problem for a year because it tends to last a long time,” Tucker says. Botox injections can be expensive, but, in studies from England and Taiwan of Botox injections for the axillary area, patient satisfaction rates were high.
Surgery to remove the sympathetic nerve, called endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy, or a stapling procedure performed on this nerve, can cure hyperhidrosis in palms, although the sympathectomy may increase sweating in other areas.
Removal of the sweat glands in the underarm area has also been successful. The resultant scarring has made this procedure a less popular choice with women.
Tucker warns that two rash problems might be eliminated with dry clothing. He explains, “While working out, if your shirt gets saturated with water, you need to change it. Water stays in the fabric, and the water in the skin has no place to go. It causes the top layer of skin to swell, like staying in the bathtub too long.”
The buildup of water in the skin may cause microorganisms to enter the walls of hair follicles on the chest and back, resulting in acne. Also, bacteria build up at the opening of the sweat glands, causing little blisters that rupture. He suggests that cotton clothing helps to keep the moisture moving away from the skin.
Devices such as wet “necklaces” or small fans on treadmills or inside hats really do help control body heat. “People lose the majority of their body heat through their heads. Any way you can cool your head will put you in better shape for heat loss,” Tucker explains.
Whether your sweat is due to the outdoor temperature, rising body heat from exercise, or an autocratic autonomic system, solutions range from simple cooling appliances to professional help.
UPDATED: 10-09-2003
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Dr. Stephen Tucker is a clinical professor of dermatology at UT Medical School.
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Dietary fiber is versatile and talented. It assists in discouraging a long list of woes: constipation, hemorrhoids, heart disease, diabetes, bad cholesterol and certain cancers.
Foods such as apples, berries, oranges, beans, broccoli, bran, multigrain breads and cereals should be added slowly into your diet, followed by an increase in fluid intake. Eventually you want to work up to 4 ½ cups of high fiber foods a day.
Otherwise, you might find yourself feeling more bloated, gassy or experiencing stomach cramps.So, add one high-fiber food at a time about a week apart. Increase your water intake (which includes unsweetened teas, diet sodas, juice) to eight glasses a day to help the fiber move through your system.
