Sudden and Excessive Sweating

People’s bodies sweat all the time. Sweat can pour from anywhere in our bodies when our bodies need to cool down. That’s normal. But some people’s bodies sweat suddenly and excessively without any reason. Worst of all, is that the sweat pours from the most embarrassing places in the body!

Sudden and excessive sweating is known medically as hyperhidrosis. It usually targets specific places, like the underarms, the hands, the feet and the head. These are all bad places to sweat excessively. It usually creates an embarrassing odor or a humiliating telltale sign. You might not believe this but the sweat pouring from the head can be the most annoying of all.

Head sweating, also known as facial hyperhidrosis, cannot be hidden. Wear enough jackets and underarm sweating is not visually noticeable. Hide your hands and nobody knows will know about your sweaty palms. You can’t really hide your face. With facial hyperhidrosis, you’ll always look as if you’re nervous. And for those who wear make-up, it's probably ruined on a regular basis.

There are several causes of excessive head sweating:

1. Thyroid disorders. Apart from excessive sweating, it also causes excessive warmth, changes in weight, listlessness and rapid heartbeat.
2. Hair drying. It dries your head but the hot air might be more than your scalp can handle, which leads to sweating.
3. Shampoos or hair conditioners. Used excessively these may cause itching of the scalp, which leads to sweating.
4. Hair sprays, pomades or gels. Adding these to your head, makes it warmer for your scalp which also leads to sweating.
5. Hats and caps. Headgear restricts air circulation which again leads to sweating

1. Go to the doctor for a checkup to see if there are underlying medical conditions that may be causing excessive sweating
2. Bathe your hair daily to freshen and cool the scalp. But don’t shampoo excessivley. Dermatologists recommend shampooing only 2-3 times a week
3. Stay away from the sun. Find a way to always be under a shade when outside. Use an umbrella.
4. Don’t use any headgear. Maintain full air circulation on your head. 
5. Seriously, try being bald head or at least shorten the hair as far as you would dare. It reduces the weight of hair on the scalp.
6. Avoid using chemicals on your head that may irritate it. Be careful of hair dyes, hair sprays and hair gels.

We've talked about head sweating but how about the feet? It's another bad place to excessively sweat. Read the article, Treating Smelly Feet