When is heavy sweating a problem?

Summer and sweating might go hand in hand but sometimes perspiration can feel out of control. So, how can you tell if it’s just heavy sweating or something more?

Approximately three per cent of Canadians suffer from excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis but nearly two thirds of those suffer in silence, says Dr. Nowell Solish, Dermatologist and Founder of the Sweat Clinics of Canada.

“They think, ‘Oh I sweat a lot and that's a natural response and there's nothing I can do about it,’ but we can treat it,” she says.

Research from the Leger Sweat Survey has shown that one in four Canadians think they sweat more than they should, with one in four (23 per cent) saying that sweating has prevented them from raising their hand or giving someone a hug.

What is hyperhidrosis?

“These are people who sweat in the wintertime or when they’re sitting watching TV and their underarms are dripping wet or their hands are dripping,” she says. “If it's impacting the quality of their life or their everyday experience and all of the things that they do and they have a medical condition called hyperhidrosis.”

Doctors don’t currently know what causes hyperhidrosis, but it has something to do with the communication between the brain and the sweat glands, where the person’s body is super sensitive to the signals the brain is sending.

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“We know that genetics play big role,” says Solish. “About two thirds of people that have hyperhidrosis have a first-degree family member with it.”

Anything that would make you sweat can make hyperhidrosis worse -- things such as being anxious, hot temperatures, spicy foods. But those affected sweat four to six times more than the average person, so any little trigger makes them sweat even more.

When should someone seek treatment?

Doctors use something called the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale to evaluate patients’ symptoms and make a diagnosis.

“Basically if it's interfering with their daily activities or if they’re thinking about it all the time,” says Solish. “They're not doing things with others or not raising their hand in class if they’re a student. Not going on dates because they're afraid to hug someone or they’re embarrassed someone's going to see something. When it's enough sweating that it's impacting her daily activities and the quality of their life and it's something that should be treated.”

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Sweatmanagement.ca is a Canadian website that can help people understand what's wrong and features a physician finder to help locate doctors with expertise treating hyperhidrosis.

What treatments are available?

Depending on the affected areas, different treatment options are available. The most common areas include hands, feet and underarms. Most doctors will suggest strong antiperspirants as a first-step in treatment. If those don’t provide relief, medically injected Botox can work wonders for underarm treatment, providing 6 to 8 months relief for some people. It can also be used on the hands and feet, though Solish notes it isn’t as effective.

Another option is treatment with a iontophoresis machine. It’s a pricey machine (not covered by government health insurance) that shoots electrical currents through water, stimulating the sweat glands in the hands and feet to clog, which in turn stops the sweating.

The most drastic option is surgery to remove the sweat glands, though it comes with risks and can actually end up increasing sweating Solish says.