DR. DAWN HARPER

SWEATING

DR. DAWN HARPER | SWEATING

DR. DAWN HARPER | SWEATING 2/4

How can I stop sweating so much!? It’s really embarrassing and is affecting my work and social life. What can I do?

Sweating is our built in cooling system and is crucial to survival. A 70Kg person running at 15km/hour will use around 1100Calories an hour. Without efficient cooling systems in place, this would generate enough heat to raise the body temperature to a fatal 41.5 degrees. But for one in a hundred people sweating is inappropriate and excessive. This is known as hyperhidrosis. The

armpits and hands are the most commonly affected, and it’s not uncommon to find that sufferers have a shirt that is wringing wet when the rest of us are just feeling warm. I have met several people who carry spare clothes with them everywhere allowing them to change several times a day.

Hyperhidrosis can have a huge impact psychologically and you are not alone in feeling embarrassed but it’s important to keep stress under control if you can. It is easy to end up in a vicious cycle – the more you sweat, the more you worry, and the more you worry, the

more you sweat.

Could it be due to my age?

In fact, hyperhidrosis is most common in people in their twenties and thirties but hot flushes around the time of the menopause can also be a problem. The average age for menopause in the UK is 50 – 52 so this may be relevant for you Jenny.

What causes excessive sweating?

No-one really knows why sweat glands are overactive in some people but we do know that carrying excess weight and anxiety make the problem worse. In menopausal women, the body’s temperature control mechanisms become confused, meaning tiny variations in body temperature trigger excessive sweating. There are

SWEATING

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also some medical conditions such as an overactive thyroid and diabetes that can be associated with increased sweating.

Could my diet be to blame?

Some people find spicy foods and alcohol exacerbate the problem. Keeping a symptom and food diary for a couple of weeks will help you identify any triggers for you and excluding those foods from your diet may help.

What else can I do to stop this?

Try to wear loosely fitted light coloured clothing made of natural fibres like cotton and have a chat with your pharmacist about aluminium based anti-perspirants. These should be applied at night and washed off in the morning. Once you have things under control you may only need to use them every couple of weeks. Relaxation techniques are also helpful and remedies such as valerian to help you sleep or St John’s Wort for anxiety can be useful.

If the sweating is a new problem for you Jenny it could well be related to menopause

in which case I would try black cohosh which has been shown to help with hot flushes and night sweats.

I have heard Botox injections help is this true?

I have seen some excellent results from Botox. Lots of tiny injections are given under the skin to the affected areas to switch off the nerves that control the sweat glands. The effect can be quite dramatic – literally like turning off a tap but the effect wears off after a few months so treatments need to be repeated. In some parts of the country, Botox for hyperhidrosis is available on the NHS, but if you have to pay privately you can expect to part with around £400 per treatment

I have suffered for years with excessive sweating and last year my life was revolutionised when my doctor prescribed an aluminium based anti-perspirant. For the first time I have the confidence to have a social life and now a friend tells me that they cause breast cancer and that I should stop immediately.

Don’t worry. There has been an e-mail circulating for several

years claiming that anti-perspirants are a major cause of breast cancer but there is no evidence to support this. The theory is that they stop toxins being removed from the body and that these then build up in the lymphatic system causing breast cancer. This is entirely misleading, Firstly sweat glands are completely different to lymph glands. Secondly breast cancer starts in the breast and can spread to the lymph glands - it doesn’t start in the lymphatic system.The theoretical link has recently been back in the public eye because scientists have found traces of substances called parabens (sometimes used in deodorants) in some breast tumours. Parabens do have some weak oestrogenic activity and we know that oestrogen is a factor in breast cancer, but the amounts found were tiny and 90% of anti-perspirants are now paraben free. If you are worried, check on the bottle and if yours contains parabens, ask your pharmacist to advise on an alternative.

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I’m a sweaty Betty! Although I’m fairly fit, I get really sweaty very quickly. It’s even worse if I’m nervous or wearing a tight top. Summer is nearly here which always makes it worse. Help!

About one in a hundred people suffer from excessive sweating (also called hyperhidrosis) and I have known people who need to carry changes of clothing with them at all times in an attempt to hide unsightly wet patches. Sweating is usually worse when we are anxious so, unfortunately the more you worry about it the worse it is likely to be! Ask your chemist

Body Odour

Fresh sweat doesn’t smell – the odour is only produced when bacteria living on the skin break the sweat down. Human skin is mildly acidic (pH 5.5) which inhibits bacterial growth. Normal soap is very alkaline (pH 10) and it can take up to 12 hours for skin pH to return to normal after using it. During that time the bacteria are free to multiply making you more prone to BO. Anyone who suffers with BO (and realizes it) is likely to become fastidious about washing which could actually make the problem worse. If you suffer, try swapping your soap for a pH-balanced cleanser. Your chemist will be able to point you in the right direction.

Some foods such as strong cheeses, garlic and spices can affect the smell of our sweat

about aluminium based anti-perspirants which are available without prescription. They are applied at night and washed off in the morning and are significantly stronger than conventional roll-ons. Alternatively, it may be a bit pricey (around £300-400), but the celebrity fix would be to have botox injections into the armpit. The treatment involves around 50 tiny injections under the skin and the results are amazing – it really is like turning off a tap and lasts for around 7 months. Botox for hyperhidrosis isn’t generally given on the NHS but I have heard of it being done so you could ask your GP if it’s available in your area.

too. And there is a rare condition called “fish odour syndrome”. This is caused by a genetic abnormality which means a person’s breath, sweat and urine smell of fish.

Feet are particularly prone to sweating (partly because we wrap them up in socks and shoes and the warm moist environment then create a perfect place for bacteria and fungi to grow. Anyone with sweaty smelly feet should wash their feet and dry thoroughly between the toes. Go barefoot as much as possible and keep the use of training shoes to a minimum. It can take 48 hours for damp trainers to dry out properly so if you can afford it invest in a spare pair. If not try using a hairdryer on a low setting to dry your trainers out at the end of the day

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