Excessive Facial Sweating

Although, excessive face sweating does not have any serious implications, it can be particularly embarrassing for the concerned individual. Read on, to know more about excessive facial sweating.
Excessive Facial Sweating
Making public appearances with oily face and greasy hair is definitely embarrassing. A medical condition known as hyperhidrosis is identified by excessive sweating on face. Although, this condition is not necessarily localized, it is the face and scalp that are affected in most cases. A person is likely to be suffering from hyperhidrosis when he perspires excessively, in absence of any physical activity.

Causes of Excessive Facial Sweating

The cause of excessive facial sweating is highly attributable to the malfunctioning of the nervous system. Facial blushing is yet another condition that often accompanies head and face sweating. Both of these conditions are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. Dysfunction of sympathetic nervous system triggers the facial sweat glands to produce more sweat. This leads to excessive sweating in the areas such as face, armpits, scalp, feet etc.

Implications of Excessive Facial Sweating

As mentioned before, excessive facial sweating does not have serious physical implications. However, the psychological implications can often have serious consequences. Excessive facial sweating makes the person wary of interacting socially. Perspiring profusely without an apparent reason can be pretty embarrassing for them. The blushing that comes along with hyperhydrosis often makes you look awkward, even when you are not. Obviously, the person tends to cut himself from the rest of the world, and spends more time indoors. The problem can be even worse for female patients,as they have tough time applying make-up and keeping it in place. Moreover, sweating in the head makes the scalp oily and affects the hair quality by making them limp and dirty. Excessive facial sweating can shatter the person's self-confidence for no fault of his.

Treatment for Excessive Facial Sweating

Surgery is the only way out when one thinks of how to stop face sweating permanently. However, many people are hesitant about undergoing a surgery, especially when the ailment is not particularly painful. Sympathectomy is the surgery recommended for correction of sympathetic nervous system. An incision is made under the armpit to reach the sympathetic nerve and correct it. It cures the patient completely and relieves him of the social embarrassment. However, the number of patients opting for this surgery is negligible, as most people trust the medications prescribed by their physicians. The topical drugs and medications do not produce similar results in all the patients and a person may have to undergo several trials before finding out which medication suits him the best.

If the cause of excessive facial sweating is psychological, then the person should consult a psychologist, who can help him to overcome the feeling responsible for sweating. This case is more common for teenagers, who often perspire profusely, when a person they admire is around. Such psychological conditions can be easily cured by controlling the responses to awkward feelings.

Many people do not think of this as a disorder and try to resolve the problem in their own way. This is a wrong practice, as it is concerned with the dysfunctioning of the nervous system and needs medical intervention. A physician may help you overcome your problem and lead your social life normally.

By Ashwini Kulkarni
Published: 8/19/2009
 
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