The Anti-Sweat Guide - How To Handle Your Excessive Sweating
Dr. Sandra Eriksson Mirkovic
Physician with a special interest in hyperhidrosis
This guide is aimed primarily at those who suffer from hyperhidrosis - a disease that leads to a greatly increased tendency to sweat, despite outer stimuli like environment and activity, but it can also be helpful to you with “normal sweat”.There are a variety of anti-sweat products and treatments on the market. For those of you who suffer from heavy sweating, you have probably tried some of these and noticed that they were not very helpful. However, there are other, not so well known, anti-sweat treatments that even healthcare professionals lack knowledge of.
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The most suitable anti-sweat product or treatment largely depends on which areas of the body are affected by excessive sweating. For issues with sweating on the hands, feet, armpits, or even other areas like the face, one of the most effective options is to use an anti-sweat device, specifically an iontophoresis machine, which allows you to treat sweating conveniently at home. This machine is simple to use and doesn’t require assistance from healthcare professionals. Compared to many other anti-sweat treatments, iontophoresis is cost-effective and typically has mild side effects, such as skin irritation, which can occur if the instructions are not followed or if the currents are set too high.
When used correctly, iontophoresis can provide significant symptom relief, often resulting in little to no sweating in the treated areas within a couple of weeks (approximately 12 treatment sessions, though this can vary). Maintenance treatments are then required on an ongoing basis, typically lasting 20–40 minutes per session, one to a few days per week, to sustain the results. While the treatments may feel time-consuming, the payoff of reducing excessive sweating and achieving normal levels of sweating is well worth the effort.
Another evidence-based anti-sweat device with proven results is Miradry. Miradry is specifically approved for treating excessive underarm sweating. The treatment involves applying a local anesthetic to the armpits, followed by the use of microwaves at a specific wavelength to heat the sweat glands, reducing their ability to produce sweat. In many cases, the results are permanent after 1–2 treatments. However, this method is more invasive and more expensive compared to iontophoresis.
Best antiperspirants
Another anti-sweat method is antiperspirants of various kinds. Most are available in rollon form, adapted for the treatment of the armpits and most contain aluminum chloride. There are rumors circulating on the internet that the aluminum in antiperspirants would be carcinogenic but there are no studies that prove this. Many of you may have tried applying the roll on your feet or hands and noticed that the result hasn’t been very good. There are different brands of products, e.g. STOP 24, Carpe and Perspirex for example, which are stronger antiperspirants and where several of them have anti-sweat products in other forms than rollon. It can be, for example, a spray for the chest and back, a foot cream and others. These can be easier to apply and with a stronger anti-sweat effect than if you, as I mentioned, apply the rollon on, for example, the feet. Remember that when you apply a product that contains aluminum chloride, the skin must be dry.
Many people sweat less in the evening, so it can be a good time to apply the product, which often has to remain on the skin for a certain number of hours before it is washed off. If you would start sweating when the product is on the skin, there is a risk that the chloride in the product reacts with hydrogen in the sweat and forms HCl, hydrochloric acid, which irritates the skin and creates a rash. Many people mistake this for an allergic reaction, but it is all the more common with irritation due to the formation of acid. Some patients who have been prescribed anti-sweat medication choose to take a tablet before applying the aluminum chloride product, to sweat less and not risk skin irritation.
Anti-sweat treatment
Another type of local anti-sweat treatment in cream form is Antihydral which comes from Germany, is used a lot by climbers and seems to have a good anti-sweat effect on mainly hands and feet. A disadvantage is that the skin may become slightly yellowish from the product.
A popular anti-sweat treatment that is useful on all body parts is injection with a poison from a bacterium called Clostridium.B. The poison is diluted and is commonly used in healthcare for the treatment of, for example, migraines but also for the treatment of wrinkles and also as an anti-sweat method. The problem with this method is that it is expensive, can be painful if you do not have access to proper anesthesia and that not all caregivers have the knowledge to treat areas other than the armpits. The advantages of the method are that it is very effective in many cases, with mild side effects such as transient muscle weakness and that the effect often lasts 3-6 months and sometimes longer.
Anti-sweating medication in tablet form is available, although it is usually medication developed for other indications where the side effect in the form of reduced sweating is used and these medications are also prescribed for sweating. The advantage of these tablets is that they often have a good anti-sweat effect on the whole body, so it is especially appreciated by those who suffer from generalized hyperhidrosis. The downside is that the tablets often go with troublesome side effects such as dry mouth, visual impairment, constipation and even cognitive impairment. In the elderly, a certain increased risk of dementia associated with these drugs has been seen, but data are lacking for younger patients.
This is a selection of the anti-sweat treatments and anti-sweat products available on the market today. Hopefully, knowledge of sweat problems will increase and new and better methods will be added in the coming years.
It can be very troublesome to struggle with sweating, but remember, you are not alone!
Anti sweat machine
Our Hidroxa SE 20 iontophoresis machine is easy to use and clinically tested for treating excessive sweating of palms, feet, face, and armpits.
Iontophoresis is a scientifically proven method that works for approximately 95% of our customers. You can reach its full effect with 12 treatments.
Anti sweat machine
Our Hidroxa SE 30 iontophoresis machine is easy to use and clinically tested for treating excessive sweating of palms, feet, face, and armpits.
Iontophoresis is a scientifically proven method that works for approximately 95% of our customers. You can reach its full effect with 12 treatments.
TrustScore!
Julian has submitted a review about Hidroxa
“I can't believe it: IT WORKS! After 40 years with this annoying problem that, not always, but often plagued me, especially with heat and stress, it took less than two weeks of treatment and .. magic! The beauty is that I am not sweating in the hands anymore, but my general sweating has also been regulated, and it's fantastic. Just one word: THANK YOU“
Kate has submitted a review about Hidroxa
"I bought this product because my excessive hand sweating was in certain ways limiting my social life, and disturbing me while doing sports. I did the treatments on my hands and feet every day for 12 days. I noticed small improvements already after 6 treatments, and significant results after 10 treatments. After the first 12 treatments I started to use it every other day. When writing this review I have completed 18 treatments, and I’m really happy with the result. The positive problem I have today is that my skin is very dry, and I need to moisturize frequently."
Dario has submitted a review about Hidroxa
"After 8-9 treatments/days, I became completely dry on my hands. I started using Hidroxa almost a month ago. Now I do treatments every three days and am still completely sweat-free.The treatments are very easy to perform and painless. So far I have only treated hands but I have noticed that my feet also sweat much less than before. Do not really know why but it may be because my hand sweat triggered the foot sweat. It is a very desirable side effect. I would definitely recommend Hidroxa and am completely satisfied with the purchase. It's a game changer!"
