Hyperhidrosis (Excessive Sweating)
Sweating
is an unfashionable subject but we all know that sweating is necessary to cool
the body. Simple
glands situated just below the surface skin secrete a watery solution onto the
skin; this evaporates leading to cooling.
These simple glands are found all over the body but are most numerous on
the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet and the armpits.
Hyperhidrosis
is sweating in excess of what is necessary for cooling.
The cause of the condition is unknown (many sufferers become anxious but
this may be in response to the sweating) but some cases are inherited.
It nearly always starts in childhood and continues well into middle-age.
The areas affected are where the sweat glands are most common - the
hands, feet and armpits, but some people also get it badly on the face.