It’s been hot and muggy — and you’ve been sweating.
Everybody does it, and everybody needs to do it, dermatologists say. Sweating is a natural function designed to cool the body in response to changes in heat, stress, emotion or physical activity.
“You want to control it when it’s excessive, but you don’t want zero sweat,” dermatologist Sylvia Wright says. If you don’t sweat, you run the risk of overheating your body and suffering heatstroke, she says.
Whether you glisten with a dewy glow or you’re sopped in streams of sweat depends on variables such as hormonal imbalances, overactive thyroid gland, certain foods and medications and overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.
If you exercise frequently, you’re likely to work up a big sweat. But don’t be fooled by large pools of perspiration; wetness does not equal fitness.
Sweating means you’re getting rid of body heat generated by your muscles during a vigorous workout, says Robyn Stuhr, exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. It does not necessarily reflect how hard you’re working or the amount of calories burned. Since everyone sweats at different levels — some people sweat profusely due to body weight, poor conditioning or heredity — sweat should not be used as an indicator of how hard a person is working, she says.
“Exercising until you break a sweat is a general rule of thumb that doesn’t work for most people,” Stuhr says. “[Sweating] just means your body is hot. It could be that you’re working or exercising hard, or your body could be hot because it’s just a dang hot day.”
Middle school teacher Jeannine Crowe often approached the blackboard with her hands by her side. Crowe’s underarms and back often were soaked with perspiration caused by hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by sweaty palms, feet, underarms and face. An estimated 3 percent of the population has the condition, according to the International Hyperhidrosis Society.
“In the mornings, you put on your clothes but by the time I got to school I would have water under my arms,” says Crowe, who dried her clothes with a hair dryer throughout the day. “I was always very self-conscious about it, especially in front of middle school children.”
After trying various prescription antiperspirants and medicines, Crowe received Botox injections, which were approved in 2004 to block the transmission from the nerve endings to the sweat glands. In about two weeks, the excessive sweating was gone.
“It was socially the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Crowe says.
For underarms, Botox is a “great treatment, and very effective,” says Atlanta dermatologist Rutledge Forney, who does not recommend the treatment for the hands. “It’s safer than surgery,” she says.
Injections, which average about $900 and are administered every six to nine months, may cause bruising of the underarms and muscle weakness in the hands, she says.
Monique Yancey also suffered from hyperhidrosis most of her life until she received Botox a year ago and enjoyed immediate relief.
“I can get up in the morning, take my shower as normal, and I don’t have to worry,” she says.
WETNESS DOES NOT EQUAL FITNESS
A lot of people think the more they sweat, the better their workouts. Not true. Here are the primary measures of your intensity:
* Heart rate. Determine your exercise target heart rate by subtracting your resting pulse from 220. Multiply that number by 60 percent and 80 percent. Add your resting pulse back to those numbers and you’ll get your target heart rate. Depending on your fitness goals and level of fitness, you may want to alter your lower intensity.
* Perceived exertion. Subjective assessment of the difficulty of the exercise on a scale of 6-20. (6 is no exertion and 20 is maximal exertion). Exercise at an RPE (rating of perceived exertion) of about 12-16 (somewhat hard to hard) is associated with improvements in cardiovascular fitness.
* Talk test. If you cannot carry on a conversation without gasping for breath, then you’re pushing too hard. If you can sing an opera, you’re not working hard enough!
[AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE]STOP THE SWEAT
* Antiperspirants: Antiperspirants block sweat ducts in the underarms, hands, feet and sometimes face. They contain aluminum chloride; concentrations of 10 percent to 15 percent are recommended for excessive sweating of the underarms.
* Iontophoresis: Uses water to conduct a mild electrical current through the skin’s surface, thicken the outer layer of the skin and block the flow of sweat. Performed on the hands and feet by a dermatologist.
* Botox: In 2004, the FDA approved the injections of Botox to temporarily block the secretion of the chemical messenger in the nervous system responsible for “turning on” the body’s sweat glands.
* Surgery: Only recommended for severe cases, procedures include liposuction to remove the sweat glands and endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy to interrupt the transmission of nerve signals to the sweat glands. The procedures are permanent and not reversible. [SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL HYPERHIDROSIS SOCIETY]
TRUE OR FALSE?
A few things you thought you knew about sweat:
1. Sweat stinks
False. Sweat actually is odorless. When bacteria on the skin and hair metabolize the proteins and fatty acids, they produce an unpleasant odor, especially where there is heavier hair growth, like under the arms.
2. Stress increases sweat
True. As part of the flight-or-fight response, when you get in a stressful situation, your heart rate goes up, and your nervous system stimulates your sweat glands.
3. Sweating rids the body of toxins
False. Certain chemicals are excreted, but there’s no scientific proof that you’re getting rid of toxins.
4. Deodorants prevent sweating
False. Deodorants cannot prevent sweating, but they can reduce odor by limiting odor-causing bacteria.
5. Exercising in a plastic suit makes you lose more weight
False. You will sweat heavily and lose water weight, but the pounds will return when you drink after the workout. [A.J.C.]
Does sweat impact your everyday life?
Only a doctor can diagnose an out-of-the-ordinary condition, but the following questions will help you identify the impact sweat is having on your life:
* How much time a day do you spend dealing with sweat issues?
* Do you carry supplies such as pads, extra clothes, napkins, antiperspirants or towels to manage your sweat?
* How many times during the day do you change clothes or bathe?
* Do you ever change your plans due to excessive sweating or fear of excessive sweating?
* Have you tried various antiperspirants or powders to control sweat?
* Have you experienced skin rashes due to excessive sweating or the attempted treatment of sweating?
* Does excessive sweating affect your work performance or career choices?
* Does sweating in public cause you distress?
* Have you ever lost friends or a job due to excessive sweating?
Discuss any positive answers with your doctor. [SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL HYPERHIDROSIS SOCIETY]
STAYING DRIER
Whether you suffer from regular or excessive perspiration, follow these tips to stay drier:
* Bathe often to reduce the amount of bacteria on your skin.
* Dry thoroughly after you bathe. Bacteria and fungi (which can cause body odor and infections on irritated skin) thrive in damp spaces, like between your toes.
* Apply antiperspirants morning and night. Gently massage them into underarms, hands and feet. Follow doctor’s orders if using a prescription antiperspirant.
* Dress appropriately. Wear natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool and silk, which allow your skin to breathe.
* Try relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation or biofeedback. These can help you learn to control the stress that can trigger perspiration.
* Alter your diet. Take note of any foods or beverages that cause you to sweat more than usual and consider eliminating caffeinated beverages, alcohol, hot spices and foods with strong odors.
* Don’t forget your feet. If you have trouble with sweaty feet, slip out of your shoes frequently or go barefoot as often as you can. Wear socks made of merino wool or a synthetic blend that helps wick moisture away from the feet.
[SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL HYPERHIDROSIS SOCIETY]
