Understanding Sweating

Sweat is an essential and necessary physiological process in the human body. Its primary function is to cool down the body and protect it from overheating. The inability to sweat is called anhidrosis (or sometimes hypohidrosis), and - as appealing as it may sound to someone with hyperhidrosis - can actually be a serious and life-threatening problem.

There are 2-4 million sweat glands spread across the human body. Most of them are "eccrine" sweat glands, which are the type used to regulate body temperature. They produce an odorless, clear fluid, and it is these glands that are involved with hyperhidrosis. The other, less common type of sweat gland is the "apocrine" sweat gland. These produce a thick, milky fluid responsible for body odor.

Sweating, whether from eccrine or apocrine glands, is activated by nerves. Nerves are responding to various stimuli such as hormones, emotions, physical activity, or a message from the brain that the body is too hot.

As mentioned above, hyperhidrosis is characterized by overreaction of the eccrine sweat glands to stimuli. Stated differently, more sweat is produced than is necessary.

Because there is no difference in apocrine sweat, people with hyperhidrosis should not have increased body odor. Or at least not as a direct result of the condition. Deodorants can be used, by people with hyperhidrosis and those without, to help control body odor, but patients with hyperhidrosis should, in the overwhelming majority of cases, be applying antiperspirants to control the excess eccrine sweat.

At Undefined Health, we offer a line of prescription-strength antiperspirants that we recommend when over-the-counter options are not enough to control your excessive sweating. Get started by filling in a short medical intake form, and a doctor will review and prescribe, if appropriate. Medications are shipped from our pharmacy directly to your door.