Perspiration

Introduction

Our brains contain a nerve centre which regulates perspiration and which is situated in the hypothalamus. This nerve centre regulates the extent to which we perspire, thus keeping the body temperature in between normal limits.

It is activated in cases of physical exercise or fever, but also in the case of obesity, anxiety, stress, alcohol abuse, spicy food, disorders of the thyroid gland and untreated diabetes.
Anamnesis, clinical examination and analysis of the blood serve to make a diagnosis.

The eccrine glands: are spread across our entire body's skin (but very much concentrated in the armpits). These glands secrete fluid sweat (water!). Certain bacteria feed on this sweat which produces an odour. The eccrine glands are therefore responsible for perspiration odour.

The apocrine glands: are located in the inguinal folds, the armpits and the genital parts. They secrete a liquid, without any influence of warmth. The apocrine glands are therefore responsible for our body odour.

Remark: the smell of our feet is due to the proliferation of bacteria as a result of our wearing shoes. When walking barefeet, our feet can still sweat, but without a smell !

The body as a whole: wash twice per day, as well as after every outburst of perspiration; avoid alcohol abuse and spicy food. Try and anticipate moments of stress and prepare yourself. Avoid excess weight. Drugs, such as atropine, do exist, but they have a lot of side-effects (dry mouth, slower working of the stomach, etc.).

The hands: iontoforesis can help (two tubs of salted water through which a light electric current is run; you soak your hands in them for twenty minutes, and this three times per week). In doing so, you clog the pores. However, a light tingling can occur. Has to be carried out in hospital first, possibly at home afterwards.

The feet: you can bathe your feet in a 10% glutaraldehyde solution (formaldehyde is no longer used because of the danger of irritations and contact allergies). These foot-baths are certainly effective, but they cause those parts of the skin that have been soaked in the solution to turn a brownish colour.

The armpits: the methods most easy to use are epilation (the bacteria that cause the odour stick to the hair in the armpits!), deodorants and antiperspirants based on aluminium salts (these close the channels that link the sweat-glands to the skin).

The technique to locally inject Botox is very effective. You will find more information about it in this text.
A fairly new, but promising technique is the "local aspiration" of the sweat-glands. We explain this technique as well in this text.
Finally, extreme cases can justify the surgical removal of the armpits, but this causes numerous problems with respect to scars.

The local injection techniques are described in the following pages:

• Treatment by local Botox injections technique.

• Treatment by local aspiration technique.