Sweating Too Much? Don't Sweat It

by KYW's medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough

Do you perspire excessively? It can be an embarrassing problem and this time of year it can be particularly disturbing.

The first thing you should realize is that you are not alone. Many people sweat too much and feel uncomfortable. But there are treatments available. Some of the simplest are probably obvious for you: prescription or over-the-counter antiperspirants.

Another technique is quite effective, called iontophoresis: immersing hands and feet into cool water and adding a special medical device that delivers very low-voltage electrical current (iontophoresis). Obviously this is a medically approved machine used under the supervision of a health professional—most often a dermatologist.

For severe cases there is surgery—a procedure called a sympathectomy, designed to interrupt the nervous system's interaction with the sweat glands.