Reducing Underarm Sweat

It’s Thanksgiving and you’re about to meet your future in-laws for the first time. Knowing you need to make a good impression, you spend the morning showering, shaving, and pressing your favorite shirt. But by the time you get to Thanksgiving dinner and take off your jacket, you notice two big wet spots forming under your arms. Mortified, you excuse yourself to the bathroom to stuff your shirt with toilet paper and attempt to disguise the stains.

Embarrassing as it may be, sweating is an important, natural process for regulating the body’s internal temperature. Normally, the body sweats to cool itself during exercise or hot weather. But some medical conditions can cause the sweat glands to work overtime, soaking your shirt at the most inconvenient moments. Those with excessive sweating not only have to deal with damp clothing, but also body odor, stains, and social anxiety at work and in relationships.

Fortunately, there are some ways you can reduce underarm sweating and avoid situations like the one above.

• Make sure your deodorant contains an antiperspirant. If you’re a longtime sufferer of excessive sweating, you’ve probably already done this. But it’s worth checking the label of the product you’re currently using to be absolutely certain this isn’t the culprit of your problem. While deodorants help control the smell associated with underarm sweating, antiperspirants control moisture by temporarily blocking the sweat glands.
• Consider a prescription strength product. If your drugstore antiperspirant isn’t enough to combat your sweaty armpits, a prescription strength alternative may help. Your doctor can prescribe a product with a stronger concentration of aluminum chloride hexahydrate. Upon contact with sweat, this active ingredient breaks down into small particles and absorbs into sweat ducts, clogging them temporarily.
• Apply antiperspirant at nighttime. Swiping your underarms with antiperspirant before bed may seem counter-intuitive, but it could help boost the effectiveness of the product you’re using. Since you sweat less while you’re resting, your antiperspirant has a good eight hours to soak into your glands before it has to work hard to control moisture. Follow up with another application in the morning for good measure and extra security.
• Wear clothing made from natural materials. Did you know the clothes you wear could make your sweating problem better or worse? Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, and silk are more breathable and allow air to pass through to your skin. Steer clear of synthetic materials that can trap heat and prevent moisture from evaporating, including nylon, rayon, and polyester. As if you needed another reason to never wear that leisure suit again.

• Learn to manage your stress. Stress is inevitable, but there are ways you can manage it to keep underarm sweating under control. Soothing practices like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, journaling, and making time to do something you enjoy each day can be helpful tools in managing stress. Aerobic exercise can relieve tension, and eating a healthy diet will make you feel good about yourself. All of these things can have a cumulative effect on your stress level.

• Try natural remedies. When your internal body temperature becomes too warm, your hypothalamus sends a signal to your glands to produce sweat. You can prevent your body temperature from rising in the first place by drinking cool water throughout the day. Staying hydrated has a number of positive effects on the body, and sweat control is just one of them. You can also apply talcum powder or cornstarch to your underarms to soak up excess moisture and control body odor.

Don’t let underarm sweating prevent you from enjoying life’s important moments.

Your first day at a new job; proposing to the love of your life; standing at the altar on your wedding day – these are the moments you’ll remember forever. Don’t allow uncontrollable underarm sweating to make you feel self-conscious, anxious, or downright embarrassed when you’re supposed to feel nothing but joy. If you’re ready to get your underarm sweating under control once and for all, call us.