Sweating is a perfectly natural physiological process. If we can’t sweat, we can die as is proven by the way the body stops sweating when heat stroke and heat exhaustion occur. One of the big warning signs that you might be suffering from heat exhaustion is that despite the extreme heat, you’ve stopped sweating but feel clammy. The body perspires to maintain a normal temperature. When you get too hot, either because of the temperature of the air around you, physical exertion or a high emotional state, your body will start to sweat to release salts and other elements and drop in temperature. As the moisture evaporates on the skin it even gives you an instant feeling of coolness. But for some people, sweating goes beyond natural into excess.

Excessive Armpit Sweat

People who have serious sweating problems may have a condition known as hyperhidrosis. Someone with this problem will sweat, usually excessively, even when they feel cool. It’s as if their bodies don’t react just to temperature, but instead they sweat all the time. There’s no actual lab test for excessive sweating, but constantly sweaty armpits and around the body signifies the likelihood of the condition.

People with armpit sweating problems might feel embarrassed about having wet spots under their arms, and some will even have a wet spot down the back or on their chest. Some excessive sweaters have problems keeping their clothes clean because they end up with sweat rings and stains. While there’s nothing dirty about sweat, it does contain a variety of salts and impurities that can cause odor and stains when mixed with the bacteria that’s present on our skin. People who have excessive armpit sweating problems are going to be more prone to odor problems than those who don’t, even if they bathe daily and use a deodorant and antiperspirant to stop body odor.

How to Stop Armpit Sweating

For many people who want to stop armpit sweating, most regular mens deodorants with antiperspirant off the shelf at the store will do. There are even some natural deodorant products that may help; however, antiperspirants actually stop the sweat and keep the underarms dry. For those with hyperhidrosis, a prescription, or clinical strength antiperspirant may be necessary. Even though you can find deodorant without aluminum, aluminum chloride is the top ingredient in antiperspirants and prescription antiperspirants will contain much more of it than you can buy in over the counter sticks, spray or roll on.

If that doesn’t work, there are other treatments available like medication, electrical treatments, Botox treatments and even a surgical procedure designed to stop excessive sweating. The surgery is designed to shut down the body’s urge to sweat excessively. While it’s not a very invasive procedure, it’s still surgery and all surgery does carry a risk. It’s designed mostly for those who find excessive sweating becomes a problem in their lives. People whose faces tend to sweat heavily or whose palms sweat heavily are the best candidates for the surgery. Excessive armpit sweating generally doesn’t respond well or at all to the surgical procedure.

Sweating and Health

If you have excessive armpit sweat, you should contact your doctor to have a few tests run. You don’t need lab tests to diagnose hyperhidrosis, but sometimes the excessive sweating for seemingly no reason is caused by an underlying medical condition. If you sweat heavily, it does not mean that you’re sick. But if there is a medical cause, correcting that should also correct the excessive sweating problem.