Excess underarm sweating is one of the most embarrassing problems encountered by millions of people. The sweating not only stains clothes but leads to a bad odor. Most people become so self-conscious that they lead a life of isolation and have low self-esteem. Most people with underarm sweating are too shy to seek treatment for fear of embarrassment. It is important to know that in most cases no cause of underarm sweating is ever discovered. Sometimes it is simply due to bad luck and bad genes.

What should be understood is that underarm sweating in most cases can be managed with simple changes in lifestyle. One should not prematurely rush off to a doctor as this is not only a complete waste of time but the venture can be expensive. So start off with home remedies first.

Personal hygiene

The first thing is to improve personal skincare hygiene; wash the underarm area with a plain soap – it really does not make any difference on the type of soap you use. If you sweat a lot under the arm pit, you also need to shave off the hair. Hair always make the odor worse and it also stimulates secretion of sweat. Keep the underarm hair free and that may mean saving regularly. This maneuver alone will make a big difference in many people.

Before you put on any clothes dry the under arms thoroughly and apply some type of powder baby powder or cornstarch. There is no need to buy any expensive medicated powders.

Today one can buy stick-on dress shield that prevent the dark sweaty circles from forming on your shirt.

Eat well

Even though there is no direct link between underarm sweating and food, try and eat healthy. There are some reports that spicy and hot foods may stimulate secretion of sweat. If you can avoid the garlic curry and spicy kebabs. Further, avoid drinking too many colas as these beverages also alter the odor of sweat.

Lose Weight

Watch your weight- in general obese individuals tend to sweat more than thin people. So if you can, enroll in an exercise program and get rid of the fat.

Use deodorants and antiperspirants

Use an antiperspirant like Drysol. Just before bedtime have a shower and dry the underarm area. Then apply Drysol and leave it overnight. The reason why Drysol cannot be left all day is that in many people it can cause mild to moderate skin irritation, which is often not well tolerated. Some people have to combine Drysol with a water based moisturizer to relieve the itch. In the morning wash away the Drysol and apply baby powder or you can also use a deodorant if you have bad odor. This is not a one shot deal and you may have to continue this for a long time. As Drysol starts to work you will notice a decrease in sweating but it often takes a few weeks.

Change clothes

Change your garments. You will need to start wearing clothes made out of cotton as this fabric does allow aeration. Fabrics like nylon and leather do not allow for aeration and allow the sweat to accumulate. If you exercise, always shower afterwards and wear a clean shirt. You may need to change your shirt frequently if the underarm sweating is excessive.

Try Botox

If all this fails to control underarm sweating the next step is to see a physician. One therapy that does work to relieve sweating of the underarm is botox. Botox works by blocking secretion of sweat but there are several downsides to botox. First injections into the underarm are not exactly painless. Second the treatment is temporary and only lasts a few month at best. Third, the cost of botox can vary from $400-$900 per underarm and fourth botox may not work because it is fake. Botox injections are done by many people; both doctors and non-doctors. The best advice is to seek someone who has medical training because there are some vital structures that run in the underarm. While a nurse with no surgical training may agree to inject botox for much less, the risk of complication is also increased. Botox is good option if you have a social function to attend to as the treatment starts to work within a few days.

Surgery is last choice

When botox fails and you want something more permanent to relieve underarm sweating, surgery is the last choice. Remember surgery is never the first choice to treat underarm sweating and it is also not an emergency. So never be rushed into it.

Over the years many surgical procedures have been devised to treat underarm sweating. Some plastic surgeons offer to perform liposuction but this treatment is more like a scam. Just like you can’t treat obesity with liposuction, you cannot treat under arm sweating with liposuction. Plus there are vital structures in the underarm that can be damaged during liposuction. Finally liposuction is not cheap.

Other surgeons offer a procedure called curettage- essentially the surgeon scrapes off all the sweat glands with an abrasive instrument.-a very painful procedure and the results are abysmal-highly not recommended.

And there are also some surgeons who offer to remove the entire underarm skin and sweat glands- again a very radical procedure that is associated with horrendous complications.

The ideal surgery procedure for underarm sweating is called sympathectomy. It does work, but is expensive.