Identifying the Reasons For Facial Hyperhidrosis

by Mark Montel

Posted on Thursday 30th of June 2011

Facial hyperhidrosis or excessive facial sweating goes hand-in-hand with facial blushing. If you have hyperhidrosis on the face, you heavily sweat on the forehead, nose, and upper lip. In addition, you may also experience some sweat dripping off your nose. Aside from the face, your scalp and neck may be extremely sweaty too.

When you have the condition of hyperhidrosis, your sweating goes beyond your body’s need for regulating its temperature. Although this condition is generally considered as a genetic one, there may also be other things that affect, worsen, or trigger it. It is very important to know what causes or aggravates the condition so you can address it properly and experience as less symptoms as possible—if not totally eliminate them.

Below are some steps you should take if you suspect that you are suffering from facial hyperhidrosis:

• Ask your family members whether they know of someone in the family who suffered or who is currently experiencing the same condition. If you excessively sweat on the face in the absence of any external stimulus, then it could be very difficult to point its origin other than heredity.

• Check if you have other symptoms which are perceptive of a hyperactive sympathetic system. A hyperactive sympathetic system is a proven cause of excessive sweating on the face. When one’s sympathetic nervous system is overly sensitive, facial blushing and/or facial hyperhidrosis occur. They occur even during small social encounters which normally should not cause any anxiety or panic to a person. These kinds of reaction are uncontrollable and they make the person seem nervous when in reality, he or she is not.

• Check whether you have been going through some serious stress or suffering from any anxiety. When you are anxious about something like making a speech in public, it could trigger excessive facial blushing and sweating. In layman’s term, this condition is often called a “stage fright”. An extreme form of stage fright may be accompanied with confusion, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath. This condition is already a psychological disorder called “panic attack”.

• Make a rundown of the food that you eat and reflect on your diet. One main trigger of hyperhidrosis (not only of the face but also of other parts of the body) is the toxins from the food that we eat. Generally, sugar is held responsible for excessive perspiration. Even individuals suffering from panic attacks experience less sweating when they cut down on their sugar consumption.

• Make sure that you do not have other symptoms that may be pointing to hyperthyroidism. An over-active thyroid or hyperthyroidism can actually cause excessive facial sweating. When your thyroid is producing more than the enough amount of hormone that it is supposed to, it can bring about symptoms which are highly similar to panic attacks or anxiety. You may blush, sweat, and be unable to tolerate heat.

Facial hyperhidrosis is not completely curable, but if you know its probably cause, you may be able to significantly alleviate its symptoms. It is very important to consult with your doctor and go through the process of knowing its origin. This way, you could be given advice and prescription on how to deal with it.