Did you know your face is the first place you can sweat through your eccrine glands? Even though your body’s sweat glands can function before birth, physicians don’t consider sweating possible until one full day after birth, with the face being the first place it can occur. Unfortunately, for some people, it may seem like once the sweating started, it never stopped.

It’s very normal to sweat on your face when you’re hot. However, if facial sweating occurs regularly or in unusual situations like in a cool, indoor environment, it’s time to see a doctor for a full medical check-up.

Excessive sweating is a medical condition also known as hyperhidrosis and can extend to the face and scalp. Craniofacial hyperhidrosis is the rarest form of hyperhidrosis, and it includes excessive sweating of the forehead, scalp and back of the neck.

The underlying cause of craniofacial hyperhidrosis depends on which type of hyperhidrosis you have. Primary hyperhidrosis is thought to come from emotional triggers such as anxiety, stress or fear. Secondary hyperhidrosis is the result of several medical conditions such as malignant tumors, infections, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and hyperthyroidism. Since the hypothalamus controls glandular function as well as the regulation of body temperature, an endocrine disorder may also be responsible for your excessive sweating.

Facial sweating can be even more stressful and embarrassing than other types of excessive sweating. That’s because we cannot hide the effects of excessive sweating on the face.

If your doctor determines that your extreme sweating is not the result of other medical conditions or medications, the treatment will be similar to the one used for other body areas of excessive sweating. You can start treating the condition with products used on the skin at the area of sweating (topical solutions).

If topical antiperspirant solutions don’t work, another solution is botulinum toxin injections. Botox has become a widely recognised treatment for hyperhidrosis, gaining FDA’s stamp of approval in 2004. Botox treats extreme sweating by blocking the secretion of the chemical that activates sweat glands. Overall, the procedure is relatively quick and painless.

In the case of craniofacial hyperhidrosis, physicians use Botox injections to block the neural signals that are responsible for triggering the unneeded working of sweat glands. Once the working of sweat glands is under control, managing the excessive flow of sweat on the forehead, scalp, and face is relatively easy.

The results for reducing sweating with Botox can be determined after 3-4 days. Most of the patients are expected to experience between 50% and 80% reduction in the primary hyperhidrosis if the neurotoxin is properly injected. The results of Botox injections are visible for 6-7 months. However, this period could be increased if proper maintenance is done.

Excessive head or facial sweating can be an uncomfortable problem to deal. Unlike other types of sweating, head sweating is very difficult to hide and may lead to feelings of embarrassment and social withdrawal. If you’re living with excessive head, scalp, or facial sweating, it’s time to head off the problem. From antiperspirant products to Botox injections, there are ways to treat this condition so you can always put your best face forward.

To find out which is the best available treatment for you, email us at info@medisculpt.co.za