Sweaty Feet (Hyperhydrosis)
Wet, sloshy, sweaty feet that side around in your shoes and sandals. That can’t feel good! Why don’t your feet stop sweating?
You are not alone. There are approximately 8 million people who suffer from what we refer to as "Hyperhydrosis". 30% of them suffer from what you have, sweaty feet, or "plantar hyperhydrosis".
Hyperhydrosis may actually be a symptom of other medical conditions including hyperthyroidism, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, lymphoma, hypoglycemia, parasites, metabolic dysfunction, diabetes, liver disease, menopause and psychological disorders such as panic attacks. Some medications may also cause excessive sweating. In the cases where no causes are found, known as "idiopathic" or "primary hyperhidrosis", overactivity of the nerves of the sympathetic nervous system, which send signals to the sweat gland of the skin, seems to be the culprit. This type of hyperhydrosis is a hereditary condition and even young children can suffer from this incessant sweating.
We know what all this sweating does to your feet! It causes your feet to shift more in shoes and sandals, making it more difficult to keep them on. This increased shifting causes increased friction, which in turn forms blisters. With all this lingering moisture, inevitably, foot odor is also a problem. On a more psychological level, we see many patients who feel a deep sense of embarrassment over their affliction because it impacts their personal and social life on many different fronts.
What treatments options are available? Here they are!
Topical alternatives
Foot powders- Those with cornstarch are popular but this is very visible on your feet especially wearing sandals and can get messy.
Anti-perspirant- Yes, good old fashioned under arm anti-perspirant has the active ingredient "aluminum chloride" that helps to reduce sweating in mild cases. There are stronger levels of aluminum chloride in prescriptive products and a visit to your podiatrist is recommended for these topical medications. Be warned that these chemicals on your feet can cause irritation.
Medicinal:
There are many prescriptive medications being used off label that help block the sweating on a cellular level such as propantheline bromide (Probanthine®), glycopyrrolate (Robinul®), oxybutynin (Ditropan®), and benztropine (Cogentin®). These do carry with them a number of side effects ranging from dry mouth and eyes to constipation, difficulty urinating, dizziness and even nose bleeds! Needless to say, these medications are typically not used for very long!
Alternative:
The Chinese have one–upped us in this category! There are some herbal remedies and even acupuncture that can ease some of your symptoms. Have not had any experience with patients claiming relief from these alternatives.
Iontopheresis
Botox
Surgical
:When you really have run the gamut of many or all of the above (and you really will have had to, to choose this one!) a sympathetomy becomes the final treatment option. This literally involves destroying the cluster of nerve cells that are responsible for this sweating. Now that is hard core!
Let’s go back to basics and give you some easy things you can start doing now:
1. Alter your diet. This goes out to those who love spicy food! If it makes your head sweat, guess what?
2. Chose natural materials such as leather for your dress shoes which allow your feet to breathe. Pleather is OUT!
3. When you are sitting on the couch, let those feet air out!
4. Wear the newer athletic synthetic socks that absorb sweat and change them often. Nylon hose or socks are the absolute worst!
5. Need to wear the nylon for your dress shoes and what about sandals?
Do we have the product for you! If you do nothing else, pick up a few pairs of Summer Soles inlays for all your shoes and sandals. Summer Soles is a podiatrist and dermatologist recommended, hypoallergenic amazing thin inlay that will literally wick and disperse the sweat off your feet! While it will not stop your feet from sweating, this product alone will make your feet feel dry in your shoes and sandals and keeps them from sliding around. It has a peel and stick backing that stays in place, but will not leave a residue in your foot wear when removed! You can now even get them scented with natural essential oils to keep odor under wraps! Check them out at www.summersoles.com:
Gets rid of wrinkles and makes your feet stop sweating?! What a bargain!
When nothing conventional seems to work, some people will resort to getting their feet injected multiple times with this stuff to block the chemical that is released by your body to make your feet sweat. Botox tends to work very well, only needing to be repeated several times per year, but be aware that it is not painless and sometimes require up to 50 injections per foot. Believe it or not, many people say it is well worth this temporary discomfort!!:
This treatment involves electrical stimulation to the soles of your feet while your feet are submerged in water. Who would have thought! A strong tingling sensation like the type you might feel after your foot falls asleep and starts to re-gain sensation. Iontophoresis, for best results, needs to be used one half hour every night per foot until sweating is controlled and will cause your feet to sweat less for about four to six weeks. The down side to this treatment is that it is time consuming and expensive. :
Contact Us
Foot and Ankle Associates of North Texas, LLP
2421 Ira E Woods Ave, Suite 100
Grapevine, Texas 76051
Phone: 817-416-6155
Fax: 817-329-9434
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Healthy Steps
2421 Ira E Woods Ave, Suite 100
Grapevine, Texas 76051
Phone: 817-796-3262
Get Directions