The good news is: your routine can help both the sweating itself and manage the knock-on effects like odor and breakouts. Let's dive in
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MANAGING SWEAT
Sweating is naturally and everyone does it, but there are plenty of moments when it's a nuisance. A few things that actually help
Give yourself time to cool down before applying anything. If you train in the mornings, you've met this problem: you shower and dry off but 2 minutes laters your forehead is forming pearls again. Most products won't sit well on actively sweating skin, so if you can finish the shower on cold, and apply moisturizer after.
In general we recommend only using cleanser at night to avoid overstripping, but sweat also leaves residue and salts behind. Consider using a toner like glycolic or hypochlorous acid to kill off the bacteria.
The only product that actually reduces sweat is anti-perspirant, the rest just manage. Aluminium salts are the only class of ingredients proven to block sweats at the ducts, and a cream formula like this one from Kiehl's is great for applying on your face. Dab a little on the temples and hairline and let it dry. As with all anti-perspirants this cream is most effective when applied overnight as it gives the aluminium time to plug up the ducts.
WTF IS HYPERHIDROSIS
Hyperhidrosis is the medical term to describe your body sweating more than necessary to regulate it's own temperature. It can happen anywhere on your body, but the face and scalp get their own category (craniofacial hyperhidrosis)
Sweating in buckets in a heatwave of halfway through a sprint workout is normal and even healthy. What distinguishes hyperhidrosis is that it happens without an obvious trigger.
Researchers haven't pinned down the exact cause, but it seems to come down to an overactive sympathetic nervous system (the automatic one that controls heart rate). Worth noting this is not anxiety, but typically runs in families and some people with hyperhidrosis are perfectly calm when dripping.
Where anxiety does come in, frustratingly, is in the feedback loop. Noticing your own excessive sweating can make you anxious and embarrassed, which can trigger more sweating. Annoying...
So if the over-the-counter solutions aren't cutting it, there are clinical routes worth knowing about.
AT THE CLINC
Should a licensed clinician determine you have hyperhidrosis, here's roughly what's on the menu.
The first thing a doctor may do to treat hyperhidrosis is perscribing you and RX strength anti-perspirant. Much like our own anti-perspirants, these contain aluminium salts, but at a higher concentration (about 20%) and they have to be washed off in the morning to avoid irritation. Don't don't fall for the fear mongering you may have seen online, there's no credible evidence linking aluminium anti perspirants to health issues.
But when it comes to facial sweating, you generally don't want to rub perscription strength deodorant on your forehead as it can be very irritating. This is when a doctor may consider a targeted botox treatment for the affected area. The injection works by turning off the nerve signals that tell your glands to sweat, and it lasts several months. While this is not medical advice, on the plus side you may smoothen out fine lines too!... This was a joke, cue the mandatory disclaimer:
The above text is for informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before starting or changing any medical treatment.
