Causes of excessive sweating in adolescents. Your child is sweating a lot - what to do?

IN adolescence Often there is an increase in sweating, sometimes pronounced to a significant extent. Sweat trickling down, appearance unpleasant odor, the risk of skin diseases due to high humidity and the activity of microorganisms - all these problems require taking measures to combat hyperhidrosis. Adequate treatment can be arranged if the causes of excessive sweating in adolescents are known. Although most cases of excessive sweating are associated with changes in hormonal status, evaluation should always be performed to rule out diseases that lead to secondary hyperhidrosis.

Excessive sweating is a fairly common phenomenon in children. Often this condition is transient and goes away on its own without any treatment. But in some cases, increased sweating indicates pathology: rickets, deficiency nutrients and vitamins, neurological diseases, endocrine pathologies, tumor processes.

The second peak in sweating occurs during adolescence. Hyperhidrosis in adolescents is mainly associated with hormonal changes during puberty. Autonomic dysfunction that occurs when intensive growth body.

Depending on the pathogenetic factors that play a major role in the development of hyperhidrosis, the following types are distinguished:

  • thermoregulatory;
  • psychogenic;
  • food;
  • spontaneous;
  • induced by pharmacological drugs.

Increased sweating can be provoked by eating spicy foods, the presence of extractive substances in foods, and drinking alcohol. Food sweating is typically localized in the facial area, but it can also be generalized.

Excessive sweating can have varying degrees of severity. A slight increase in sweating is usually not a big concern. In case of severe sweating, the cause of the problem should be found out in order to choose further treatment tactics. Hyperhidrosis can be primary or secondary. In many cases, the condition is provoked by psycho-emotional factors, vegetative lability, and increased hormonal activity.

Read also: Causes of excessive sweating of hands: we highlight the main types of pathology

Primary hyperhidrosis in adolescents

Often, increased sweating occurs as a consequence of diseases and pathological conditions. This condition is called secondary hyperhidrosis; sweating with it is often generalized. At Primary hyperhidrosis is not associated with other diseases. It occurs on its own and is characterized by a local increase in sweating in one or several areas: on the palms, in the area, on the back. Less commonly, in the primary form the process is generalized.

The causes of this condition are not fully determined. If it is present, an increased sensitivity of the hypothalamus to impulses from the cerebral cortex that occurs under the influence of minor stress factors is revealed. Stimulation of nerve fibers leads to the release of acetylcholine, which enhances the activity of the sweat glands. Since primary hyperhidrosis is often observed in relatives, genetic factors play a role in its development.

Among the possible factors that determine the likelihood of developing primary hyperhidrosis, scientists identify the following characteristics of the body:

  • increased sensitivity to adrenaline and norepinephrine;
  • the level of sex and thyroid hormones approaching the upper limit of normal;
  • features of the functioning of the central department and ganglia of the autonomic nervous system, in which a large number of impulses are formed;
  • a large amount of serotonin, which enhances conductivity in the fibers of the autonomic nervous system.

Primary hyperhidrosis can develop during childhood. This early form is usually permanent and manifests itself as sweating of the palms or feet. If the pathology develops later, in the second decade of life, it is usually remitting in nature. This form of the disease is characterized by periods of remission, when sweating practically does not exceed normal limits. Adolescents with this pathology usually experience increased sweating in the palms, feet, and armpits.

Primary hyperhidrosis in the axillary areas, which occurs more often than other variants, is usually hereditary. The disease is more common among boys; girls suffer from axillary hyperhidrosis less often. IN armpits with pathologically increased sweating, the glands enlarge due to cyst-like expansion of the secretory areas. The amount of sweat produced by such hyperplastic glands can be quite significant.

Increased sweating with primary hyperhidrosis usually stops at night. There is a dependence on psycho-emotional state, while the response to temperature changes environment quite adequate.

Secondary hyperhidrosis

Sweating has a neuroreflex regulation mechanism. But the condition of the skin, endocrine glands, and blood vessels. Excessive sweating may be a symptom of other diseases. Many diseases lead to pathological changes in organs and systems, which can result in increased sweating.

Sweating is a natural process for a teenager, as for any person. This is how the body regulates body temperature, preventing the body from overheating. But the feet and palms do not participate in thermoregulation, so their sweating causes anxiety and a feeling of discomfort.

Many teenagers suffer from the fact that their palms become wet at the most inopportune moments. Although this phenomenon is quite widespread, it causes a feeling of discomfort among young people. This can contribute to the formation of complexes and interfere with freedom of communication with peers. Teenagers, as well as their parents, are often worried about the question: why do our hands and feet sweat so much? The reasons may vary.

Causes of hyperhidrosis in teenagers

Teenage sweating is a natural phenomenon and doctors say that you just need to get over it. As soon as hormonal changes end, sweating will return to normal. In addition to hormonal changes, active restructuring of other body systems occurs. So, during this period the heart grows faster than the blood vessels. This difference leads to increased fatigue in young people. Physical activity affects your general condition and can also lead to more intense sweating. During this period, the teenager should pay more attention to personal hygiene. In order to get rid of moisture on the body, you can use special powders and deodorants.

Feet often sweat if the shoes are not chosen correctly. To school you need to wear removable shoes that will allow your feet to breathe. If, being indoors for a long time, young people go to winter shoes, they cannot avoid sweating.

There are times when additional measures should be taken. Individual psychological and physiological characteristics, chronic diseases require attention and adjustment by specialists.

1. Psychological stress

During the period of hormonal changes, a person becomes easily excitable. Even a seemingly insignificant event can cause a serious nervous tension, which makes your hands sweaty.

A neurologist or psychotherapist can help in this situation. After conducting an examination, the specialist will determine why the teenager reacts so sharply to everything and will prescribe corrective treatment (sedative decoctions or medications, psychological support sessions).

2. Infections

Increased sweating is caused not only by the flu, acute respiratory viral infections or tonsillitis. The cause of sweating may be tuberculosis, malaria or AIDS.

3. Consequences of taking antibiotics

Long-term use of antibiotics leads to the destruction of the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the functioning of the intestines and peripheral nerves is disrupted, and the immune system is weakened. The result is severe sweating.

4. Increased body weight

Why is excess weight a double health problem? On the one hand, the more weight, the greater the load on all body systems. The intense work of organs leads to an increase in body temperature. The second part of the problem is that there is a thick layer of fat under the skin that interferes with heat transfer. Excess heat can escape from such a “thermos” only through sweat. The result is increased sweating, arms and legs become additional channels for cooling the body.

The solution in this case is to get rid of excess weight. Until your body returns to normal, you should shower twice a day and drink more water to improve your metabolism.

5. Vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD)

VSD in adolescents is a common phenomenon. About a quarter of children of this age are diagnosed with VSD or NCD . These are various problems at work internal organs associated with disruption of their nervous regulation. As a result, the body's thermoregulation is disrupted, and teenagers sweat a lot.

This disease is diagnosed by a neurologist. He also prescribes treatment. For your part, you should avoid foods that stimulate the nervous system: hot and spicy foods, energy drinks, coffee and drinks containing alcohol. Helps normalize well-being active recreation, exercise, fitness ().

6. Endocrine disorders

Thyrotoxicosis. This is a disease in which the level of thyroid hormones is significantly increased. Signs of this disease: rapid heartbeat and increased sweating throughout the body, not just the arms or legs.

Diabetes mellitus develops as a result of a lack of insulin. Signs of diabetes mellitus include frequent thirst and sweating of the upper half of the body, while the legs do not sweat at all, and are often too dry.

An examination by an endocrinologist will help you find out why a teenager sweats and what to do to treat it.

7. Genetic predisposition

If the tendency to hyperhidrosis is inherited, it manifests itself from childhood, and during puberty it becomes more pronounced. The causes of sweating in this case have nothing to do with nutrition or general physical condition, and the smell of sweat is especially pungent.

To reduce sweating, it is advisable to wear clothes that contain as much natural fiber as possible, and use talcum powder for hands and feet, as well as body powder.

Diagnosis of hyperhidrosis

Parents cannot accurately determine why their child's hands and feet are sweating based on home observations. Only a specialist can identify the real causes of sweating in a teenager. If this condition persists for a long time, you should go to the hospital for examination.

Increased sweating can be local (as a separate disease) or secondary (accompanying the underlying disease). To diagnose primary (local) hyperhidrosis, an examination by a dermatologist is sufficient. Drug treatment for such a disease is prescribed by a specialist.

Fighting sweating in teenagers with folk remedies

If you have excessive sweating of your hands and feet, you can take five-minute baths with herbal decoctions.

Sage + nettle. 1 tbsp. l. Mix the leaves and pour a glass of boiling water. Leave for 10-30 minutes, strain, add 3 glasses of water.

Viburnum bark. Pour 10g of bark into a glass of water and bring to a boil. Leave for 2 hours.

Tea. Brew strong tea, let cool to body temperature.

You can prepare the following solution: glycerin, lemon juice and vodka in a ratio of 2:1:1. Wipe hands after contact with water


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Excessive sweating in teenagers - how to deal with it?

Sweating in a teenager can be completely normal, or it can turn into a real problem. It all depends on the intensity of sweating during adolescence.

Normally, adolescence is a time of great changes in the body. Rapid growth of the whole body occurs, parents do not have time to buy clothes - they become small so quickly. And, naturally, during this period there are hormonal changes in the entire body.

The nervous system also does not stand aside - everyone knows how quickly a teenager’s mood changes. He is either affectionate, like a kitten, or suddenly slams the door in his parents' face in response to a harmless question. All these factors (hormonal, nervous, etc.) affect the functioning of the sweating system. Namely, sweat secretion begins to increase.

Features of the sweating system of adolescents

If they tell you that excessive sweating in a teenager is normal, there is some truth in this. But it is also true that each child is individual, and excessive sweating in one case will be a variant of the norm, and in another - a sign of a disease.

Sweat glands are divided into two types: eccrine (they are scattered throughout the body) and apocrine, their ducts exit next to the hair - on the pubis, in the armpits. The sweat itself, when released, has no odor, however, when it mixes with bacteria and fungi, which large quantities are on the hair, a “fragrance” appears...

It is at this age that girls begin to shave their armpits, and in some cases also shave their pubic hair. Most often, this is done not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to reduce the smell of sweat. Excessive sweating during puberty is expressed in an inadequate reaction of the sweat glands to rather weak stimuli. Fear of speaking at the board can provoke an attack of sweating; a physical education lesson can also become an impetus for increased sweat production.

Why does a teenager sweat?

Botox injections temporarily relieve hyperhidrosis

Doctors name several dozen causes of hypersweating, so to say that increased sweating is just a transitional age, and after a few years everything will return to normal, is, to say the least, illiterate. What should a teenager do during this very period? This approach does not calm him down. Therefore, you need to convince your child to see a dermatologist.

An experienced doctor can sometimes determine at first glance whether something serious has happened to your patient or whether simple hygiene measures are sufficient. The doctor should examine the teenager and ask him at what moments the sweating increases especially strongly. He determines the degree of the disease (if it is a separate disease - hyperhidrosis), prescribes an additional examination (if he suspects some other pathology).

Hyperhidrosis disease is usually recognized by the following symptoms:

  • It is not the whole body that sweats, but individual areas - armpits, soles of feet, palms, inguinal-perineal area, face or its individual parts - forehead, cheeks;
  • Sweating increases without visible reasons at the slightest excitement or physical exertion
  • A foul odor often characterizes precisely the disease – hyperhidrosis;

If you ask a doctor a question about how long it takes for teenagers to go away from excessive sweating, the answer may be the most unexpected. After all, you went to the doctor, secretly hoping that this condition will “go away on its own” with age, but they may tell you that special treatment will be required.

Treatment of hyperhidrosis in adolescents - how is it different from treatment in adults?

So, we will not examine cases where sweating is caused by a serious illness, for example, diabetes, AIDS, tuberculosis or oncology. Here it is necessary to treat the main disease, after which the sweating will disappear. Such diseases are treated in specialized clinics - tuberculosis or oncology clinics, infectious diseases hospitals. Patients with endocrine pathology (hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, obesity) can receive treatment at home, after consultation with an endocrinologist.

Treatment of teenage hyperhidrosis with Botox injections

The disease itself, hyperhidrosis, is treated in adolescents in several ways:

  1. Use of aluminum chloride antiperspirants. The same drugs are also used in adults, the only difference is in the concentration of the active substance - aluminum chloride. Teenagers can use such antiperspirants with a concentration of no more than 12%. If the sweating is very severe, only a doctor can prescribe a product with a concentration of up to 20%.
  2. are used for excessive sweating of the palms, feet, armpits and perineum. The method reliably protects against sweat, but you have to repeat the procedure every six months, and the cost is not affordable for everyone - a series of injections will cost you about 40,000 rubles.
  3. Physiotherapy is the most harmless and easiest way to get rid of hypersweating of the palms and feet. Iontophoresis is carried out both in the clinic and at home; for this, a special device is purchased and used once a week (or as the doctor says).
  4. Surgeries to eliminate excessive sweating are, as a rule, not performed on teenagers; they are recommended to wait until they are 18 years old, and only after that, if the symptoms do not go away, should they contact surgeons.

If you are interested in the question of sweating in teenagers - how to deal with it - then, in addition to the methods listed above, you must follow simple but effective rules for caring for your own body. This daily shower(contrasting is best), wearing clothes and underwear only from natural materials, which absorb sweat well.

Moderate physical education and morning exercises also have a beneficial effect on the body. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the teenager’s diet - avoid hot foods and drinks, too salty (chips) or fatty foods. You need to eat more fruits, vegetables, and drink freshly squeezed juices.

Some teenagers, ashamed of their condition, lock themselves within four walls, do not communicate with peers, and rarely go out. This is absolutely wrong! Fresh air is necessary for a growing body, so you need to walk every day for at least an hour and a half.

And lastly, try to avoid stressful situations, and if increased anxiety still bothers you, buy a herbal sedative at the pharmacy and brew it before bed. Just check first to see if you have an allergic reaction. Follow these rules, and you will make your life easier and see that even excessive sweating can be dealt with.

Excessive sweating in adolescence is an unpleasant, but quite natural phenomenon. After all, at the age of 15, there are many reasons that cause intense sweating. Considering the naturalness of this process, doctors recommend simply waiting until the hormonal changes in the body end and everything returns to normal. But hyperhidrosis in adolescents can be associated with the development of serious diseases. Therefore, if hanging sweat causes severe discomfort, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Causes of sweating in adolescence

There are main factors that explain why so much sweat is produced at 15 years old:

  1. Physiology. Hormonal changes are the main reason that provokes increased sweating. In addition, during adolescence, the body and its systems undergo intensive restructuring. For example, due to the difference in the growth of the heart and blood vessels (the heart grows faster), fatigue increases significantly. There is no way to avoid this. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of yourself, paying more attention to your routine and personal hygiene.
  2. Teenage activity. The life of young people is continuous movement. Sports activities, recreation fresh air, dancing. All physical activity influence general condition and cause sweating. The more actively a person moves, the faster he overheats. Excessive activity of a teenager entails intense sweating.
  3. Nutritional image. Snack "on a quick fix“at 15 years old it becomes the norm. Many teenagers regularly include spicy foods in their diet. If you constantly eat crackers, chips and smoked meats, sweating increases
  4. Shoes. Incorrectly chosen shoes not only harm your health, but also cause severe sweating of your feet. Also, if you stay on your feet in a warm room for a long time in winter shoes, the result will again be sweating. This problem can be eliminated by wearing replaceable shoes that will allow your feet to breathe.
  5. Weather. The usual heat outside actively stimulates the sweat glands, which are already at their limit in teenagers. Your feet will sweat especially heavily and actively. This is a physiological process that worsens at a young age.
  6. Emotionality. Anxiety, worry, shyness - these are the emotions that every teenager experiences during puberty. Emotional and night sweats can be caused by stress and overwork. The armpits and legs sweat especially heavily, and the neck and head at night.

But you shouldn’t take excessive sweating as a sentence that cannot be changed. It is possible and even necessary to fight sweating at the age of 15.

What diseases cause intense sweating?

In addition to the listed factors that all teenagers face, there are also pathological causes of increased teenage sweating. Medical reasons can only be eliminated with the help of specialized specialists.

Psycho-emotional stress

When hormonal processes actively occur in the body, the human nervous system becomes more vulnerable. In this state, the teenager becomes easily excitable. Even an ordinary event can make a teenager very nervous and cause severe nervous shock. This usually causes your palms and armpits to sweat a lot.

An examination and consultation with a specialist will help correct the teenager’s excessive excitability. A psychiatrist or neurologist, having established the cause of nervous tension, will prescribe appropriate and effective treatment.

Viruses and infections

Viral diseases can cause increased sweating. Such pathologies include: respiratory infections; tuberculosis; AIDS; malaria. If you are weak and your armpits are constantly sweating, you need to visit a doctor and get tested.

Taking antibiotics

After long-term treatment with antibiotics, the intestinal microflora is disrupted. The gastrointestinal tract and peripheral nerves stop working fully. As a result, the immune system weakens and sweating increases.

To eliminate the harm from antibiotics, it is necessary to use fermented milk products: kefir, acidophilus, yogurt.

Overweight

Extra pounds create a double problem for a teenager’s body. Firstly, with more weight, the load on all systems of the young body increases. The harder the organs work, the faster the body temperature rises. Secondly, obese people have thick subcutaneous fat, which significantly slows down the heat exchange process. As a result of these reasons, the body has only one way of cooling itself - by sweating a lot.

The recipe for this problem is to reset extra pounds. Until you lose weight, you need to drink a lot of water to speed up your metabolism and shower twice a day.

Vegetovascular dystonia

This disease occurs in approximately 25% of adolescents. It is accompanied by various disorders of the internal organs. At the same time, the nervous regulation of organs deteriorates and, as a result, a violation of thermoregulation of the entire body, which causes increased sweating. The armpits, feet, groin area, and palms often sweat.

A neurologist can diagnose this disease and prescribe the necessary treatment. Except drug treatment, it’s worth adjusting your diet. It is necessary to exclude foods that excite the nervous system and cause sweating: spicy foods, coffee and energy drinks.

Endocrine system disorders

In patients with thyrotoxicosis, the amount of thyroid hormones increases significantly. With this disease, the heart beats faster, not only the armpits, palms and legs sweat, but the whole body.

Diabetes mellitus occurs in people with insufficient insulin levels. People with diabetes are often thirsty and only sweat upper part torso (legs do not sweat at all).

If the listed symptoms are detected in a teenager, you need to be examined by an endocrinologist and, if necessary, undergo a full course of treatment to reduce excessive sweating.

Genetic predisposition

If increased sweating accompanies a person from childhood, this is not physiological feature adolescence, and the disease is hyperhidrosis. This pathology can be transmitted genetically. At the same time, the armpits sweat a lot, and the smell of sweat is very pungent.

Only a doctor can diagnose hyperhidrosis after a thorough examination and clinical assessment. Therefore, parents should not rush to find signs of such a serious disease.

To accurately determine the cause of excessive teenage sweating, you may have to undergo a series of examinations. This will allow you to understand why sweating occurs and exclude hidden pathologies. In most cases, intense sweating in adolescents is not associated with serious illnesses and goes away with age.

The riot of hormones is not always accompanied only by frequent mood swings; as a rule, they can also affect the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the activity of the sweat glands.

Increased sweating in adolescents is a fairly common phenomenon, since it is at this age that the endocrine system develops, which provokes an increase in the secretion of sweat glands several times.

Sweating in adolescents can cause not only physical, but also psychological discomfort, due to which the child becomes withdrawn and shy, and this significantly affects his further development in society.

We highlight the causes of teenage hyperhidrosis

As you know, there are two degrees of increased sweating – primary and secondary. The primary degree of hyperhidrosis is an independent problem that can be combated. But, as a rule, increased sweating that occurs during adolescence accompanies a person throughout his life.

Secondary hyperhidrosis occurs due to the presence of other infectious diseases.

Also, it may be one of the signs of the development of diseases such as diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, HIV, cardiovascular diseases, overweight, etc.

Also, hyperhidrosis in adolescents can be a consequence of a disruption of the endocrine system or the nervous autonomic system, due to which profuse sweating occurs under the influence of even minor psycho-emotional factors, such as fright, slight excitement, fear, etc.

Hyperhidrosis and military service are two complementary concepts. Military service leaves a negative imprint on the further development of the sweat glands, since it is here that, under the influence of acetylcholine, which is secreted by the human body, their functioning is most often disrupted.

Sweat may increase in the armpit area, but most often this occurs in the foot area, since in the army, even in the summer, young men are forced to wear foot wraps (or socks) and fairly closed shoes in which the foot does not breathe, which, in addition, provokes an odor that is a consequence of the development of bacteria.

Also, the reasons for excessive sweating may lie in human genetics. Hyperhidrosis in 25-40% of cases is a genetic problem and is passed on from generation to generation.

How to get rid of the problem?

Before looking for ways to eliminate profuse sweating, it is necessary to determine the reasons that provoked hyperhidrosis. If these are any diseases of the cardiovascular system or infectious disease, you can get rid of sweating if you get rid of the provoking factor

If hyperhidrosis is a consequence of hormonal changes or a hereditary disease, it must be treated.

So, how can a teenager get rid of sweat? Get rid of sweat and eliminate bad smell possible by using several treatment methods.

By using medicines, the action of which is aimed at the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates sweat secretion. These may be: anticholinergic drugs, tranquilizers or sedatives, or calcium channel blocking drugs. But, the use of this kind of anti-sweat and odor medications can provoke other “troubles”: dry mouth, frequent constipation, blurred vision.

Also, severe sweating in adolescents can be treated by taking sedatives, such as tincture of valerian, motherwort and peony evasive. Other, more serious sedative drugs are not prescribed (or are prescribed, but extremely rarely), since at this age the nervous system is quite excitable, which, as a result, can provoke even more sweat.

Excessive sweating in adolescents is a problem that can be eliminated by using products traditional medicine. This way, you can eliminate the smell and get rid of sweat if you regularly wipe the area of ​​increased sweating with decoctions of oak bark and bay leaves, which have tanning properties, due to which the ducts of the sweat glands narrow and the intensity of the sweat produced becomes less.

Also, these decoctions can be used during bathing if prickly heat occurs in adolescents.

If you are worried about frequent prickly heat, you can eliminate it by taking baths with a decoction of chamomile, calendula, or with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. You can eliminate the smell of sweat in a teenager by rubbing the skin with a slice of lemon throughout the day.

You can get rid of sweat and eliminate odor for several days if you use aluminum chloride antiperspirants as protection, which block the excretory ducts of the sweat glands. These products should be applied to clean, dry skin at night. You should not start using such antiperspirants with high level aluminum chlorides. Initially, 12% antiperspirants are needed.

You can also use Teymurov’s paste, boron preparation or other medications as protection against sweat and odor.