While sweating is a regular bodily function, dealing with constant and excessive perspiration, especially on the face, can be challenging. Fortunately, there are effective ways to manage and reduce excessive facial sweating. Explore the details below better to understand the causes and potential solutions for this issue.
What Is Excessive Facial Sweating?
Sweating is a normal part of everyone’s bodily function. We often sweat from our underarms, head, hands, feet, groin, and face. The whole process of sweating helps with the regulation of your body temperature. However, when you begin to sweat more than usual and for extended periods, the chances are that you may be suffering from a condition known as craniofacial hyperhidrosis (1).
Craniofacial hyperhidrosis or excessive facial sweating is a medical condition in which one tends to sweat more than usual, to the point where it can make your face completely damp and even drip at times.
Interestingly, people who struggle with excessive facial sweating aren’t even exposed to factors such as exercise, heat, or spicy food. If you’re suffering from this condition, you’ll know that it can be highly uncomfortable and, at times, even embarrassing. In addition to feeling hot and sweaty, all that dampness can irritate your skin (2).
What Causes Excessive Facial Sweating?
Sweating happens when the brain communicates with sweat glands through sympathetic nerves, controlling various bodily functions. For instance, increased body temperature prompts the brain to signal sweat glands, initiating sweating. Excessive facial sweating, often linked to hyperhidrosis, involves signals to eccrine sweat glands instead of apocrine glands. While the exact causes are unclear, genetics is considered a factor in hyperhidrosis. Therefore, in addition to the above, excessive sweating in the face may be caused due to (3):
- Diabetes
- Certain infections
- Postpartum
- Menopause
- Gout
- Obesity
- Tumors
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Excess alcohol consumption
- Frostbite
- Head injury
What Are The Types Of Facial Sweating?
Although it may seem like hyperhidrosis is a general term used for excessive facial sweating, there are two types of hyperhidrosis: primary and secondary.
Most often, people find themselves struggling with primary hyperhidrosis. In this case, excessive sweating has no typical causes, such as physical exertion, increased temperature, or an underlying medical condition. Instead, it is a medical condition in itself. Although we’re talking about excessive sweating in the face, primary hyperhidrosis can also occur in different parts of the body (4).
Secondary hyperhidrosis, on the other hand, is usually caused due to an underlying medical condition. It is essentially a symptom of another disorder. For example, people suffering from heart disease can suffer from excess sweating. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants (5).
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What Can Trigger Facial Sweating?
Although we did mention that hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating in the face can occur even if you’re not exercising, you still have to watch out for a few triggers. These triggers include (6):
- Hot climatic conditions
- Excess humidity
- Strenuous exercise or even moderate to mild activity
- Spicy foods
- Anger and frustration
- Nervousness
How To Reduce Excessive Face Sweating Naturally?
Excessive sweating in the face can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, and highly inconvenient. However, with the help of a few home remedies, you can experience some respite. So, without further ado, let’s get started (7):
1. Be Mindful Of What You Eat
Monitoring your diet is crucial, as certain foods can contribute to excessive facial sweating. Processed, spicy, high-salt, and high-sugar foods require more effort, leading to slow digestion or indigestion and increased sweat production. The thermic effect occurs when digesting protein, carbs, and sugar, elevating metabolism and body temperature. Alcohol and caffeinated drinks can also increase body heat and sweating, so managing their intake is essential.
2. Keep Yourself Hydrated
Asking you to drink enough water to keep your body hydrated and stop excessive sweating may seem counterintuitive, but you’ll be surprised it works. Many people know that you start to sweat when the body temperature rises. But what a lot of people do not know is that dehydration can cause excessive sweating as well. In addition to preventing excessive sweating, drinking ample water can help your digestion.
Indigestion can cause sweating, so with the help of water, the digestive process is positively impacted, thereby preventing you from excessively sweating.
3. Manage Stress And Anxiety
Most of us don’t know this, but our state of mind can considerably impact our physical condition. Sometimes, stress and anxiety can manifest themselves into physical illnesses. We can see this when we experience an increased heart rate or a sudden spike in body temperature. Similarly, stress and anxiety can cause excessive sweating as well. The solution is to manage your anxiety and stress levels. You can do this by practicing things that have a relaxing effect, such as meditation and yoga. In addition, exercise is known to relieve stress, so incorporate a good workout routine as a part of your day.
4. Natural Astringents
An astringent essentially helps shrink or constrict the tissues present in your body. You could use a few natural astringents recommended for your face to treat this condition. For example, witch hazel is an excellent source of a natural astringent. They can also provide relief by drying up the areas where you excessively sweat. Natural astringents can also constrict the size of your pores, thereby reducing sweat secretion. In addition, certain natural astringents like witch hazel can reduce any odor caused by sweat.
5. Natural Topical Applications
You can use some readily available natural ingredients to treat your sweating. Black tea, cucumber juice, and sage tea are a few remedies that can help when you topically apply them. In addition, certain teas, such as the ones we mentioned, contain what is known as tannic acid. This acid, just like astringents, can help dry up the areas where you sweat and also constrict the pores and skin. To topically apply the tea, first steep it in hot water. After it has cooled down, dip a clean ball of cotton and gently apply it to your face.
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6. Use Cucumber
You can place cucumber slices on your face for a few minutes. Another way that you can apply Cucumber to your face is by making juice or a paste out of it and then applying it. Cucumber has a cooling effect, which you will love, and can also help reduce sweating. It can also help to tighten the pores on your skin.
Excessive sweating is not the most pleasant thing to experience, but plenty of solutions are on the flip side! It is essential to be mindful of your activities and the food you eat, what you drink, and if you’re incorporating enough physical activity. A healthy lifestyle combined with the above natural remedies can help reduce excessive sweating on your face. Although it is not a cause for concern, it is best to consult your doctor to rule out any possible underlying health condition.
Helpful Tips To Reduce Facial Sweating
Find below a few additional tips to get rid of excessive facial sweating:
- First, skip all those sweat-triggering factors, including hot beverages, spicy food, too much sun exposure, alcohol, caffeine, etc., as much as possible.
- Hydrate yourself sufficiently by consuming lots of plain water, fruit and vegetable juices, cold tea, coconut water, etc., to detoxify your body and maintain an average body temperature.
- Eat magnesium-rich food like potatoes, bananas, broccoli, legumes, nuts, apples, and avocados.
- Massage your face with a muslin-wrapped ice cube twice or thrice every day.
- Do not use heavy skincare or makeup products, especially in summer.
- Use talcum powder to absorb facial sweat and keep your face fresh enough.
- Keep a clinical-strength facial wipe handy.
References:
- “Craniofacial hyperhidrosis: Clinical characteristics and response to treatment in a cohort of 97 patients treated with oral oxybutynin” – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- “What to know about excessive face and head sweating” – medicalnewstoday.com
- “Hyperhidrosis—Causes and Treatment of Enhanced Sweating” – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- “Hyperhidrosis” – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- “Excessive Sweating Caused by Antidepressants: Measurement and Treatment With Glycopyrrolate (AIDES-G) (AIDES-G)” – clinicaltrials.gov
- “Hyperhidrosis” – mayoclinic.org
- “Hyperhidrosis” -hopkinsmedicine.org
