Excessive head and scalp sweating has the unique ability to destroy a hairstyle like nothing else. It makes your hair stick to your scalp, it washes out gel and makes your hair look like a sticky matte.
While it’s possible to cover your head with a hat, that often just makes matters worse when you take the hat off. And you can’t wear a hat everywhere you go.
Excessive sweating can even cause you to miss out on some outdoor summer events, or indoor events that are not air conditioned.
What causes Scalp Sweating?
Scalp sweating is generally accepted as a medical disorder, rather than a psychological disorder. It’s not due to excessive stress, but is an actual physiological or biological issue.
Medically, the condition is called hyperhidrosis. The scalp, just like any area of the body, is covered with skin. It’s also covered with sweat glands. With Hyperhidrosis, these glands get over reactive and produce much more sweat than is really necessary.
While for 90% of sufferers the symptoms can’t be combated at the cause, there are a couple simple causes that could be contribute to hyperhidrosis.
First of all is shampoo. It’s possible that you’re using a shampoo that you’re actually allergic to, or that is stimulating your sweat glands. Try changing both your shampoo and your conditioner, as well as any hair products you use to see if it makes a difference.
Also try not using any anti-perspirant in other places in your body. Blockages in your sweat glands in other parts of the body can result in increased sweat production in the scalp.
What to Do Before You See a Doctor
Before you go for an expensive medical treatment, there is one trick that many sufferers have found to be effective.
Take some anti-perspirant (Drysol works well for this) and mix it in with your shampoo. It’s very difficult to get anti-perspirant on a stick properly on the scalp. But if you mix it in with your shampoo, you can get it all over your scalp.
Try this for a week or so to see if it has the desired effect.
Medical Treatments
There are two treatments that can completely cure excessive sweating: Botox injection and Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS).
Botox works by injecting chemicals that relax all the muscles and cells in a certain area. This includes sweat glands. If you get Botox injections for scalp sweating, the glands simply won’t produce excess sweat anymore.
ETS is another common and effective treatment. ETS works by surgically causing an interruption in the nerve impulses that stimulate sweat gland production.
Getting rid of scalp sweating may involve trying a few different treatments, at home or with your doctor. But if the alternative is a stunted social and professional life, the costs will be a worthwhile investment.
