What Can You Do About Overly Sweaty Feet?
You may think it’s unusual to talk about sweaty feet in the dead of winter. But people with overly sweaty feet know the cold, hard truth: feet can drip with sweat, whether it’s 68 degrees inside in January or 95 degrees outside in August. They sweat even if you’re not doing much in the way of physical activity.
“Hyper” means “excessive” or “too much,” while “hidrosis” is the Greek word for sweat. Excessive sweating can be a troublesome, embarrassing condition. People with sweaty feet won’t quite have a hyperhidrosis medical condition.
Why do some people’s feet sweat a lot?
- For starters, each of your feet has about 125,000 sweat glands (yes – thousands!), so the prospects for perspiring are already high. But hyperhidrosis makes your many sweat glands work overtime.
- There may be a genetic component.
- You might be taking some medications whose side effects include excessive sweating.
- It could be a symptom of menopause.
Effective treatments
If none of these explanations make sense for you, it may be time to consult a qualified podiatrist. If hyperhidrosis interferes with your life and well-being, we have treatments that can help:
- Prescription-strength sprays, gels, lotions, or roll-on antiperspirants you apply directly to your feet. They help control the amount of sweat – just like you might use an antiperspirant on your armpits.
- Prescription oral medications may also help.
- With a treatment called iontophoresis, the patient immerses their feet in a shallow pan of water. An iontophoresis machine sends low-voltage electric impulses through the water to temporarily shut off the sweat glands. It’s a safe, effective treatment that we perform here in our office.
Our experienced podiatric surgeons, Dr. Craig B. Frey, Dr. Megan L. Oltmann, and Dr. Jim Swienconek, can help you determine if you’ve got hyperhidrosis and which treatment options would be the most effective for you. No need to sweat about our schedule: we’ve got early morning, evening, and Saturday hours by appointment. Call Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland in Solon, Ohio at (440) 903-1041 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. We offer a modern office with the latest technology for podiatric patients in Portage, Geauga, Cuyahoga, and Summit Counties, proudly serving our patients from Solon, Aurora, Bedford, Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Macedonia, and Twinsburg.
