Sweat

Sweat is the body's cooling system. In India's heat and humidity, sweating is normal and healthy — but excess sweating (hyperhidrosis), heat rash (prickly heat), and body odour are frequent concerns.

Normal sweating vs. hyperhidrosis

• Everyone sweats in heat, exercise, spicy food, and stress — that is normal.
• Primary hyperhidrosis — excessive sweating of palms, soles, underarms, or face even in cool conditions, often since childhood. Affects daily life, work, and relationships.
• Secondary hyperhidrosis — new-onset excessive sweating in adulthood. Can signal overactive thyroid, diabetes with low sugar, menopause, infection (especially TB), lymphoma, anxiety disorder, some medicines. See a doctor to rule these out.

Heat rash (prickly heat / miliaria)

• Tiny itchy bumps where clothing traps sweat — chest, back, groin, under breasts.
• Cool down, loose cotton clothes, fans/AC, talcum powder (plain talc or zinc oxide), calamine lotion.
• Avoid heavy creams, greasy oils, and thick cosmetics in hot weather — they block sweat glands.

What helps excessive sweating

• Aluminium chloride antiperspirants (higher-strength than standard deodorants) — apply at night to dry skin.
• Botulinum toxin injections for underarms — 4–6 months relief, done by dermatologist.
• Iontophoresis for palms and soles.
• Oral anticholinergics or newer topical treatments for widespread sweating — specialist-guided.
• Surgery (sympathectomy) for severe palm sweating — irreversible and may cause compensatory sweating elsewhere.

Body odour

• Body odour comes from skin bacteria acting on sweat, not sweat itself.
• Daily bathing, fresh cotton clothes, antiperspirant, and clipped underarm hair usually solve it.
• Persistent foul odour from one area can indicate fungal or bacterial infection, or (rarely) a metabolic cause.

See a doctor

• Sudden heavy sweating, especially at night, with weight loss, fever, or cough — rule out TB, thyroid, lymphoma.
• Sweating with chest pain, palpitations, or shakiness — may be cardiac or low blood sugar.
• Sweating severely disrupting daily life — treatment works.