Sweating of the face and head (cranial hyperhidrosis) is excessive sweating in the affected area. Sweating is often accompanied by local reddening of the skin and a feeling of heat, other symptoms depend on the cause of sweating. Hyperhidrosis can be caused by stress and nightmares, pathologies of the brain and peripheral nerves, hypertension. To determine the cause of increased sweating, a neurological examination with EEG and electroneurography, radiography, functional tests, and laboratory tests are performed. The relief of unpleasant symptoms is the treatment of the underlying disease.
The symptom often develops in stressful situations, with fear. Patients prone to emotional lability report that severe sweating of the head and face occurs during public speaking, passing exams, and important interviews. Sweating is so profuse that sweat runs down the skin in trickles. Also, the face and ears become very red, the feeling of heat and a rush of blood to the head disturbs. Such symptoms cause pronounced psychological discomfort, which is why patients try not to attract attention to themselves, avoid new acquaintances, which leads to social maladaptation.
Unpleasant dreams are common causes of hyperhidrosis of the head, especially in children. The patient sleeps restlessly at night, tosses about in bed, screams. At the same time, profuse sweating is observed, especially pronounced in the facial area and the scalp: hair can get wet, wet spots form on the pillowcase. After waking up, a person is not immediately aware of the surrounding reality, for some time he is in a state of severe fright. If nightmares bother you for several nights in a row, accompanied by a fear of falling asleep, you should seek medical help.
Violations of the coordinated work of the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the nervous system increase the function of the sweat glands of the face, while increased sweating of the palms and armpits is also possible. Abundant sweating in the head area with VVD is provoked by various reasons: excitement, eating spicy or too hot food, natural hormonal changes in women. Sweating begins suddenly, sweat drops on the forehead or runs down the face, the hair becomes wet. Such attacks are repeated up to several times a day.
The sudden increase in blood pressure is combined with dilation of the blood vessels of the scalp and face, which causes profuse sweating. According to the observations of patients, severe sweating occurs against the background of severe headaches and dizziness. Often there is a lot of noise in the ears, vision becomes fuzzy ("flies" before the eyes). In addition to the head, sweat is released and drips in drops in the neck and upper torso. The skin in this area is red and hot to the touch. Similar symptoms are more characteristic of the neurovegetative form of hypertensive crisis.
The development of excessive sweating of the head may be associated with irritations of peripheral nerve endings. The most common syndrome is Lucy-Frey, which is caused by damage to the ear-temporal nerve of various causes (after parotitis, sialadenitis, operations on the salivary gland). With this disorder, the head sweats heavily in the ear and temple on one side, which is more often manifested after eating. The unreasonable appearance of drops of sweat on the chin is a sign of tympanic string syndrome that occurs after a surgical injury.
Increased sweating of the head occurs with various pathologies of the brain that cause dysfunction of the sweat glands. In acute neurological problems, profuse sweating begins suddenly and is usually of short duration. In patients with chronic degenerative processes, the head sweats for a long time. Sweating may be accompanied by a decrease in memory and attention, speech disorders (long pauses between answers, incoherent speech), temporary paresis of the limbs. Hyperhidrosis is caused by such reasons as:
After head injuries, severe sweating can occur, which is caused by damage to the nerve structures of the brain responsible for thermoregulation, or ruptures of the peripheral cranial nerves. The degree of violation of the secretion of sweat glands depends on the cause of TBI and the extent of the damage received. In addition to hyperhidrosis, excruciating headaches develop, accompanied by nausea and repeated vomiting, loss of consciousness is possible. In severe injuries, local sweating is replaced by cold sweat.
The side effect is usually noted within a few minutes after the rapid intravenous administration of nitrates, drugs used in the treatment of stable angina and acute coronary syndrome. The appearance of pronounced hyperhidrosis in the face and head is preceded by a feeling of heat. Sweating is combined with severe redness of the skin. Headaches and dizziness are typical, with a sharp rise from bed, a pre-fainting state is observed. The presence of such disorders should be reported to the attending physician to adjust the dosage of the drug.
The therapist, who either establishes the diagnosis on his own, or directs the patient to specialized specialists, is engaged in identifying the cause that provokes sweating of the head. A comprehensive examination is prescribed to assess the general condition of the body, to exclude organic pathology that could cause increased sweating. The following methods have the greatest diagnostic value:
With severe sweating of the head and face, which occurs against the background of intense flushing of the skin and excruciating headaches, blood pressure is measured, an ECG is recorded, and if necessary, an ultrasound of the heart is done. If symptoms develop in emotionally labile patients, a psychiatric evaluation is required. Patients with primary local hyperhidrosis should consult a geneticist.
To reduce the discomfort from increased sweating, it is necessary to observe hygiene standards, avoid wearing hats made of synthetic materials. It is advisable to exclude from the diet spicy and spicy dishes, alcohol, which often increase sweating. Herbal sedatives can be used to relieve symptoms during public speaking. In case of local cranial hyperhidrosis, you should consult a specialist to identify the cause of unpleasant manifestations and select the optimal treatment tactics.
Treatment of hyperhidrosis of the head with botulinum toxin
In the case of determining the disease that caused excessive sweating, the symptoms disappear after the cause is eliminated. In the acute period of injuries, neurological diseases, therapy is aimed at correcting vital functions and restoring the functional capabilities of the body, and the elimination of increased sweating is carried out by symptomatic means. When sweating is combined with erythrophobia, psychotherapeutic methods are effective. For the medical treatment of hyperhidrosis of the head, the following pharmaceutical preparations are used:
Hyperhidrosis of the head and face, refractory to conservative therapeutic measures, requires surgical interventions. Most often resort to endoscopic sympathectomy (destruction or clipping of the sympathetic trunk), which is aimed at reducing the functional activity of the sweat glands. To eliminate the consequences of severe TBI as the leading cause of hyperhidrosis, removal of intracranial hematomas for decompression of brain structures is indicated; if necessary, bone fragments are repositioned.