A dermatologist explains what might cause excessive sweating on your face, neck and head that doesn’t correspond to any intense physical activity or heat.
“Excessive sweating is usually caused by a certain type of nerve on the sweat glands that leads to sweating out of proportion to what is necessary to maintain our regular temperature,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger, MD, board certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon with a private practice in Omaha, NE.
“Some sweating is absolutely necessary but there is a point where it becomes too much!
“Generally, this happens on areas such as arms, hands and feet (and underarms, of course), but some individuals have it all over,” including the face, neck and head.
Dr. Schlessinger adds, “This is a different type of sweating that can be caused by the same unregulated nerves, or other conditions such as menopause, obesity, diabetes, pregnancy, high thyroid levels, Parkinson’s disease, lymphoma, gout and various infections.
“If these are concerns or if you have uncontrolled sweating it may be a good idea to see your physician.
“The most common form that I see is when it is associated with menopause.”
When an woman has menopausal hot flashes, she can have excessive sweating on her face, head and neck, but usually, the flash of sweating will occur elsewhere as well, rather than only on the face, head and neck.
Also, says Dr. Schlessinger, menopausal sweating disappears shortly after the hot flash begins.
“Hyperthyroidism is also commonly associated with sweating,” he says, and a blood test can check for this condition.
Dr. Schlessinger, founder of LovelySkin.com, has 25+ years of experience treating many skin conditions including melanoma. He’s founder of the Advanced Skin Research Center, a clinical facility that investigates new medications and treatments.
