Excessive face sweating is never a great look. But it’s one thing to break a (face) sweat after a cycling class, and another if it happens all the time. When face sweating is a constant companion for no apparent reason, frustration is understandable—and merited.
But excessive facial sweating doesn’t have to doom you to a future with a sweaty face. With the right treatment plan, you can enter work meetings, parties, and dates looking your best.
Four of the most effective treatments are detailed below, along with some insight into what may be causing your excessive sweating.
What Causes Face Sweat?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's clarify the types of excessive facial sweating. If sweating occurs on its own, it may be primary hyperhidrosis. When sweating occurs only in the face, we can throw in an extra word (focal). In fact, primary focal hyperhidrosis is the most common cause of facial sweating.
About 20% of people with focal hyperhidrosis have craniofacial hyperhidrosis, which is a fancy way of saying their scalp and/or face sweat more often than usual. Craniofacial hyperhidrosis is also characterized by six or more months of visible sweating that impairs daily life. Typically, those with craniofacial hyperhidrosis experience sweating without skin flushing, when the skin becomes red due to increased blood flow.
The frustrating thing about this type of craniofacial sweating is that there's no known cause—but there are known treatments (more on that below).
If face sweating occurs alongside other symptoms or there is a known cause, a sweaty face may be diagnosed as secondary hyperhidrosis. The most common conditions or medications associated with secondary hyperhidrosis are:
Acromegaly, when the body produces too much growth hormone
Cancer and/or cancer treatment
Some medications, such as antipsychotics, dopamine agonists, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Glucose control disorders, like hypoglycemia or diabetes
Hyperthyroidism
Viral infections, like the flu or COVID-19
Lung conditions
Menopause
Mental health conditions that deregulate the nervous system, such as anxiety
Parkinson’s disease
Spinal cord injuries
Stroke
Various cardiovascular conditions
Living With Excessive Face and Head Sweat
All cases of facial hyperhidrosis share one common symptom: Excessive sweating in the face and/or scalp. But don’t let the idea of only one common symptom deceive you. A sweaty face can play a major role in basically every aspect of your life.
We’re not saying it’s a comparison game, but if it were, face and head sweating might be the hardest type of hyperhidrosis to hide, since the affected sweat glands are on the face and scalp. If you have plantar hyperhidrosis (sweating in the feet), socks and shoes can hide hyperhidrosis sweat. But the face? That’s a bit harder to cover up.
And when everyone can see you sweat, it’s safe to say it may lead to some embarrassing moments or social anxiety. If you’re the only one sweating at the work holiday party, for example, it can impact your mental health and may even motivate you to leave earlier. The same goes for presentations, dating, and other important situations.
Plus, extreme sweating can make it harder to keep your hair in order and makeup on. These concerns don’t just impact your looks (though they aren’t great for amazing Instagram photos). Excessive hair and face sweating have been linked to an increased risk of scalp infection and greasy hair.
To make matters worse, many hyperhidrosis treatments aren’t practical for craniofacial sweating. Antiperspirants and deodorants may work well for axillary hyperhidrosis (which affects the armpits), but many of these products aren’t feasible for the face and scalp.
Managing Face and Head Sweat: An Action Plan
Before you panic, we do have good news: Face and head sweat isn’t all social awkwardness and anxiety. Hyperhidrosis treatment and lifestyle changes can help you manage face and head sweat, even in severe cases of primary focal hyperhidrosis.
Antiperspirants
Antiperspirants are often the first line of defense against hyperhidrosis. Admittedly, they’re more common for palmar hyperhidrosis (hand sweating), palmar hyperhidrosis, and axillary hyperhidrosis, but there are some options for face sweating too.
As a topical treatment, antiperspirants are applied on top of the skin, and they then create a plug inside the sweat duct. Aluminum chloride hexahydrate is one of the most common (and effective) active ingredients in antiperspirants. You’ll find it in over-the-counter and prescription antiperspirant options, though the latter has a higher concentration.
If you opt for an antiperspirant, keep in mind that aluminum chloride hexahydrate can irritate the skin and damage clothing, including a favorite hat or headband. Before (and during) use, consult with a healthcare provider to find an antiperspirant that reduces sweat with minimal side effects.
Lifestyle Changes
While there isn’t a specific virus or medical condition that causes all hyperhidrosis cases, most people with excessive sweating can pinpoint triggers. Triggers vary from person to person, but diet, clothing, and stress are three of the most common.
When we say diet, we’re not talking about a specific “hyperhidrosis diet.” Instead, identify any personalized food triggers that may cause your body to sweat. For many, there’s a forbidden trio to enjoy in moderation or avoid altogether: spicy food, caffeine, and alcohol.
Staying hydrated may also be a good way to fend off dehydration, which is a possible complication of excessive sweating.
A healthcare provider isn’t the first person most of us take fashion advice from. But for those with hyperhidrosis, there’s one fashion rule approved by dermatologists: avoid tight fitting clothing. Tight clothing can increase body temperature (and therefore sweat). Those with face or scalp sweating might specifically avoid tight fitting hats or headbands.
The final common trigger, stress, is one of the main reasons our bodies evolved to sweat. In the olden days (think: caveman times), humans sweated to control body temperature and as a physical response to stress. Back then, stress usually meant a predator was hunting you, so sweating was a sign to trigger the fight-or-flight response. Today, our bodies still sweat when we’re stressed or anxious, even though no hungry lion is chasing us.
Fortunately, there are quick, easy stress management techniques that can help, such as:
Medical Treatments
Switching up your diet or doing a daily meditation is great. But sometimes, you need something stronger. When this is the case, there are multiple effective medication classes to consider. The first is the prescription antiperspirants, which we already discussed.
Another option is anticholinergics, which can come as an oral medication (pill or tablet) or as a topical product ( spray, wipe, or gel). For craniofacial hyperhidrosis, a healthcare provider will often recommend an anticholinergic referred to as glycopyrrolate, though this isn’t the only option. Oxybutynin and sofpironium bromide may also work.
Sometimes, a healthcare provider may suggest a more unexpected medical treatment, such as botulinum toxin injections (botox for short), benzodiazepines, or beta blockers. While best known for its anti-aging properties, botox may also inhibit the production of sweat glands. Beta blockers and benzodiazepines may be prescribed when anxiety causes excessive sweating, since they both treat that particular condition.
Iontophoresis
When there isn’t a root cause, like anxiety, a healthcare provider may recommend iontophoresis. This medical device passes an electrical current through water. Traditionally, someone placed their feet or hands on a pad connected to the electrical current—but these original iontophoresis devices won’t cut it for head sweating.
Enter: Iontophoresis machines with a facial mask. These machines are designed with a mask that covers your face, delivering an electrical current right where you need it. Keep in mind that the skin on the face and scalp is thinner, so the electrical current should be used on a lower setting.
Key Takeaways
There’s no denying that excessive face sweating is uncomfortable. It’s easily spotted by those around us, can lead to social anxiety, and may make it difficult to fully participate at work or in social settings. But it’s not without its treatments.
Often, a multi-pronged approach works best. Your treatment plan may include:
Medications: Think antiperspirants or anticholinergics to directly address the sweating. When sweating is caused by something else, like anxiety, prescriptions for that root cause may also be helpful.
Lifestyle changes: Avoiding triggers, like tight clothing or spicy foods, and managing stress can help you sweat less.
Iontophoresis: This medical device sends an electrical current through a face mask, helping slow the production of sweat glands.
When exploring treatment options, remember you’re not alone. To speak with a dermatologist who truly gets hyperhidrosis, try out SweatRx. Our platform connects people with hyperhidrosis to dermatologists, resulting in a customized head sweat treatment plan and medications delivered right to your doorstep.
