What brings me out in such a sweat when I’m trying to lose weight?

QI’VE been trying to lose weight by taking more exercise. I’ve always been a bit prone to a sweaty head but now, every time I do anything slightly active, I have sweat running off my face. I don’t perspire that much anywhere else, but the front of my T-shirt is always soaked so I look as if I’ve been in the shower. Is there anything I can do?

AOCCASIONALLY, excess sweating can be due to an underlying medical condition such as an overactive thyroid gland, diabetes or severe anxiety and it can be a side effect of some medications.

However, in these the sweating is usually all over the body and the fact that yours is localised to your face suggests you have a condition known as hyperhidrosis.

This can affect the hands and the feet as well as the head, but unaffected areas sweat normally.

The cause isn’t known but it can run in families, so there may be a genetic factor involved.

It usually first develops under the age of 25, but can develop at any age. It does not affect the glands that produce oily sweat (these are found in the armpits and groin and this sweat tends to smell) but rather the glands that produce watery sweat, so although those soaked clothes can look embarrassing they don’t tend to smell straight away.

Applying an antiperspirant containing aluminium chloride can help reduce sweat production.

You could try applying this along your hairline and across your forehead, but skin irritation can be a problem, so stop for a few days if the skin becomes red and sore.

Botox, when injected into the skin, can block the action of nerves that activate sweat glands.The effect lasts for up to six months, sometimes longer, and can then be repeated.

It is only licensed for underarm sweating, but some specialists may be willing to try it for small areas on the scalp. If the problem persists, it is possible to have surgery to cut the nerves that supply the sweat glands of the face. However, this is a major operation and can result in compensatory sweating in other parts of the body. Being overweight does make any tendency to sweat worse, so please do keep going with your new fitness regime.Though you may feel embarrassed by your sweating, others probably won’t notice.

QI’M on several different types of tablets to treat my high blood pressure and high cholesterol level. My doctor has asked me to have a blood test as part of a regular check-up. I’m not sure whether this should be done as a fasting sample and whether I should take my pills as usual on the morning of the test. Can you advise please?

ANOWADAYS it is rarely necessary to fast overnight before having a blood test.

It used to be needed before having a blood sugar level check for possible diabetes, but that has now been replaced by a HbA1c level check, that gives an estimate of blood sugar levels over the preceding three months.

Studies have shown fasting makes very little difference to cholesterol levels and it will not affect the results of a test for your kidney function, which is needed for monitoring the medicines you take for your blood pressure.

So you can have breakfast before the blood test and you should also take all your medicines as usual, as it’s important your doctor is able to see if they are having the required effect on your blood pressure.

‘Botox can block the action of nerves that activate sweat glands’

QBOTH my thumbnails are a bit discoloured and flaky, and I’ve assumed this is because of a fungal infection, so I’ve been treating them with a special paint I bought from the chemist. Now it’s summer I want to put some coloured nail polish on, but how does this work with the antifungal paint? Is there any other treatment I could use?

ATHOUGH many people assume that discoloured flaky nails are due to a fungal infection, the problem can also be caused by weakening of the nail which leads to tiny splits and allows water and dirt to penetrate.

Common causes of this are