Everything You Need To Know About Hyperhidrosis

While most people have never heard of it, there is a large portion of the population that suffers from a condition called hyperhidrosis. In fact, 15 million Americans suffer from this condition every day.

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes excessive sweating in the underarm region of the body. There aren’t many treatments for this condition that don’t come with side effects, so having appropriate clothing and options for people with this condition is a necessity.

A lot of the solutions, however, can be too intrusive. Many turn to ways to hide the excess sweating such as dark clothing or wearing absorbent pads in the underarm area.

Thankfully, there is a new solution.

If you need to know more about hyperhidrosis and the best methods for dealing with excess sweat, keep on reading. We are going to give you all the information that you need to manage hyperhidrosis and stay nice and dry all day long.

Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis

Excessive sweating that isn’t caused by other medical conditions and isn’t a side effect of something like medication is classified as primary focal hyperhidrosis. This is the most difficult version to treat and fix, as there isn’t a cause for why it is happening.

When the extra sweat is the condition in it of itself, it generally happens in specific areas. This is called a focal area. Most of the time, these areas are symmetric. This means that both sides of the body experience excessive sweating at the same time and in the same way. Areas of the body that can be affected include hands, feet, underarms, faces, and heads.

Sometimes, many more than one area can be affected. Other times, just a singular area is affected. The most common area to be affected by primary focal hyperhidrosis is the underarms. However, the majority of people that have this condition experience sweating in more than one area. There also seems to be some coordination when it comes to multiple areas of the body. For example, if you are a patient that suffers from sweaty palms, sweaty feet very often coincide with that condition.

Most people discover that they have primary focal hyperhidrosis in childhood or during puberty during adolescence. The earliest ones to develop are hyperhidrosis of the hands and feet. Unfortunately, many people grow up just thinking they have sweaty palms because they’re nervous and shy, and they don’t realize that they have a medical condition. This can lead to things like bullying and lack of medical attention.

Individuals with primary focal hyperhidrosis usually experience this excessive sweating at least once every week. Interestingly enough, excessive sweating generally does not occur while they are sleeping.

Primary focal hyperhidrosis is usually an inherited trait. It has been shown that multiple members of the same family suffer from the condition. However, because people feel so ashamed of it, they rarely talk about it. This can lead to entire families and households with the same medical condition, and none of them are getting treatment for it, simply because everyone is embarrassed.

If you are beginning to believe that hyperhidrosis and excessive sweating runs in your family, getting a blood test done in order to test your genetics can help you determine why. This will also help researchers develop better treatments moving forward. Being able to share your condition with scientists is part of critical research that will one day help to find the cure for hyperhidrosis, as at this time there is not one that is available.

Secondary Generalized Hyperhidrosis

The other type of hyperhidrosis, secondary generalized hyperhidrosis, is caused by another medical condition that the patient has. It can also be caused by medications as a common side effect. This is why it is considered a secondary condition, as it is not the primary condition being treated at that time. 

Differently from primary focal hyperhidrosis, secondary generalized hyperhidrosis is usually experienced all over the body, or at least in larger areas of the body. This is the main physical difference between the two types of hyperhidrosis.

Additionally, those with secondary generalized hyperhidrosis also report having sweating while they are sleeping, which is different than primary focal. They also report the start of their symptoms in adulthood as that is when people generally develop most medical conditions as well as start taking new medications to treat those different conditions. This is a departure from primary focal hyperhidrosis which usually starts in childhood or adolescence, not adulthood.

Finding treatments for secondary generalized hyperhidrosis usually contains of determining what is causing the excessive sweating. A doctor will go over your medical history as well as discuss any of the medications you are on to determine what is causing the root of the problem. However, if it is an underlying condition that does not have a cure, this could be difficult to find a solution for.

How To Talk To Your Doctor About Hyperhidrosis

How To Determine If You Have Primary Focal Or Secondary Generalized Hyperhidrosis

You can determine if you have primary or secondary hyperhidrosis by asking some questions about your experience. These questions come from an article written by St. Louis based dermatologist Dr. Dee Anna Glaser for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2004, Vol.54, P. 274-86. Dr. Glaser is the president of the International Hyperhidrosis Society. She is also a founding board member of the society.

Dr. Glaser is an expert in hyperhidrosis who is internationally awarded and recognized. If you have experienced excessive sweating regularly for at least a six-month duration, and you have no idea what could be causing it, then these questions can help you determine what type you have and what the next steps should be.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1. Is your sweat is bilateral and relatively symmetrical, meaning you sweat the same on both sides of your body.?
2. Is your excess sweat impairing your daily activities?
3. Are you experiencing at least one episode a week?
4. Was the onset of your excess sweat earlier than age 25?
5. Are there other members of your family with this condition?
6. Do you stop sweating when you're sleeping?

What Is Hypohidrosis?

Hypohidrosis and hyperhidrosis are very similar-sounding terms, so it can be confusing to differentiate between the two. Hypohidrosis, however, is characterized by the inability to sweat, so it is essentially the opposite problem that patients with hypohidrosis are having.

The best way to memorize which is which is to think about the beginning of the word. “Hyper” means excessive, so it goes to reason that hyperhidrosis would mean excessive amounts of sweat. You can also remember that “Hypo” sounds like “no” for “no sweat.”

If you have hypohidrosis, the solutions in this article likely won’t be very helpful to you, but hopefully, this information helps clarify some of the questions you were having about the difference between the two different conditions.

The Best Solutions For Hyperhidrosis