Hyperhidrosis is a very bothersome condition that can impede the quality of one’s social life.
It can bring on enough embarassment to make the sufferer want to stay home.
“Hyperhidrosis is a condition that in any circumstances where a person would normally sweat (whatever the cause), those with the condition will sweat far more relative to volume .– four or five times more than what’s considered normal,” says registered nurse and emergency medical technician Angela Ballard, RN, EMT, with the International Hyperhidrosis Society (www.SweatHelp.org).
The Impact of Hyperhidrosis on Quality of Life; You May Have It and Not Know It
- A person may be plagued by the symptom and think that’s just the way their body is.
- Or they may think it’s due to the environment or physical activity.
They may go on like this for years, not knowing that they truly have a disorder involving excessive sweating.
But there’s potentially more to this than having to change one’s underwear several times throughout the day.
Ballard continues, “People with hyperhidrosis struggle with disproportionate and random sweating that may drench clothing and footwear, damage technology tools, ruin papers, make holding writing instruments impossible, promote hiding and isolation behaviors, degrade self-esteem and even prompt bullying—at work and elsewhere.”
Hyperhidrosis can affect all areas of the body, particularly the armpits, hands, under the breasts, the groin and feet.
Some patients always have with them spare clothing, socks, underwear, towels and powder. It’s no laughing matter.
It can be focal, such as affecting just the hands, or generalized — all over the upper body, for instance.
What Hyperhidrosis Is NOT Caused By
It is not caused by poor hygeine, and it cannot be corrected with extra showers or baths, powders or certain clothes.
“The holistic effect on life—business, marital, social and otherwise—is thus profound,” continues Ballard.
“In fact, research published in Archives of Dermatological Research indicates that the majority of those with excessive sweating confirm the condition has negative impacts on their social life, well-being, and emotional as well as mental health.
Angela Ballard
