Hyperhidrosis: Excessive Sweating Can Ruin More Than Your Clothes

Hyperhidrosis is a disconcerting condition characterized by excessive sweating under the arms or sweating of the hands, feet, and face, excessive facial blushing, or any combination of these symptoms. It affects an estimated 4 million individuals, yet fewer than half seek medical  attention, suffering in silence instead.

People normally sweat as a means of cooling the body, whether that be when the temperature increases or during exercise, or in response to situations causing an emotional response (anger, fear, nervousness, embarrassment). In persons without hyperhidrosis, profuse or excessive sweating will subside when the temperature cools or the situation changes.

For those with hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating is often unpredictable and can occur when the temperature is cool or the person is resting. Hyperhidrosis sufferers appear to have overactive sweat glands, and for many sufferers there are no identifiable triggers to episodes of profuse or excessive sweating.

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