What is Hyperhidrosis and What Can You Do About it?
With summer just around the corner, everyone is sweating a little bit more than they normally do. But are you sweating excessively year round, for no reason? You could be suffering from a disorder called hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating. With little exposure, this disorder often goes unnoticed, so here’s some information to help you learn a little bit more!
What is hyperhidrosis?
More or less, hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating. It’s more common than you might think, and affects the hands, soles of the feet, and underarms more than any other parts of the body. It ca be a major cause of stress for people who suffer from this disorder, often causing embarrassment and aversion to social contact. However, getting help with excessive sweating is possible! There are two types of this disorder, and they are both treatable.
Primary focal
Primary focal hyperhidrosis refers to excessive sweating that is not the result of another medical condition or the side effect of a medication. Instead, sweating is the medical condition. The sweating occurs on very specific, or focal, areas of the body, and can be quite distressing for patients. Most people who suffer from this form of excessive sweating usually experience it on more than one focal area of the body. This disorder usually presents itself during late childhood or adolescence, and oddly enough does not seem to affect patients as much while they sleep.
Secondary generalized
The second type of excessive sweating problem is called secondary generalized hyperhidrosis. This disorder is caused by another medical condition or is a side effect of a medication that the patient is taking. Unlike its counterpart, people with this type of excessive sweating generally experience it on larger areas of the body and often experience symptoms while sleeping.
Is there a cure?
Doctors and scientists have not been able to cure excessive sweating, but treatment options are available. Iontophoresis involves placing the affected area of the body into a shallow pool of water through which a gentle electric current is passed. This electrical current effectively shuts down the sweat glands in that area temporarily, which means that patients do have to repeat treatments regularly.
Although there is no cure for this disorder currently, treatment options are available. So if excessive sweating is negatively affecting your life, there are options out there for you.
