You Can Have Relief from Excessive, Uncontrollable Sweating

Hyperhidrosis (Hh) is a serious medical condition characterized by excessive, uncontrollable sweating.

One of the best parts about being a dermatologist is the opportunity to solve a problem someone didn’t know could be solved.

I bump into this opportunity relatively often with respect to excessive sweating.

It’s not unusual for me to shake a patient’s hand and immediately be able to diagnose them with excessively sweaty palms (palmar Hh). 

When someone suffers from excessively sweaty palms, I can sometimes make the diagnosis before making contact with their skin. It’s in the split second of hesitancy I detect when I reach out my hand to shake theirs.

Say no more; I see your pain.

Because I typically shake hands at the end of a visit rather than the beginning (no reason, just my flow), I don’t find this information until it’s time to move on to my next appointment.

This tells me even people who are motivated to see a dermatologist often don’t realize excessive sweating is a disease. Or, perhaps they are too embarrassed to mention it or just don’t think there’s anything that would help.

They also might not think it’s something that is within a dermatologist’s domain of expertise (it is!).

Well, I have good news: there’s a lot we can do.

Generalized excessive sweating (especially night sweats) is a whole different issue, but if you suffer from excessive sweating from focal areas like your armpits (focal axillary Hh, the most common localized form), palms, soles, head, groin, buttocks, forehead, etc., it likely has a huge impact on your quality of life.

Imagine not having to change your shirt several times at work each day.

Imagine confidently and firmly shaking someone’s hand at a job interview or networking event.

Imagine going one full day without thinking about sweating.

Sound nice?

If so, find yourself a board-certified dermatologist, and learn more from a reputable source like the International Hyperhidrosis Society (link below).

Hyperhidrosis is more common than you think, can be quite severe, and definitely takes a physical, emotional, and psychological toll on those who suffer from it.

Do you or anyone you care about suffer from excessive sweating? If so, have you or they tried any treatments that have worked particularly well?