Hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis also known as seborrhea or polyhidrosis is a medical condition in which a person suffers from excessive sweating. Sweating can sometimes affect just a certain area of the body or otherwise the whole body. Although hyperhidrosis is not a life-threatening condition it can be super uncomfortable. Moreover, hyperhidrosis can lead to embarrassment, social and psychological trauma. The research indicates that the condition of hyperhidrosis tends to start during adolescence. If a patient with hyperhidrosis does not seek any effective treatment, some complications can also develop including infections on the skin and emotional health disturbances.
According to the statistics, almost 7.8 million Americans suffer from hyperhidrosis and the most common areas that go through excessive sweating include the face, armpits, hands, and feet. There are a bunch of home remedies that can help to manage the symptoms of hyperhidrosis. While for people with severe sweating, there is a need of topical, oral medications as well as surgeries to reduce the symptoms. In addition to the physical symptoms, hyperhidrosis can also be devastating on a psychological level for a patient.
Excessive sweating in hyperhidrosis patients has an association with relatively hyperactive sweat glands specifically in the areas of the body like armpits, groin, hands, and feet. There are two main types of hyperhidrosis including generalized and focal hyperhidrosis. In the case of patients with generalized hyperhidrosis, there is sweating all over the body. On the other hand, in the patients with focal hyperhidrosis, there is localized sweating. For instance, there is excessive sweating of the soles and palms specifically known as palmoplantar hyperhidrosis.
Hyperhidrosis might develop in a person at the time of birth or can occur later in life. However, for a majority of people with hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating tends to begin during the teenage years of a person. The hyperhidrosis condition can occur due to an underlying medical condition or sometimes have no apparent reasons at all. The two types of hyperhidrosis include primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis and secondary hyperhidrosis. The primary idiopathic hyperhidrosis occurs due to unknown causes.
While the secondary hyperhidrosis might be occurring due to an underlying health condition including gout, obesity, tumors, diabetes mellitus, menopause, hyperthyroidism, or mercury poisoning. Almost 2.8 percent of Americans suffer yearly from hyperhidrosis according to the data of the International Hyperhidrosis Association, which is a lot of population. In addition, the symptoms of hyperhidrosis are so severe for some people that it creates embarrassment for them which consequently leads to social anxiety and discomfort.
The career choices, personal relationships, emotional well-being, self-image, and the free time activities of a person with hyperhidrosis suffer a lot. There are numerous options, fortunately, that can help to relieve the symptoms of hyperhidrosis to an effective extent. The primary hurdle in treating hyperhidrosis patients is the largest number of people who shy away from seeking medical advice from a professional. Moreover, some people might not have knowledge that a significant treatment exists for hyperhidrosis. Besides the disruption of normal daily activities, heavy sweating can result in social embarrassment and anxiety.