IHHS Month - Excessive Sweating: Serious vs. Situational

November is the first annual IHHS month to raise awareness for hyperhidrosis worldwide – check out their blog on excessive sweating, serious versus situational. They even debunk some classic myths about sweat. While hyperhidrosis doesn't impact all our customers, people with excessive sweating or a tendency to overheat can benefit from moisture-wicking + cooling bedding.

Signs Excessive Sweating is Serious vs. Situational

Debunking Myths Surrounding Women and Sweating

CHARLESTON, S.C., September 19, 2017— As women go about their daily lives at work, home and in social circles, there’s a common but hidden scourge: excessive sweating.  In fact, a national survey conducted by the International Hyperhidrosis Society (IHhS)—the scholars of sweat—shows multiple millions suffer from extreme, uncomfortable, embarrassing, debilitating, and emotionally-devastating sweating. This type of sweating is a serious medical condition known as hyperhidrosis and nearly 367 million people of all ages struggle with it on their hands, feet, face, underarms, or body.

Hyperhidrosis can be devastating. While many women attempt to hide their sweating problems and suffer in silence, the impacts are often hard to cover up. Dramatic sweating in the presence of peers at work, or in extracurricular or social environments, can cause severe embarrassment, stress, anxiety, and other emotional issues. Even when women are alone, hyperhidrosis often takes a heavy toll—adversely impacting one’s productivity in a myriad of ways, both personally and professionally.

Women with hyperhidrosis struggle with disproportionate and random sweating that may drench clothing and footwear, damage technology tools, make exercising and playing sports impossible, promote hiding and isolation behaviors, degrade self-esteem, and even prompt bullying at work and elsewhere. The holistic effect on life—workplace, marital, social and otherwise—is thus profound. 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. Given its extreme impacts, some do seek medical attention. It seems women are more proactive in their attempts to medically rectify the issue amid a Science Daily report that “females are far more likely to discuss their [hyperhidrosis] condition with a health care professional.”

Lisa J Pieretti, Executive Director of IHhS, notes, “The pressures of dealing with a ‘sweating problem’ around peers can be catastrophic to self-esteem and more. Too often, women become anxious about going to work, socializing with friends, or being out in public in general. But when those with hyperhidrosis receive support, understanding, and appropriate treatment, their lives can be dramatically changed.”

To that point, IHhS co-founder Dr. David Pariser urges that, while hyperhidrosis is the number one dermatological disease in terms of negatively affecting a woman's quality-of-life, it’s also  number one in having the most positive impact when treated. “When hyperhidrosis is caught early, a person’s life can be transformed for the better in a multitude of ways," he says.

With that in mind, the first step toward providing solutions for those women who sweat excessively is to bust some common myths and misconceptions with facts from the experts at the IHhS, including these:

Myth: Sweaty women are nervous or have hygiene issues.

Truth: The average person has 2 to 4 million sweat glands. Sweat is essential to human survival and serves as the body’s coolant, protecting it from overheating. Women (and men) with hyperhidrosis (which causes overactive sweat glands) sweat excessively regardless of mood, weather, or activity level—often producing 4 or 5 times more sweat than is considered “normal”. 

Myth: If you’re sweating a lot during exercise, it means you’re out of shape.

Truth: If you find yourself sweating a lot during exercise, don’t blame it on being out of shape. Research shows that physically fit women and men actually sweat more and start sweating sooner during exercise than those who are less fit. Why? Because when you achieve greater physical fitness, you can exercise at a higher level, which generates more heat, which causes you to sweat more. Another factor is how acclimatized you are to your environment – for instance if you’re used to training in hot weather, your body will sweat more and sooner during exercise because it’s become effective at knowing when sweat needs to “kick in” and start cooling you down. If, however, you sweat excessively and uncontrollably (significantly more than what seems “normal” as a reaction to exercise or heat), you may actually have hyperhidrosis.

Myth: Night sweats are a “female” problem and nothing to worry about. 

Truth: Night sweats can be serious and they aren’t just something that affects menopausal women. According to Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, President and Founding Member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society as well as Professor and Vice Chairman with the Department of Dermatology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, night sweats can be significant and shouldn’t be disregarded – no matter your age or gender. Drenching night sweats, she says, or any changes in your pattern of sweating should be evaluated by a physician. Medical conditions with sweating symptoms can include serious infections, cancer, low blood sugar, hormone disorders (not simply the hormonal changes of menopause), and neurologic conditions. Medications may also cause night sweats. It’s important to talk to your doctor about night sweating, especially if the night sweats are accompanied by a fever or other symptoms such as unexplained weight loss. Maybe menopause is the culprit, but certainly new night sweating should be discussed with your physician. One thing you don’t need to worry about – hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). The medical condition hyperhidrosis causes excessive sweating when awake, not asleep.

Myth: Girls and young women will grow out of hyperhidrosis.

Truth: Contrary to popular belief, research shows that hyperhidrosis does not go away or decrease with age. In fact, in one recent IHhS study, 88% of respondents said their excessive sweating had gotten worse or stayed the same over time. This was consistent across all the different age groups, from youngsters to older adults.

Myth: Excessive sweating is less debilitating than other skin conditions women have to deal with. 

Truth: According to Dr. Pariser, hyperhidrosis has the greatest impact of any dermatological disease. In fact, various investigations show the impact of hyperhidrosis on quality-of-life is equal to or greater than that of in-patient psoriasis, severe acne, Darier disease, Hailey-Hailey disease, vitiligo, and chronic pruritus.

The extreme level of sweat production experienced with hyperhidrosis can disrupt all aspects of a woman’s life, from workplace performance, relationships, recreational activities, and self-image to overall emotional well-being. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are helpful resources available to help people with hyperhidrosis to not just “know sweat,” but to also achieve a more comfortable, fruitful and happier life.  

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About the International Hyperhidrosis Society:

Founded in 2003 by an elite team of world-respected physicians in hyperhidrosis research and treatment, the International Hyperhidrosis Society is the only independent, non-profit, global organization that strives to improve quality of life for those affected by excessive sweating. Its mission is to reduce the symptoms, anxiety, and social stigma associated with excessive sweating by improving the information, support, and treatment available to the millions of children, teens, and adults affected by hyperhidrosis worldwide.