Complications of Hyperhidrosis

Although people suffering from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) rarely experience any medical or health issues related to the condition, that doesn't mean that there are no complications. Some of the more common types of complications and problems that people face can be broken down into three main groups: social and emotional issues, skin problems and body odor.

Social and Emotional Issues

Most people who suffer from excessive sweating have to deal with many different kinds of social or emotional issues related to the condition. In fact 35% of the people who have been diagnosed with this condition indicated that their symptoms are either not tolerable or they are just barely tolerable.

Other people have reported that they are nervous all day long because they are afraid to lift their arms. On the flip side, sometimes people are 100% focused all day about keeping their arms away from their sides so there is more air flowing between their underarm areas and their shirt.

Many people are so embarrassed by this condition that they begin to limit their social contact. Not only is it no fun to stay home by yourself all the time, it is also not very healthy for you emotionally.

If this sounds familiar, you should do some research, because there are many options available to help you.

Skin Problems

Many people who suffer from hyperhidrosis find complications related to the various skin conditions that result from excessive sweating. The problem is that various area of your body are continually moist and this causes several different problems.

When your skin begins to look mushy and starts peeling, it is called maceration. This is typically mild but it can lead to various other skin conditions.

Jock itch and athlete’s foot are other problems that can be the result of hyperhidrosis. Although one affects the groin area and the other usually shows starts between your toes, both of these conditions are fungal infections that come about from excessive moisture.

Some of these issues will be based upon whether your sweating problems are general (all over your body) or whether they are localized to a specific part of your body.

These conditions can usually be treated with over the counter medication or by a quick trip to your doctor.

Body Odor

Body odor can be a very significant problem for people with hyperhidrosis to deal with. Nobody likes to smell bad, and they like it even less when other people realize they smell bad. If left unchecked, it can eventually lead to social problems because the people suffering from this issue pull back from many types of social interactions.

Surprisingly, body odor is not caused by sweat. The odor is actually the bacteria that develops when your skin comes into contact with the sweat.

Also surprising is that the underarm area isn’t the only area that can be effected by this. The groin area and the feet are other areas that are likely to have a bit of an odor if they are prone to excessive sweating. Keeping these areas dry and clean will help, but that is difficult.

You don’t have to continue to suffer through these problems because there are many methods of treatment that are available.