Hyperhidrosis - Prognosis and Impact

Prognosis and Impact

Hyperhidrosis can have physiological consequences such as cold and clammy hands, dehydration, and skin infections secondary to maceration of the skin. Hyperhidrosis can also have devastating emotional effects on one’s individual life.

Affected people are constantly aware of their condition and try to modify their lifestyle to accommodate this problem. This can be disabling in professional, academic and social life, causing embarrassments. Many routine tasks become impossible chores, which can psychologically drain these individuals. In fact, hyperhidrosis has been referred to as 'The Silent Handicap'.

Excessive sweating of the hands interferes with many routine activities, such as securely grasping objects. Some hyperhidrosis sufferers avoid situations where they will come into physical contact with others, such as greeting a person with a handshake. Hiding embarrassing sweat spots under the armpits limits the sufferers' arm movements and pose. In severe cases, shirts must be changed several times during the day. Additionally, anxiety caused by self-consciousness to the sweating may aggravate the sweating. Excessive sweating of the feet makes it harder for patients to wear slide-on or open-toe shoes, as the feet slide around in the shoe because of sweat.

Some careers present challenges for hyperhidrosis sufferers. For example, careers that require the deft use of a knife may not be safely performed by people with excessive sweating of the hands. Those in careers that require federal background checks (such as education), may encounter difficulty with some methods of fingerprint scanning used by law enforcement agencies. The risk of dehydration can limit the ability of some sufferers to function in extremely hot (especially if also humid) conditions. Even the playing of musical instruments can be uncomfortable or difficult because of sweaty hands.