What is hyperhidrosis?


Dr. Sandra Eriksson Mirkovic
Physician with a special interest in hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis - excessive sweating is a condition characterized by an abnormal sweating level that isn’t caused necessarily by heat or exercise. The condition affects about 1-3% of the world population, men and women equally.
Excessive sweating can completely disappear for some people over the years, while for others, it can get worse over time.
This type of sweating causes embarrassment, social anxiety, emotional and physical problems.
Two main types of hyperhidrosis
People mainly associate excessive sweating with armpits and hands. However, the problem can appear almost anywhere on the body - head, face, groin, torso, or feet.
Understanding the difference helps patients and clinicians to understand the cause of the condition and then to perform the best treatment option.
Excessive sweating is divided into two types:
- Primary hyperhidrosis
- Secondary hyperhidrosis
Primary hyperhidrosis
Primary hyperhidrosis isn’t caused by medications, side-effects, or other medical conditions. This type of excessive sweating appears on specific (focal) areas of the body.
Sweating mainly occurs in adolescence or childhood. But it can also affect several body parts or almost the whole body and is then called multifocal or even generalized hyperhidrosis. The generalized kind often appears in adulthood.
Common parts of the body affected by primary focal hyperhidrosis are:
- Hands
- Feet
- Armpits
- The groin area
- Face and/or head
Most people with this type of excessive sweating experience it in multiple body areas. For example, sweaty palms are usually accompanied by sweaty feet. The groin area is often combined with excessive sweating of the armpits. These patients mostly don’t sweat when they are sleeping.


This guide is aimed primarily at those who suffer from hyperhidrosis - a disease that leads to a greatly increased tendency to sweat, despite outer stimuli like environment and activity, but it can also be helpful to you with “normal sweat”.There are a variety of anti-sweat products and treatments on the market. For those of you who suffer from heavy sweating, you have probably tried some of these and noticed that they were not very helpful. However, there are other, not so well known, anti-sweat treatments that even healthcare professionals lack knowledge of.
The most suitable anti-sweat product or treatment largely depends on which areas of the body are affected by excessive sweating. For issues with sweating on the hands, feet, armpits, or even other areas like the face, one of the most effective options is to use an anti-sweat device, specifically an iontophoresis machine, which allows you to treat sweating conveniently at home. This machine is simple to use and doesn’t require assistance from healthcare professionals. Compared to many other anti-sweat treatments.
Complications of excessive sweating
Social and emotional difficulties
People who are affected by excessive sweating experience agonizing difficulties in their everyday life. They avoid social interactions with other people and feel embarrassment in professional and in private life. They are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, emotional distress, etc.
Studies have shown that physiological conditions aren’t the cause of extreme sweating in most cases, but it can lead to depression and anxiety in the long run because it is so exhausting living with the condition.
Athlete’s foot - fungal infection of the feet
The constant moistness on the skin caused by sweat will cause fungus to thrive. This fungal infection starts to appear between the toes, and usually after wearing tight shoes. The wet can also harm the skins’ barrier and bacteria that normally live outside the body, on the skin, can penetrate into deeper tissues.
Body odor (Bromhidrosis)
Usually, the majority of people that suffer from excessive sweating do not experience problems with body odor. That is because the sweat doesn’t produce an unpleasant smell. The smell occurs when sweat comes in contact with the bacteria on the skin.
Everyone has a different bacterial flora. Some that cause a very bad smell and some that produce a pleasant smell. Changing the skin bacterial flora to get rid of a bad smell can be really hard. Common parts where bromhidrosis (body odor) can occur are the armpits, groin, and feet area.
This guide is aimed primarily at those who suffer from hyperhidrosis - a disease that leads to a greatly increased tendency to sweat, despite outer stimuli like environment and activity, but it can also be helpful to you with “normal sweat”.There are a variety of anti-sweat products and treatments on the market. For those of you who suffer from heavy sweating, you have probably tried some of these and noticed that they were not very helpful. However, there are other, not so well known, anti-sweat treatments that even healthcare professionals lack knowledge of.
The most suitable anti-sweat product or treatment largely depends on which areas of the body are affected by excessive sweating. For issues with sweating on the hands, feet, armpits, or even other areas like the face, one of the most effective options is to use an anti-sweat device, specifically an iontophoresis machine, which allows you to treat sweating conveniently at home. This machine is simple to use and doesn’t require assistance from healthcare professionals. Compared to many other anti-sweat treatments.



