November is famous for its multiple health awareness campaigns. In hyperhidrosis society, it is also a favorite month of the year, known as a hyperhidrosis awareness month.
The most famous is “No-Shave November” that has a goal of growing awareness about cancer.
The word about excessive sweating disperses the most at this time of the year.
As a family business with people close to us affected by hyperhidrosis, we work hard to spread the word about the seriousness of excessive sweating.
Every step forward to educating as many people as possible about this condition could provide a chance for someone to find the right treatment.
Therefore, hyperhidrosis awareness month is the biggest opportunity to spread the word about this condition.
Over the years, we’ve had a chance to work with many people from Sweden and Scandinavia
With time we’ve broadened our mission to spread hyperhidrosis awareness worldwide. Patients deserve to get the chance to get the right diagnosis and information.
Unfortunately, not every treatment is suitable for everyone.
However, every person that has damaged life quality because of excessive sweating deserves information about treatment options.
Since there is still a lot of research about this condition going on, we’ve listed 3 little-known facts about excessive sweating.
1. The silent handicap
Did you know that diagnosis of excessive sweating is also famous as “the silent handicap”?
Imagine not being able to choose the clothing you like, greet people close to you, choose a career you prefer. Imagine feeling stressed out most of the time.
Moreover, it is just a tiny layer of what sweating beyond regular does to those affected by this condition.
If you’re not familiar with this diagnosis, the name “silent handicap” might not be obvious. People who have hyperhidrosis, don’t usually talk about it.
It can be seriously upsetting to struggle daily with basic tasks. It’s even harder to feel scared or ashamed, staying silent about it, and dealing with it on your own.
2. The exact reason for primary hyperhidrosis is unknown
This fact might be not strange to you if you’re familiar with excessive sweating.
However, if you’ve just started your research, it might be hard to believe it. It’s nerve-wracking that a medical condition that affects so many people is still so unfamiliar.
People affected by this type of excessive sweating have heard multiple times words like:
“You’re stressed. You have it because of that.”
“It’s just puberty, it’ll pass.”
“You’re overweight, that’s why you have it.”
Sometimes, the reasons above can increase sweating but they are not the cause of primary hyperhidrosis.
These people have often tried to lose weight and have done everything to not feel stressed. They do everything to improve their health, but their sweat problems remained.
Several medical papers suggest that a genetic origin might be, partly, a reason for transmission of sweat level above regular. However, more research is crucial to the mission to explore this area.
3. More than 250 million people in the world suffer from hyperhidrosis
Information about the “silent handicap” isn’t familiar enough amongst health-care systems. The number of people suffering from extreme sweating and not getting help is surprisingly high.
This number is ten times the population of Australia.
Sadly, a big amount of people aren’t aware that there is help to get.
Some of them aren’t even aware that their state of sweating too much is a medical condition.
Others know that a high level of sweat isn’t normal. However, they don’t know that there are clinics that they can reach out to and get a diagnosis and treatment.
Times in a year like hyperhidrosis awareness month, are a grand opportunity to spread knowledge about this shameful disease. Unfortunately, it can seriously damage the life quality of people.
What can you do to raise hyperhidrosis awareness?
If you are affected by hyperhidrosis, you can join the Hyperhidrosis Patient Association in your country/region.
More members strengthen the possibility of pushing the issue of hyperhidrosis patients’ situations where you live.
If you feel comfortable speaking about your suffering and problems with hyperhidrosis with your surroundings, it can help you normalize the condition and make others with hyperhidrosis open up.
If you have a person close to you that has hyperhidrosis, it’s important to communicate with your loved ones about their condition.
It’s critical not to accuse your loved ones of being responsible for their situation because they’re stressed or overweight, etc.
We try to spread as much knowledge as we can on our blog, website, and social media.
When we started helping people with hyperhidrosis, our starting point was the Nordic area.
Emmili Yoshiguchi together with Dr. Sandra Eriksson Mirkovic, run Svettpoden (The Sweat Podcast) and covered issues connected to this condition.
We hope that an English version of this podcast will be available soon.
Together we can make sure that everyone who’s affected by hyperhidrosis gets the right diagnosis, information, and help.
Article medically reviewed by Sandra Eriksson Mirkovic, MD with a special interest in hyperhidrosis.
Customer service and digital marketing specialist motivated to spread awareness about hyperhidrosis and help patients in finding the right treatment.