Could Your Adolescent Be Suffering From Hyperhidrosis?
By · on June 2, 2010Here is an article I have written to give parents a “heads up” about hyperhidrosis in adolescence:
Adolescence can be an exciting, emotional, and confusing time in your child’s life as well as yours. As a parent, it can creep up on you… One day, your talkative, adoring, happy child seemingly morphs into a stranger. This stranger behaves as though you are the dullest knife in the drawer, is convinced you can’t dress to save your life, and is capable of eating every potato chip in the house in one sitting. Suddenly, everything about you is an endless source of embarrassment. You must drive in the car with all the windows up just in case your horrifying taste in music or a younger sibling’s voice causes your teenager to keel over in mortification.
All that aside, it is surreal and fascinating to see the physical changes taking place before your eyes! Everything is growing, changing, developing… there is a new game in the house: who is taller than who? Of course, along with these incredible changes usually comes an increasing self-consciousness. Self-consciousness breeds secretiveness. This is normal. You must become, by necessity, two parts detective and one part Nosy Parker. We need to stay on top of all the new dynamics in a teenager’s life, and that takes a lot of ingenuity and persistence.
One of the possible changes your adolescent may face is something that very few parents are aware of: hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis, by definition, is a disorder that causes the body to sweat excessively or inappropriately. Some people develop this in early childhood (I did), but it seems that most cases of hyperhidrosis appear along with the changes brought on by puberty. There are several variations of hyperhidrosis: Axillary Hyperhidrosis (excessive underarm sweat), Palmar Hyperhidrosis (sweaty hands), Plantar Hyperhidrosis (sweaty feet), and CranioFacial Hyperhidrosis and Blushing (sweating and/or blushing of the face and scalp). The most common form of hyperhidrosis is Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis, which is a combination of sweating in the underarms, hands, and feet.
Can you imagine how difficult it would be to have this happen to your body at such a time? A teenager is already dealing with the physical changes of puberty, a new-found awareness of the opposite sex, and the emotional upheavals of hormones-gone-wild. Add to this mix the self-consciousness and secretiveness that accompany adolescence.
The upshot here is that your child could be dealing with the bewildering effects of a disorder they do not know even exists, and could be too ashamed to tell you. In fact, most people who suffer from hyperhidrosis live with it for many years without even knowing it is a medical disorder. I grew up with it and until I was in my 30′s, I thought it was “just me”.
The good news is that there are many others in the world who have this disorder– estimates are that it affects approximately 3% of the global population. Therefore, there are many treatments available, as well as chat forums and websites to be found where those who suffer from hyperhidrosis can go to find helpful information and to share their feelings and frustrations.
If your child starts to exhibit anti-social behavior, won’t allow you to hold his or her hand, sweats through their clothing, or acts depressed for no known reason, try to ask them why. Ask their permission to take them to see a specialist who can help them. For the most part, dermatologists can provide the best medical treatment for this disorder. However, not all dermatologists take hyperhidrosis seriously enough or are not experienced in its treatment. Ask before you bring your child to an appointment, because a doctor who belittles the problem can make things worse.
If you think your adolescent may be dealing with hyperhidrosis, please seek help and find out as much as you possibly can about the disorder. Above all, take it seriously. Living in a body that can “betray” you at any moment is embarrassing, scary and frustrating. Too many children suffer from this alone, in silence, believing he or she is a “freak”. It does not have to be that way.
Link to this page
Hi,
Thanks for making this site, I am sure it is so helpful to many others. I only suffer from auxiliary hyperhidrosis, however it is extremely horrible. I have dealt with it for 13 years and have basically just learned to live with it. I have tried prescription antiperspersperants and nothing has worked. No one I know has this problem, no one in my family and none of my friends ever did. I was doing okay and just living with it, just hiding, and just being uncomfortable…until I got pregnant. My world came crashing down, because this disease has caused me so much misery and not knowing if my child may have it too has put me in a severe depression. I told my mother that I would not have a child if I know they would have this problem because it is so horrible to live with, with no cause, cure, or relief. I would never want them to suffer as much as I have as it has held me back in so many ways(even though I have done my best). When I had my ultrasound at 20 weeks and they told me I was having a girl I cried, not because I didn’t want a girl but because It is harder for a girl to live with this if she has it. I never thought it would carry on ruining every aspect of my life but it has, and no one understands.
I guess I just wanted to ask if you if anyone else in your family has it, do you have children and do they have it, and since getting ETS do you still sweat elsewhere? Not that I would get ETS as I only have auxiliary hyperhidrosis, but it is sure frustrating when I can’t stop it and I feel uncomfortable almost every second of every day.
Mandy, Your message really touched my heart. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I am so sorry that your hyperhidrosis has caused you such sadness, especially during your first pregnancy. Yes, I have children, 5 in fact. My HH was somewhat worse during my pregnancies, with the heightened sensitivity to heat as well as those fun hormones… my children range in age from 15 down to 5, and so far not one of them has it. I am keeping a watch on our two teenagers because HH so often shows up in adolescence, as the article points out. It sounds like that is when you first began with HH too, huh? Please don’t allow your fear for your daughter getting HH interfere with the joys of motherhood. There are plenty of things that can and will cause you worry as you become a parent, and there is such joy ahead for you that worrying about HH appearing in your child’s life should not take center stage. Wouldn’t you say that other than the physical discomfort of the sweat, that the worst part of living with hyperhidrosis is the hiding and the shame? It was for me. I was like you– no one else in my family had it nor did any of my friends (as far as I knew). I felt completely alone and like a freak. Your daughter, if she ends up having HH, will not have to suffer through that. You will be there to help her, to let her know that she simply has a medical disorder, and you can help her find treatments and even help her learn how to dress to manage the sweat. And really, we as women think we have it worse, but it is no worse for us. Men have their own social stigmas with sweat to deal with. As far as ETS, you are right, axillary hyperhidrosis is not the focus of that surgery. Yes, I still do sweat pretty much everywhere after having had it, and am still sensitive to the heat, especially humidity. If you want to subscribe to the site, you can read my report. It details what my sweat patterns are now and it also discusses how to navigate through insurance coverage if you want to have that surgery– or any surgical procedures– done. There are other things you can try after you have your baby. Botox has an over 80% success rate and its effects last between 6-9 months. It is now covered by most insurance policies because it is used as a medical treatment for HH, not as a cosmetic procedure. I have heard it is uncomfortable having it done but not bad and most people say the results are well worth it. Another thing to consider– and this is extreme– is laser-liposuction under your arms. This is an outpatient surgical procedure and what it does is it removes a large number (but not all) of the sweat glands under the arms. Surgeons have improved the technique and technology has improved also to make this a good option for people whose axillary sweating is out of control. I have not heard that there is compensatory sweating afterward, supposedly because no nerves are severed or removed– you just end up having less sweat glands, and very small scars. The most important variable for this procedure is the skill and experience of the surgeon performing it. I discuss it in detail under “Local Axillary Procedures” under the “Treatment Options” tab. I hope this helped. Explore your treatment options to see what you can do for yourself after pregnancy, perhaps you can purchase some dress shields to help you manage the sweat more comfortably in the meantime (look under Products and Clothing for recommendations), and don’t worry about your daughter having HH. She already has your experience, understanding, and love going for her! If she has HH, YOU are her biggest asset. There might be a decent, non-invasive cure for it by then, anyhow! Enjoy that baby! Blessings
Charmaine
Hi,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I am glad that your children have not developed it. I don’t know if it is the hormones or what, but ever since I have been pregnant I have been a horrible wreck. I think I sweat more too, but I can’t tell. I stated using odaban since pregnant and it helps a little. They say it is safe to use it when pregnant, but then I worry it is not, and then I worry I am harming my daughter. My obgyn has no clue about the condition or what is safe(but the website states it is safe when pregnant). Originally I was so depressed that the doctor tried to put me on zoloft. So I thought Zoloft or Odaban and I choose Odaban which I thought would really help me, but it hasn’t. I have gotten through the past few years just telling myself that I could use odaban, maxim, or drysol and my problem would go away. I used Maxim for like two days, but then I developed another sweating issue but I was wearing corduroy pants while working in the summer, so I could have just been really hot. But now Maxim won’t even work, and I am not talking little pit stains it is like 8 inches in diameter. And the frustrating part is that I only sweat when I talk to people or have any emotion (anger, stress, anxiety). I have to talk on the phone at work and if I get upset or they get angry at me, it gets so horrible and it makes me not want to socialize. I was super outgoing in High School even with the condition, but it seems the more I find out about the condition the more it makes me crazy. I thought I would grow out of it or something.
I had never heard of anyone sweating in other places than the armpits until after high school when I read about hyperhidrosis and it thew me into an anxiety attack for months. Then I met someone who had palmar hyperhidrosis and then her sister had it and so did her son. She eventually had ETS but I am not sure how that turned out for her as I have not seen her in years. But since pregnant all these emotions come flooding back to me. All of the fear the sweating has caused, all the rejection. Not being able to wear any color prom dress, not being able to pledge a sorority (because they requested we wear a t-shirt), not being able to pick any profession that I want such as a hairdresser or flight attendant. Going though college alone, finding it hard to make friends because I was always uncomfortable. It all came back, and I just never want to have my daughter go though that. It would be one thing if I had something that helped me so I know I could at least help her. But, I already feel like I can’t help her if she had this problem because I can’t find relief from mine.
I never went to the doctor for the condition when I was living with my parents because my mom wouldn’t take me. She finally did after highschool but not after threatening me a million times that she wouldn’t if I made her angry. My Dr. blew it off and proscribed drysol (which I never used) because I had already tired Maxim. Since then I just tried to live with it.
But now I have never been more determined to find something to “fix” me or help me live normally. So I can fix her, just incase. I am hoping Odaban will maybe work when I am not pregnant, if not I am going to a dermatologist for help. Dress shields are a good idea, but I think I sweat too much to even use those
Finally after all these years I will try to get help. I guess I am just scared that there will be nothing that will help or that I will develop cs from one of these procedures. Then, I will have no hope.
I really just hope all these emotions are from pregnancy, and I hope I feel better after I am done. Only two more months, thankfully. I also hope that I will find something that will help me.
Thank you for listening. I feel so alone sometimes, and that is the WORST part about the condition.
Mandy, I know you feel so alone; I felt alone in this my entire life, up until I started this website. Let me reiterate, that is the biggest thing your child would have going for her, if she does develop HH– you would be there for her and she would never feel alone, and that would make a huge difference. Also, the more you can do to figure out how to treat your problem the easier it will be for you to help her.
When in crisis, everyone does better with a plan. You have made 2 comments about doctors since your first message: your OB doesn’t have a clue about HH, and the only Dermatologist you went to blew your HH off. Wow, I have been there! The first Derm I got the nerve up to see absolutely belittled my HH; he sneered at me when I said “I have Hyperhidrosis”– “You mean you sweat a lot, that’s what you’re here for?”. He also told me to try Drysol and told me I would have to wrap the affected areas with Saran Wrap (not entirely true, if you have seen my page about Drysol). I left that office humiliated and in tears, believing there was nothing that could be done for me. Mandy, do NOT allow a doctor or anyone to blow you off. If you go to a Dermatologist who really, really gets it and has treated other people with HH, you will feel so much better. A decent doctor can set up a plan of action for you. i.e., If you try one treatment, then try this. If that fails, here’s what we do next… Having a plan and being in the care of a professional is what you need right now. A really good doctor knows that some treatments work in combinations– oral meds and topical treatments, oral meds mixed into an ointment for example. You have tried treating this yourself and it is not working and you are emotionally spent over this. I don’t know where you live, but if you go to SweatHelp.org, that is the International Hyperhidrosis Society. They have a list of dermatologists that they have trained in treating Hyperhidrosis. I recommend doing this now while you are pregnant so that you can start planning your treatment once you have the baby. It will make you feel better, believe me. You feel better when you have a plan!
Blessings,
Charmaine
PS I still think dress shields can help! They have several levels of protection available.
I checked out some thing comparable to this post over at google news… I became intrigued and then began looking around, then somehow landed at this page… anyhow, I think that I somewhat agree with what you discuss here. However I’m going to go check what else I can find too.