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Read articleMaybe this sounds familiar: When you spin, you consider the five-foot radius around you a splash zone. You leave a puddle on the bench when you chest press. Sweat pours off your face whenever you’re circuit training.
You’re a supremely sweaty man.
But how can you tell if you simply sweat more than the average gym-goer, or if you’ve got an actual condition? Read these defining characteristics, courtesy of Valley Health System, and find out.
Unlike the normal sweating you experience mid-workout or during an un-air-conditioned car ride, hyperhidrosis is typified by sweating far more than what’s required for your body to regulate its own temperature, says Robert Korst, M.D., medical director of the Hyperhidrosis Center at Valley Hospital. Point is it’s an involuntary action in your body, just like circulation.
Most people dismiss the disorder—chalking it up to simply perspiring more than the average Joe—but about 7 million Americans suffer from hyperhidrosis.
Researchers aren’t exactly sure why some people are susceptible to the condition. It could be genetic. One study, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, found palmar hyperhidrosis—excessively sweaty palms, in other words—may be due to genetics, since most patients have a parent or sibling who also has hyperhidrosis. And there are certain stressors that can trigger a hyperhidrosis flare up, like stress, anxiety, certain foods and drinks, nicotine, and caffeine.
Hyperhidrosis can cause you to sweat everywhere or just in specific areas, like your hands, feet, armpits, and groin, because these body parts have the highest concentration of sweat glands. More specifically, there are three main types of the condition: primary focal hyperhidrosis, generalized idiopathic hyperhidrosis, and secondary generalized hyperhidrosis.
1. Primary focal hyperhidrosis
2. Generalized idiopathic hyperhidrosis
3. Secondary generalized hyperhidrosis
If you think you’re suffering from a form of hyperhidrosis, make an appointment with your doctor to assess your symptoms and an appropriate treatment plan.