Men, Women and Sweat

Everyone sweats, whether you're out on the basketball court, stuck in a stuffy airplane or nervous before a job interview.

But according to a recent study, men are much more okay with sweaty brows, damp palms and underarm stains: women are twice as likely to seek treatment for excessive sweating disorder than men, according to research released at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held February 2-6 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dee Anna Glaser of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and her research team studied the medical records of 515 patients seen at their dermatology practice for hyperhidrosis, the medical term for excessive sweating disorder. More than two-thirds of the patients were female.

Hyperhidrosis most commonly affects palms of hands, soles of feet, underarms, face and scalp. Men were more likely to seek treatment for facial sweat, women for underarm sweat.

Most patients seemed to develop hyperhidrosis as teens; the average onset age was 14. It's especially difficult for teens to endure excessive sweat disorder, given that it's such an awkward age anyway, when most teen find it so important to among peers.

Thirty to 65 percent of the patients studied said that there was a family history of the condition.

People can suffer from primary hyperhidrosis, where there is no known cause, or secondary hyperhidrosis, where excessive sweating can be caused by an underlying medical condition, anxiety or medications they're taking.

More than 3 percent of the U.S. population suffers from primary hyperhidrosis. That's 7.8 million people.

A large majority of patients in Dr. Glaser's study said that their condition is intolerable, interfering with daily activities. Not surprisingly, stress, anxiety, heat and exercise exacerbated their symptoms. Most rated their condition a "4" on a disease-severity scale of 1 to 4.

The good news is that people with excessive sweat disorder do not have to suffer. Hyperhidrosis can be treated by dermatologists.

Effective treatment options include Botox injections (yes, the same botulinum toxin used to prevent wrinkles); prescription antiperspirants that contain up to 20 percent aluminum chloride; oral prescription medications called anticholinergics; Iontophoresis, a process whereby an electric current is run through the skin's surface; and surgery of the sweat glands, either removing them or cutting the nerves that send "sweat messages" to the glands.

For more information about hyperhidrosis, or to find a board-certified dermatologist near you, visit the American Academy of Dermatology website (www.aad.org).

Sources:
American Academy of Dermatology, 65^th Annual Meeting, February 2007, (http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2007/aad020107/downloads/glase_hyperhidrosis.pdf)

American Academy of Dermatology, "Effective Treatments Mean Excessive Sweating Patients No Longer Swimming in Anxiety, (http://www.aad.org/public/News/NewsReleases/Press+Release+Archives/Skin+Conditions/Hyperhidrosis.htm)