The Impact of Living with a Hyperhidrosis Diagnosis

David Pariser, MD is an active dermatologist and a founding board member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society (IHHS). He is a professor in the Department of Dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, where he is also the senior physician with Pariser Dermatology Specialists, Ltd. 

In this video, Dr David Pariser discusses how a hyperhidrosis diagnosis can impact patients' lives and takes a toll on their quality of life if not treated correctly.

Visit SweatHelp.org for Hyperhidrosis Awareness Month to find more research and education about the subject.

This video is made in collaboration with the International Hyperhidrosis Society.

TRANSCRIPT-

Dr David Pariser:  Hyperhidrosis can be a devastating disease for patients to have. Nobody really dies of hyperhidrosis, but what the problem is, the quality of life is tremendously impacted by hyperhidrosis. People are unable to engage in social interactions because of excessive sweating. Some of them have trouble with employment. It's a life-changing process.

People are constantly worrying about, "Where's my sweat going to come from? How's that going to affect me today? Am I going to sweat through my shirt? Are my hands going to be dripping?" It's a real social problem.

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Dr Pariser:  We don't talk about it as much as these other conditions because largely of the social stigma. An even bigger reason is that many people who have this, whether they're teenagers or adults, don't realize that it is a medical disorder. They just think they are a "heavy sweater."

That's something that your patients need, the general population, general public, needs to be made more aware of.

This being Hyperhidrosis Awareness Month, one of the reasons why we're talking here today is to try to get people more interested in this condition and to realize that if they do have excessive sweating, they can go to their provider, their doctor or wherever they get their healthcare from. There is treatment for this.

It is not something to be embarrassed about. It is something that can be helped and corrected, and you can improve people's quality of life greatly.