Seventeen Percent of Teens Report Excessive Sweating

More teens than previously thought may experience excessive, uncontrollable sweating, according to data collected by International Hyperhidrosis Society researchers and presented at the recent American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) 2017 Annual Meeting.

In the study, seventeen percent of teens reported excessive sweating. By contrast, prior studies put such prevalence at only 1.6 percent to 2.1 percent, the researchers point out.

What’s more, three-quarters of participants indicated that the daily impairment from sweating is major or moderate. More than 25 percent reported onset at or before age 10, with an average reported age of 11, the survey found.

“Our results show an even greater need than previously recognized for the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of excessive sweating in teens and children,” says study author Adelaide Hebert, MD founding board member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society, former President of the Women's Dermatology Society and a pediatric dermatologist, and professor at the UTHealth McGovern Medical School in Houston. “The teen and pre-teen years are an important time in young people’s development of self-concept; helping them to thrive includes the appropriate management of impactful health conditions – like excessive sweating.”

Lisa Pieretti, Executive Director of the International Hyperhidrosis Society and lead investigator of the study adds, “These are important results for pediatricians, pediatric dermatologists, school nurses, parents, and teens. By helping to increase awareness of the problem, we hope we can inspire teens to bring their excessive sweating issues out into the open – for more empathetic, effective management.”

To collect the data, the International Hyperhidrosis Society surveyed a US-representative, national, online consumer panel of teens. The research was made possible by the generous support of GlaxoSmithKline’s non-interventional grant program, which provided the necessary funding to the International Hyperhidrosis Society.