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Hyperhidrosis and Stress

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Stress and Skin Disorders

Abstract

Hyperhidrosis is a psychological skin condition characterized by uncontrollable, excessive amounts of sweat in specific body locations. Although not a physically debilitating condition, those individuals affected with this condition commonly experience psychosocial stress during regular social encounters and exhibit low self-confidence, thus drastically decreasing the quality of life of these individuals (Coutinho dos Santos et al. Pediatr Dermatol 26(4):439–444, 2009; Glogau, Dermatol Surg 24(8):817–819, 1998; Kouris et al. Pediatr Dermatol 32(2):226–230, 2015). Hyperhidrosis is often diagnosed in patients suffering from psychosocial disorders such as social anxiety, suggesting a psychological factor may influence it’s onset. Various management options exist for the treatment of hyperhidrosis including fractionated microneedle radio (FMR) treatment, botulinum toxin type A (BTXA), surgery, oral administration of the anticholinergic drug glycopyrronium bromide (glycopyrrolate), aluminum chloride antiperspirants, iontophoresis, and endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (Glogau, Dermatol Surg 24(8):817–819, 1998; Kouris et al. Pediatr Dermatol 32(2):226–230, 2015; Bajaj and Langtry, Br J Dermatol 157(1):118–121, 2007; Fatemi Naeini et al. Australas J Dermatol 56(4):279–284, 2015; Kobayashi et al. J Dermatol 21(8):575–581, 1994; Rompel and Scholz, J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 15(3):207–211, 2001). Currently, endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is the only current, permanent treatment option. However, new therapeutic options on the horizon such as lasers and microwave thermolysis demonstrate promising results.

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Abbreviations

ACTH:

Adrenocorticotropic hormone

BTXA:

Botulinum toxin type A

CRH:

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone

DLQI:

Dermatology Life Quality Index

HADS:

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

HDSS:

Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale

HPA:

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal

MMPI-2:

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2

OCD:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

ORS:

Olfactory reference syndrome

PAH:

Primary axillary hyperhidrosis

SES:

Subjective evaluation scale

VAS:

Visual Analogue Scale

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, 1475 NW 12th Ave., Suite 2175, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Vincent M. Hsu BS, Vidhi V. Shah BA, Adam S. Aldahan BS, Stephanie Mlacker BS, Sahal Samarkandy MD & Keyvan Nouri MD

  2. Department of Dermatology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Sahal Samarkandy MD

Authors
  1. Vincent M. Hsu BS
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  2. Vidhi V. Shah BA
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  3. Adam S. Aldahan BS
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  4. Stephanie Mlacker BS
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  5. Sahal Samarkandy MD
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  6. Keyvan Nouri MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Keyvan Nouri MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Studi per la Ricerca Multidisciplinare e Rigenerativa Department of Dermatology, Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi, Rome, Italy

    Katlein França

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Saginaw, Michigan, USA

    Mohammad Jafferany

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Hsu, V.M., Shah, V.V., Aldahan, A.S., Mlacker, S., Samarkandy, S., Nouri, K. (2017). Hyperhidrosis and Stress. In: França, K., Jafferany, M. (eds) Stress and Skin Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46352-0_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46352-0_14

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46352-0

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