How Common Is Excessive Sweating?What Surveys Found
Odor & SweatArticleIf you sweat far more than seems normal, you have plenty of company. US surveys put excessive sweating, called hyperhidrosis, at about 3% to 5% of people, and a German workplace screening found 16% reported it. Yet most never see a doctor about it, often because they don't know it's treatable. Here is what the surveys found and why the numbers differ.
In this article
Soaked shirts, slippery hands, avoiding certain colors: heavy sweating can shape your day while feeling like something you just have to put up with. Surveys suggest it’s common, and that most people living with it never ask for help.
What the surveys found
| Survey | How it asked | Share with excessive sweating |
|---|---|---|
| US, 2004 | Mailed to 150,000 households1 | 2.8%, about 7.8 million people1 |
| US, 2016 | Online panel of 8,160 people2 | 4.8%, about 15.3 million people2 |
| Germany, 2013 | Skin screening of 14,336 employees3 | 16.3%; 6.1% with frequent or constant sweating3 |
The numbers differ because of how people were asked. The US surveys relied on people describing their own sweating as excessive.12 The German study screened workers at their jobs and counted anyone who reported it, including milder cases.3
How much it affects people
- In the 2016 survey, 70% of those with excessive sweating said it was severe in at least one part of the body.2
- In the 2004 survey, about half had it in the armpits, and about a third of those said it was barely tolerable or intolerable and interfered with daily life.1
Why most people don’t get help
- Only 38% (2004) and 51% (2016) of US sufferers had talked to a health professional about it.12
- In Germany, only 27% of those with sweating in specific areas had seen a doctor.3
- The main reasons: believing it isn’t a medical condition, and that nothing can be done.2
Excessive sweating is a recognized medical condition, and there are treatments to discuss. See what hyperhidrosis is, underarm Botox questions and microwave treatment for underarm sweat.
When sweating could be something else
In the German study, taking other medicines was a predictor of heavy sweating.3 See sweating more on antidepressants. New, one-sided or night-time sweating deserves a check for other causes.
Try: “I sweat through my clothes most days, even when I’m calm and cool. I’ve tried strong antiperspirants. What are my next options?”
Arms Up covers this in Chapter 1, “The Sniff Check,” in a section called “How Common Is It?,” and the options in Chapter 10’s “The Step-Up Conversation.” Its Fresh Log records where and when you sweat, so you can show a clinician the pattern. See the book.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It isn't a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional who knows your health history. See a doctor for sweating that starts suddenly in adulthood, affects one side, happens mostly at night, or comes with weight loss, fever or a racing heart, since these can point to another cause. Girl Playbook does not endorse any specific product, test, or provider.
Girl Playbook sells this book. It provides education and worksheets, not individualized medical care.
Sources
The research behind this article, in the order it’s cited. How we source our articles.
- Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (abstract via PubMed), 2004US prevalence of hyperhidrosis and impact on individuals with axillary hyperhidrosis: results from a national survey (opens in a new tab)abcde
- Archives of Dermatological Research (via PubMed Central), 2016Hyperhidrosis: an update on prevalence and severity in the United States (opens in a new tab)abcdef
- Dermatology journal (abstract via PubMed), 2013Prevalence and disease burden of hyperhidrosis in the adult population (opens in a new tab)abcde
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll check it.
