“The pen slips while I write”… adolescent hyperhidrosis is not a matter of constitution
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Gangnam St. Peter's Hospital 26-05-14 14:57Main content
Hyperhidrosis in the highly active teenage years is easily dismissed as a simple matter of constitution and left untreated. In severe cases, however, it can affect schoolwork and personal relationships and greatly lower quality of life. Exam candidates facing important tests need to be especially careful, as sweaty hands can make a pen slip or leave the OMR answer sheet damp, causing difficulties in the exam room.
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on the 14th, about 15,000 hyperhidrosis patients visit hospitals each year, and roughly 17% of them are in their teens. Primary hyperhidrosis, the form adolescents mainly experience, begins at a relatively young age without any clear underlying condition and tends to become more severe through puberty. The sympathetic nerves that promote sweating respond sensitively to emotional stimuli such as tension and stress. For this reason, students under heavy academic stress easily fall into a vicious cycle in which the hyperhidrosis itself becomes a further source of stress and worsens the sweating.
Yoon, Kangjun, President of St. Peter's Hospital and a neurosurgery specialist, said, “Simply enduring it in the belief that it will get better naturally once puberty passes is a mistake,” adding, “Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which family history, an overactive autonomic nervous system and stress all play a part, so active treatment should be considered.”
Hyperhidrosis is first treated conservatively without surgery, using drug therapy and botulinum toxin. Botulinum toxin reduces sweating by blocking the action of the neurotransmitter that triggers sweat secretion. If symptoms are severe or conservative treatment is not effective enough, however, surgery to block or resect the sympathetic nerve and suppress excessive sweating may be considered.
The 'single-port endoscopic sympathectomy' mainly performed nowadays involves minimal incisions of less than 1cm on each side of the chest, after which the operation is carried out endoscopically, reducing the burden of surgery and recovery. Operating time averages under 20 minutes and the hospital stay is about two days, allowing a comparatively quick return to daily life. Depending on the affected area, thoracic sympathectomy is performed for hyperhidrosis of the hands and armpits, and lumbar sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis of the feet.
However, it should be noted that because hyperhidrosis surgery permanently severs the nerve, it is difficult to restore the original state should side effects occur. Director Yoon advised, “If discomfort in daily life is significant ahead of an important exam, you should not brush it off but get an accurate diagnosis,” adding, “In the case of students preparing for exams, it helps to allow ample time when drawing up a treatment plan so that the impact on their academic schedule is kept to a minimum.”
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on the 14th, about 15,000 hyperhidrosis patients visit hospitals each year, and roughly 17% of them are in their teens. Primary hyperhidrosis, the form adolescents mainly experience, begins at a relatively young age without any clear underlying condition and tends to become more severe through puberty. The sympathetic nerves that promote sweating respond sensitively to emotional stimuli such as tension and stress. For this reason, students under heavy academic stress easily fall into a vicious cycle in which the hyperhidrosis itself becomes a further source of stress and worsens the sweating.
Yoon, Kangjun, President of St. Peter's Hospital and a neurosurgery specialist, said, “Simply enduring it in the belief that it will get better naturally once puberty passes is a mistake,” adding, “Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which family history, an overactive autonomic nervous system and stress all play a part, so active treatment should be considered.”
Hyperhidrosis is first treated conservatively without surgery, using drug therapy and botulinum toxin. Botulinum toxin reduces sweating by blocking the action of the neurotransmitter that triggers sweat secretion. If symptoms are severe or conservative treatment is not effective enough, however, surgery to block or resect the sympathetic nerve and suppress excessive sweating may be considered.
The 'single-port endoscopic sympathectomy' mainly performed nowadays involves minimal incisions of less than 1cm on each side of the chest, after which the operation is carried out endoscopically, reducing the burden of surgery and recovery. Operating time averages under 20 minutes and the hospital stay is about two days, allowing a comparatively quick return to daily life. Depending on the affected area, thoracic sympathectomy is performed for hyperhidrosis of the hands and armpits, and lumbar sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis of the feet.
However, it should be noted that because hyperhidrosis surgery permanently severs the nerve, it is difficult to restore the original state should side effects occur. Director Yoon advised, “If discomfort in daily life is significant ahead of an important exam, you should not brush it off but get an accurate diagnosis,” adding, “In the case of students preparing for exams, it helps to allow ample time when drawing up a treatment plan so that the impact on their academic schedule is kept to a minimum.”