17% of hyperhidrosis patients are teenagers…“it will clear up after puberty” is a risky assumption
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Gangnam St. Peter's Hospital 26-05-15 00:00Main content
17% of hyperhidrosis patients are teenagers…“it will clear up after puberty” is a risky assumption
Reporter Jang, In Seon (insun@k-health.com) Approved 2026.05.15 09:29 Comments 0
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Adolescent hyperhidrosis affects schoolwork and relationships
Consider surgery if symptoms are severe…less burden, faster recovery
Avoid spicy food and keep the affected areas clean
Adolescent hyperhidrosis is often taken lightly and dismissed as a matter of constitution, but it disrupts schoolwork and makes friendships harder, greatly lowering quality of life, so active treatment is needed.
Hyperhidrosis, in which sweat is secreted far more than necessary, lowers quality of life. With the heat arriving early this year, patients with hyperhidrosis are already worried. Above all, while it is easy to assume that hyperhidrosis occurs only in adults, it is by no means rare in adolescence.
According to Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data, about 15,000 patients visit hospitals for hyperhidrosis each year, of whom teenagers account for roughly 17% — some 2,000 patients. Teenagers also average more than two visits per person a year, higher than other age groups.
Hyperhidrosis is divided by cause into congenital and acquired forms. Congenital hyperhidrosis refers, as the name suggests, to heavy sweating in a specific area in an otherwise healthy person with no particular cause, while acquired hyperhidrosis occurs as a complication of conditions such as neurological disorders arising anywhere from the central to the peripheral nervous system — including anxiety and depression — or diabetes.
Primary hyperhidrosis, the form adolescents mainly experience, tends to show symptoms from a relatively young age and can worsen during puberty. It can occur regardless of sex, and about 25 to 50% of patients are known to have a family history.
Hyperhidrosis does not clear up on its own; patients should be advised on treatment suited to their condition and its cause, and keep up consistent management in daily life (Photo=St. Peter's Hospital).
In general, if two or more of the following apply — ▲symmetrical sweating on both sides of the body ▲excessive sweating at least once a week ▲marked interference with daily life ▲onset of symptoms before the age of 25 ▲a family history ▲no sweating during sleep — primary hyperhidrosis is considered likely.
Yoon, Kangjun, President of St. Peter's Hospital and a neurosurgery specialist, said, “Among the primary hyperhidrosis types, axillary hyperhidrosis often begins around puberty, while palmar hyperhidrosis usually appears earlier.” He added, “In the late teens, sweating patterns can become more pronounced alongside secondary sexual development, and in severe cases hyperhidrosis can cause emotional withdrawal or difficulty in personal relationships.”
The disruption is even greater for exam candidates, who need to concentrate. The sympathetic nerves that promote sweating respond sensitively to emotional stimuli such as tension and stress, so for students hyperhidrosis itself becomes a source of stress, creating a vicious cycle in which the sweating is likely to get worse.
President Yoon, Kangjun stressed, “Some people simply endure it in the belief that it will ease once puberty passes, but hyperhidrosis can undermine confidence and personal relationships and affect mental health as well.” He added, “Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which family history, an overactive autonomic nervous system and stress all play a part, and it should be treated actively.”
Once hyperhidrosis is diagnosed, non-surgical treatment comes first, including topical agents, drug therapy and botulinum toxin injections. If symptoms are severe or conservative treatment brings little benefit, surgery is performed to resect the sympathetic nerve thoracoscopically and help regulate the activity of the sweat glands.
Thoracoscopic endoscopic sympathectomy leaves almost no surgical wound and allows discharge on the day of surgery, so a quick return to daily life is its advantage. Its effect is also permanent, and it is widely used for patients in whom other treatments have failed.
Recently, ‘single-port endoscopic sympathectomy’, which uses local incisions of less than 1cm on each side of the chest, has become the main approach, greatly reducing the burden of recovery. The operation takes an average of under 20 minutes and the hospital stay is about two days, so the return to daily life is quick.
President Yoon, Kangjun said, “Even for adolescents facing important tests such as the national college entrance exam, planning surgery five to six months in advance allows ample recovery without any burden on their studies or daily life.”
Specialists also advise that there is no need to worry about ‘compensatory hyperhidrosis’, in which heavy sweating appears elsewhere after surgery. Unlike in the past, current techniques have advanced to resect the fifth and sixth sympathetic ganglia as well, which minimizes compensatory hyperhidrosis.
Care after surgery also matters. Personal hygiene should be thorough, and intake of foods that stimulate the sympathetic nerves, such as spicy dishes, should be reduced. Areas that sweat should be washed carefully and kept dry, and clothing is best made of breathable, quickly absorbing natural fabrics. For those who tend to run hot, managing body weight helps ease symptoms.
Tag#Hyperhidrosis#AdolescentHyperhidrosis#TeenageHyperhidrosis#SummerHyperhidrosis#HyperhidrosisTreatment#HyperhidrosisSurgery#HyperhidrosisEndoscopicSympathectomy#HyperhidrosisManagement#PrimaryHyperhidrosis#CompensatoryHyperhidrosis
Reporter Jang, In Seon (insun@k-health.com) Approved 2026.05.15 09:29 Comments 0
Share article
Send email
Larger text
Adolescent hyperhidrosis affects schoolwork and relationships
Consider surgery if symptoms are severe…less burden, faster recovery
Avoid spicy food and keep the affected areas clean
Adolescent hyperhidrosis is often taken lightly and dismissed as a matter of constitution, but it disrupts schoolwork and makes friendships harder, greatly lowering quality of life, so active treatment is needed.
Hyperhidrosis, in which sweat is secreted far more than necessary, lowers quality of life. With the heat arriving early this year, patients with hyperhidrosis are already worried. Above all, while it is easy to assume that hyperhidrosis occurs only in adults, it is by no means rare in adolescence.
According to Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data, about 15,000 patients visit hospitals for hyperhidrosis each year, of whom teenagers account for roughly 17% — some 2,000 patients. Teenagers also average more than two visits per person a year, higher than other age groups.
Hyperhidrosis is divided by cause into congenital and acquired forms. Congenital hyperhidrosis refers, as the name suggests, to heavy sweating in a specific area in an otherwise healthy person with no particular cause, while acquired hyperhidrosis occurs as a complication of conditions such as neurological disorders arising anywhere from the central to the peripheral nervous system — including anxiety and depression — or diabetes.
Primary hyperhidrosis, the form adolescents mainly experience, tends to show symptoms from a relatively young age and can worsen during puberty. It can occur regardless of sex, and about 25 to 50% of patients are known to have a family history.
Hyperhidrosis does not clear up on its own; patients should be advised on treatment suited to their condition and its cause, and keep up consistent management in daily life (Photo=St. Peter's Hospital).
In general, if two or more of the following apply — ▲symmetrical sweating on both sides of the body ▲excessive sweating at least once a week ▲marked interference with daily life ▲onset of symptoms before the age of 25 ▲a family history ▲no sweating during sleep — primary hyperhidrosis is considered likely.
Yoon, Kangjun, President of St. Peter's Hospital and a neurosurgery specialist, said, “Among the primary hyperhidrosis types, axillary hyperhidrosis often begins around puberty, while palmar hyperhidrosis usually appears earlier.” He added, “In the late teens, sweating patterns can become more pronounced alongside secondary sexual development, and in severe cases hyperhidrosis can cause emotional withdrawal or difficulty in personal relationships.”
The disruption is even greater for exam candidates, who need to concentrate. The sympathetic nerves that promote sweating respond sensitively to emotional stimuli such as tension and stress, so for students hyperhidrosis itself becomes a source of stress, creating a vicious cycle in which the sweating is likely to get worse.
President Yoon, Kangjun stressed, “Some people simply endure it in the belief that it will ease once puberty passes, but hyperhidrosis can undermine confidence and personal relationships and affect mental health as well.” He added, “Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which family history, an overactive autonomic nervous system and stress all play a part, and it should be treated actively.”
Once hyperhidrosis is diagnosed, non-surgical treatment comes first, including topical agents, drug therapy and botulinum toxin injections. If symptoms are severe or conservative treatment brings little benefit, surgery is performed to resect the sympathetic nerve thoracoscopically and help regulate the activity of the sweat glands.
Thoracoscopic endoscopic sympathectomy leaves almost no surgical wound and allows discharge on the day of surgery, so a quick return to daily life is its advantage. Its effect is also permanent, and it is widely used for patients in whom other treatments have failed.
Recently, ‘single-port endoscopic sympathectomy’, which uses local incisions of less than 1cm on each side of the chest, has become the main approach, greatly reducing the burden of recovery. The operation takes an average of under 20 minutes and the hospital stay is about two days, so the return to daily life is quick.
President Yoon, Kangjun said, “Even for adolescents facing important tests such as the national college entrance exam, planning surgery five to six months in advance allows ample recovery without any burden on their studies or daily life.”
Specialists also advise that there is no need to worry about ‘compensatory hyperhidrosis’, in which heavy sweating appears elsewhere after surgery. Unlike in the past, current techniques have advanced to resect the fifth and sixth sympathetic ganglia as well, which minimizes compensatory hyperhidrosis.
Care after surgery also matters. Personal hygiene should be thorough, and intake of foods that stimulate the sympathetic nerves, such as spicy dishes, should be reduced. Areas that sweat should be washed carefully and kept dry, and clothing is best made of breathable, quickly absorbing natural fabrics. For those who tend to run hot, managing body weight helps ease symptoms.
Tag#Hyperhidrosis#AdolescentHyperhidrosis#TeenageHyperhidrosis#SummerHyperhidrosis#HyperhidrosisTreatment#HyperhidrosisSurgery#HyperhidrosisEndoscopicSympathectomy#HyperhidrosisManagement#PrimaryHyperhidrosis#CompensatoryHyperhidrosis