If you suffer from excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, then you sweat a lot more than other people. Sometimes, this condition only affects parts of the body, like the armpits; other times, the whole body sweats too much. While hyperhidrosis is sometimes caused by other medical conditions, in some people with the condition, it occurs without an underlying cause.

In either case, hyperhidrosis is an uncomfortable condition that is hard to hide and hard to live with. You may even feel that your sweating prevents you from achieving your true potential in your job. How can this condition affect your work life and prospects?

Office Relationships

Hyperhidrosis isn’t typically a hygiene problem; however, some people assume it is and may view you more negatively. If your bosses and colleagues talk about your sweating, either behind your back or as a joke to your face, then you’ll find it harder to build positive working relationships. Some may avoid working with you or may take you less seriously simply because you sweat a lot.

Loss of Focus

You may spend a lot of your day trying to conceal and control your hyperhidrosis. Time spent on your sweating reduces your ability to concentrate. If you’re anxious or spend a lot of time managing your sweat issues, then you can’t give work your full attention. If you aren’t delivering, then people may not think that you’re good at your job.

Missed Opportunities

Even if your bosses are sympathetic about your problem, they may view your excessive sweating negatively. For example, your bosses may worry about how professional you look — a wet handshake and visible signs of sweat on your clothes don’t make a good first impression at a client meeting.

You may not be first choice when someone needs to represent the company, even if you’re the best person for the job. For example, your boss may avoid choosing you to meet or entertain important clients or to give external presentations at conferences.

Plus, you may miss out on promotions. If your bosses see that your colleagues don’t take you seriously or even dislike working with you because you sweat so much, then they may worry about putting you in charge.

Difficulty With Your Work

Sometimes sweaty hands just get in the way. If you struggle to unlock your smartphone, type, or write by hand because of the excess sweat in your way, then you aren’t alone, and these nuisances can add up. If you can treat the condition, you may be able to do your work easier.

Holding Yourself Back

Hyperhidrosis saps your confidence. If you don’t feel good about yourself, then you may stop taking opportunities to advance your career. Plus, if anxiety makes your hyperhidrosis worse, then you’ll avoid doing things that put you under pressure and make you sweat more.

If this happens, your career may stall, and you may miss out on opportunities, such as:

• Profile building: If you dodge situations that allow you to showcase your skills and experience, then people might not see your full potential. For example, you may avoid contributing in meetings, giving internal or external presentations or attending industry conferences or networking events.
• Training: You can’t develop your skill set and earn useful qualifications if you turn down training because you’re worried about visibly sweating in public.
• Career advancement: As well as putting you off applying for internal promotions, your hyperhidrosis may prevent you from going for new jobs. You may worry that the stress of an interview will make you sweat so much that you won’t be hired.

Luckily, hyperhidrosis isn’t something you just have to live with; this can be a treatable condition. Some treatments, such as prescribed medications, armpit injections and water-based ion treatments, reduce excessive sweating and get it under control. The armpit injections are usually subsidised by Medicare, and may only need to be done 2-3 times per year.

Darwin Dermatology offers a full range of hyperhidrosis treatments. To find out how we can help you get your career back on track, contact us today.