Feb. 23 (iVillage Total Health) -- Excessive sweating that soaks your palms and underarms is a source of embarrassment for many people who experience it. But a new study is shedding light on the problem and offering hope for those who live with it.

The condition, called hyperhidrosis, involves excessive sweating in the palms, armpits, soles of the feet, scalp and elsewhere on the body. The disorder can be confined to the underarms, hands and feet and have no underlying medical cause (called primary hyperhidrosis) or occur as the result of medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism and hypoglycemia or other factors (called secondary hyperhidrosis).

Researchers at the St. Louis University School of Medicine studied 515 patients treated for primary hyperhidrosis at a university-based dermatology practice. More than two-thirds of the patients (67.2 percent) were women, compared to only 32.8 percent men. However men were more likely to seek treatment if they had facial sweating. Women were more likely to seek help for underarm sweating.

The study showed that the average of age of onset of the condition was 14 and people who began to experience the symptoms before age 20 were more likely to have family histories of the disorder. Some of the study participants reported excessive perspiration in their palms or under their feet as early as age 11. Underarm hyperhidrosis was more likely to occur in adolescents and teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19.

Asked how they felt the disorder affected their daily lives by rating it on scale of 1 (for mild discomfort) to 4 (meaning severe discomfort), a majority of the participants rated their condition at the highest discomfort levels. Some indicated that stress, anxiety, exercise and heat were the most common factors contributing to the excessive sweating.

"If left untreated, hyperhidrosis can really inhibit the way people live their lives," Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, a dermatologist and St. Louis University professor, said in a press release. "Fortunately, dermatologists now have a number of newer therapies, as well as tried-and-true treatments, available to help patients with hyperhidrosis. Patients should consult their dermatologist if they experience unusual amounts of sweating over a prolonged period of time or perspiration that is not triggered by obvious factors. As this study suggests, not all hyperhidrosis patients are affected equally by this condition, and we're hopeful that future treatments will address the differences we found between genders and age groups."

Antiperspirants, Botox injections, surgery and prescription medications are among some of the treatment methods used to relieve hyperhidrosis symptoms.

Results of the study were presented earlier this month at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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