Sufferers know the struggle well: a dripping forehead before an important event, damp armpits the second the morning commute starts, or wet palms right before a major business meeting handshake. Sweating is a regular part of life, but not all sweaters are created equal. In particular settings, some people sweat much more than they should and definitely more than they want to.
While many people can stay relatively dry, even in hot and stressful situations, others may have genetic conditions or underlying causes that cause them to sweat excessively. Fortune spoke with Dr. Maral Skelsey, clinical professor of dermatology at Georgetown University Medical Center and director of the Dermatologic Surgery Center of Washington, who says there is a “Goldilocks of sweating,” or a normal range in which most people fall.
She also breaks down what questions to ask yourself if you suspect you might be on the far end of the sweating spectrum—and what you can do to alleviate the worst symptoms. “It’s really an under-recognized problem,” she tells Fortune . What is excessive sweating? Sweating, our bodily secretion of water and salt, helps regulate our body temperature, especially when someone is physically active or experiencing hot temperatures.
Feeling stressed, which increases our heart rate and blood pressure, can also trigger our glands to produce sweat, which is why we tend to sweat before a competition or presentation. However, some people are prone to sweat more than other.