Ways to Stop Sweating from your Palms

Are you afraid to shake hands with other people because your palms will not stop sweating all the time? Nervous to meet new people because you might have to shake their hands? Do you sweat all the time, even if you're not hot or even when you're sleeping?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a condition called palmar hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating of the hands. You are not alone. It is estimated that as many as 1 out of every 600 people suffer from this condition. This is rarely a serious medical condition, but does cost a lot in terms of social and psychological tolls. Social activities are often curtailed for fear of embarassing situations. This dearth of social contact starts a downward spiral in social connections that can lead to psychological problems.

Fortunately, there are a few solutions you can try to use to eliminate sweaty palms.

1) Apply talcum power to your hands. This may help absorb the sweat and prevent any wetness from being felt. You can also try to apply deodorant to your palms. The aluminum chloride in deodorants can help prevent excessive sweating.

2) Ask your doctor for a prescription to Drysol. Drysol is a prescription medication prescribed for excessive sweating. When typical over-the-counter deodorants and antiperspirants cannot solve the problem, doctors often prescribe Drysol. 80% of people who use this medication reports success.

3) If topical solutions do not work, using iontophoresis with tap water may help. This is the transdermal delivery of a substance via application of a mild electric current to the skin. The substance in this case is tap water applied to the palms. No one knows why this works, but many have report success with iontophoresis.

4) Finally, a surgical procedure is available for severe sweat problems. ETS or Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy is a surgical procedure where the sweat glands are burned away through a small incision in the armpit area. This procedure is almost 100% effective, but 80% of patients will develop compensatory sweating on other areas of the body. This is a risk to be taken into consideration before undergoing ETS.

Excessive sweating is problem rout with social consequences. While not usually serious, excessive sweating is an embarassing problem to overcome. The solutions outlined above will hopefully contain one that helps you stop sweating so much and gain a more comfortable life in return.