Sweaty hands can be a really big problem for many people and it can be potentially embarrassing. In the whole body there are 3 to 4 million sweat glands and within the hands there are 600 sweat glands in every square centimeter. When you think of it like that, it is no wonder that many people often suffer with excessively sweaty hands!

Sweaty Hands and the Problems They Cause

As well as being embarrassing, sweaty hands can affect your everyday life. For example, you could easily smudge ink on a piece of paper which can make it difficult if you have an office job. Some people tend to disguise their sweaty hands by running them through their hair before they shake hands with someone. Not only is this bad for the hair, but it also is not really solving the problem and it is still embarrassing when you leave hand print marks everywhere.

The main problem is that sweaty hands are a lot more difficult to treat than sweaty armpits. If you have sweaty armpits you can cover them up by wearing antiperspirants and roll on deodorants, whereas you cannot exactly use those on your hands!

Often people have sweaty hands because they are worried or constantly stressed and if you do have a very stressful job that can be a problem! Overall sweaty palms can be and they usually are, extremely embarrassing and frustrating.

Is it Possible to Treat Sweaty Palms?

As annoying and embarrassing as the problem may be, there are ways to help treat sweaty palms. Usually medicines are prescribed but they usually only stop the sweating temporarily and in severe cases they do not work at all. If you want to eliminate the problem completely then your only option of treatment is surgery.

This type of surgery is known as thoracoscopic sympathectomy and it can be done as an outpatient procedure. The surgery aims to destroy parts of the sympathetic nerves and it is thought that you wake up from the surgery with warm, dry hands. However, as with all surgery there are some risks involved so it is always worth talking to your doctor or surgeon beforehand in order to make the best choice for you. Other forms of treatment for the condition include:

Lontophoresis

This used to quite uncommon in most hospitals but over the past couple of years more hospitals have started offering the treatment. It basically involves putting your hands in tap water and having a small electric currant introduced into the water. The electrical current is there for fifteen minutes and it can feel uncomfortable and skin irritation may occur.

The treatment is done over a long period of time so you should not expect speedy results. In the beginning you will receive the treatment every few days but gradually you will start going every three to four weeks. This is an expensive treatment and it is ongoing. It is possible to buy the equipment and you can do it yourself at home, but you should only do this if you like the treatment and find it effective.

Botulinum Toxin Injections

Botulinum Toxin injections are also known as botox and they provide results for up to six months. There are some side effects which many people have developed after having these injections for sweaty hands however, and those include the hand muscles becoming weakened. Many people notice that the muscles are weakened for around a few weeks after the treatment and it can cause problems. After six months you will need repeat injections.

Overall there are ways to treat this condition so you really do not have to suffer in silence. Just make sure you are one hundred percent confident about the treatment which you are receiving and never resort to surgery if you are not comfortable with it.