Sweaty palms are not a sign of nervousness to certain people, they are a part of daily life.
This can impact the quality of life of an individual, causing them to shy away from socializing and certain activities.
Sweating is how you regulate your body temperature. Despite everyone’s sweating, living with nonstop sweaty hands can still make you self-conscious. Except for now due to COVID-19, welcoming others with a handshake is generally an everyday occurrence, depending on your routine. People who don’t have sweaty hands have no problem reaching out their hands. But if your hands are constantly clammy and wet, it can bring anxiety to something as simple as shaking hands.
Sweating is a necessity for life, as is food and water.

In Malaysia, hyperhidrosis affects about 3% of the population.
This shows that 981,000 Malaysians have hyperhidrosis and many of them do not know there are many treatments options to choose from. According to PloS One, there have been large variations in the prevalence of Hyperhidrosis in developed countries such as the United States (2.8%), Germany (6.3%), and Japan (12.8%). This is largely suspected to be due to genetic reasons.
How severe is my Hyperhidrosis?
The severity depends on how it can affect your daily life. It can cause social isolation, depression, and anxiety. Plus, it can be a sign of a serious health problem. You are wise to seek your doctor’s advice.
Contact your doctor if:
- You seem to sweat a lot more than normal.
- Your sweating doesn’t have a cause, such as exercising or being in hot weather.

Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating is divided into two categories
The two types of hyperhidrosis are Primary Hyperhidrosis and Secondary Hyperhidrosis. Understanding the difference is one of the most important steps in understanding hyperhidrosis.
Primary hyperhidrosis is also known as Focal hyperhidrosis, a disease characterized by excessive sweating localized in certain body regions (particularly palms, feet, and underarms). It is not caused by another medical condition, nor is it a side effect of medications.

Secondary hyperhidrosis is also known as Generalized hyperhidrosis, which affects the entire body. The person sweats too much because of an underlying health condition, such as obesity, gout, menopause, a tumor, mercury poisoning, diabetes mellitus, or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland)
Excessive, uncontrollable sweating of the hands or palms, is called palmar hyperhidrosis.
It has been proven and published that palmar hyperhidrosis has the most significant adverse effect of any dermatological condition on the lives of patients.
Palmar hyperhidrosis in can seriously affect the quality of life of an individual. Sometimes sweating can cause emotional and psychological distress, and interfere with everyday activities.
A person with palmar hyperhidrosis experiences:
- Excessive sweating not related to changes in body temperature or physical activity
- Sweating that appears to involve the palms and fingertips, although it can happen across the body
- The palms are getting cold and humid daily
- In some cases finger swelling
SWEATY PALM SYMPTOMS
Meanwhile, signs and symptoms of sweaty palms may include:
- Clammy or wet palms of the hands
- Frequent sweating
- Noticeable sweating that soaks through clothing
- Irritating and painful skin problems, such as fungal or bacterial infections
- Worrying about having stained clothing
- Reluctant to make physical contact
- Self-conscious
- Socially withdrawn, sometimes leading to depression
- Restricted employment options where physical contact or human interaction is not a job requirement
- Spend a large amount of time each day dealing with sweat, such as changing clothes, wiping, placing napkins or pads under the arms, washing, wearing bulky, or dark clothes
Sweat glands act as natural thermostat for the body. You get sweaty palms when they suddenly break into overdrive. While this may be socially embarrassing, the good news is that the treatment can control excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis.
In palmar hyperhidrosis, there are many non-surgical approaches for controlling excessive sweating. Many of these treatments can be effective for short time periods or for people with mild hyperhidrosis cases. Both recovery plans should be performed under professional supervision and should be focused on patient needs.
SWEATY PALM TREATMENTS

Antiperspirant
An antiperspirant is an astringent that decreases eccrine and apocrine sweat secretion. Topical antiperspirant contains aluminum chloride hexahydrate. Aluminum salts collect in the sweat ducts and obstruct them resulting in a reduction in sweating. Results may be satisfactory especially for patients with axillary hyperhidrosis. This medication is applied onto the affected area which must be clean and dry just before bedtime, then left overnight before washing it off the following morning. It requires an initial daily application of 7-10 nights in a row, then once a week for maintenance. Side effects are mainly irritation which may be overcome by reducing the frequency of application.

Iontophoresis
Iontophoresis is a device that passes direct electricity through the skin using tap water to block the sweat glands. Total treatment duration is about 20 minutes at an initial frequency of every 2-3 days, then stretched till once every 2 weeks. This mode of treatment is contraindicated in patients who are pregnant, those with severe skin lesions or local wound, and those with pacemakers and abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmias). It may cause transient tingling sensation and irritation.

Oral Medications
The preglandular neurotransmitter for sweat secretion is acetylcholine. Anticholinergics are drugs that inhibit the binding of acetylcholine to their receptors which results in decreased production of sweat. Examples of anticholinergics are glycopyrrolate and propantheline bromide. They are not commonly used due to side effects such as dry mouth, blurring of vision, constipation, difficulty in passing urine, dizziness, palpitations, and insomnia.

Botulinum Toxin (BOTOX)
Botox has been around for many years to treat muscle spasms and wrinkles. It consists of proteins that permanently block the nerve endings that supply the eccrine glands, thus preventing the glands from producing sweat. Treatment involves an injection into the affected areas and needs to be repeated every 4-5 months. Drawbacks include pain and temporary muscle weakness.

Endoscopic Thoraic Sympathectomy (Permanent)
Hyperhidrosis is due to the overactivity of sympathetic nerves located in the chest cavity. This procedure should only be performed after consultation with the surgeon.
The surgeon makes small incisions just below the armpit and inserts a special endoscopic instrument into the chest. The lung is briefly deflated for better visualization followed by the destruction of the nerve. The extent or level of the sympathetic blockade varies according to the type of hyperhidrosis.
The most common side effect of ETS is compensatory sweating, which is exaggerated sweating that may occur in the lower chest, back, abdomen, thighs, and legs.
Sweaty palms, armpits and even face can be permanently treated by a procedure known as Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Sympathicotomy. This procedure is performed under general anaesthesia and two 5mm incisions are made on each side of the chest to allow access into the chest cavities. The results are usually instantaneous and the patient can leave the hospital on the same day with warm and dry hands. The overall success rate is close to 100%.
www.Hyperhidrosismalaysia.com
Looks like there’s more to sweaty palms or hyperhidrosis than many of us thought!
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