How to Stop Sweaty Hands

Excessive hand sweating may be due to a condition known as hyperhidrosis. If you suffer from sweaty hands, you should consult your doctor before starting any treatment plan. It is important to speak with your doctor because sweaty hands may be caused by some other disease process, known as "secondary" hyperhidrosis. (Please see Primary versus Secondary Hyperhidrosis). This section is focused on the treatment to stop sweaty hands that is caused by primary hyperhidrosis. There are surgical and non-surgical treatments that may stop sweaty hands.

Overall, patients with sweaty hands should try to treat symptoms with non-surgical treatments before considering surgery for excessive sweating. There are many non-surgical approaches that may be used to stop sweaty hands.

Medications to Stop Sweaty Hands

Medications used to stop excessive hand sweating include sedatives, beta-blockers, and anticholinergics medications.

Anticholinergic medications may be used to stop sweaty hands, but carry many side effects including dry mouth, blurred vision, and urinary retention. These side effectsare often not well tolerated by patients. Benzodiazepines (like Valium) may be useful in treating sweaty hands that are caused by stress, but carry the risk of dependence.

Antiperspirant Treatment for Sweaty hands

Antiperspirants are the first line of treatment used to stop sweaty hands. In people with excessively sweaty hands, antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride hexahydrate (Drysol ®) are often the first therapeutic measure recommended. Antiperspirants work by blocking the opening of sweat glands. Side effects include skin irritation. Unfortunately, the results are often not sufficient to stop sweaty hands.

Iontophoresis for Sweaty hands

Iontophoresis is a technique that uses low-intensity electrical current to disrupt the function of the sweat glands. During inotophoresis, each hand is rested on a wet pad in a tray that is connected to an electrical current that passes through the pads. The process is a safe, non-invasive treatment and causes only minor discomfort for the patient when used to stop sweaty hands. The biggest drawback to iontophoresis is that the process is time consuming, and each treatment may take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Iontophoresis has been shown to stop excessive hand sweating in around 85% of patients with hyperhidrosis. (1)(2)

Botox® treatment for Sweaty hands

Botox ® (botulinum toxin type A) is an effective treatment to stop sweaty hands. Botox is a toxin that blocks the function of nerves, and leads to decreased sweating in the hands when it is injected. One of the primary side effects is pain at the site of injection. Injections to stop sweaty hands to be more painful than when used to stop hand sweating or to stop palm sweating when compared with injections used to stop underarm sweating. Please see our section on botox treatment of sweating for more information.

Endoscopic Sympathectomy Surgery for Excessive Armpit Sweating

Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is a treatment used to stop hand sweating has lowered the complication rate of surgery for sweaty hands. Surgical treatment is a good option for patients who cannot control symptoms of sweaty hands on medication alone. The most common side effect is compensatory sweating. Please visit our section on surgical treatment for excessive sweating.

Overall, the surgery is safe and effective for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. Studies on endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy to stop sweating have shown the procedure to reduce increased sweating in the majority of patients. In one study of 850 patients, 98% of the patients said that the results of the surgery were satisfactory, (3) while another study of 233 patients showed satisfactory results in 95% of patients. (4)

The main side effects of sympathectomy for excessive hand sweating include hemothorax (blood in the thoracic cavity, behind the lungs) in 1% to 2%, recurrence of symptoms in around 2% of patients, and compensatory sweating (increased sweating in other areas of the body) in 55% to 67% of patients.