Sweaty hands

jester77

Hi, I have a problem of sweaty hands. It could be -10 outside and they would still sweat. It doesn't bother me at all but a lot of people have made comments about them in the past when I shake their hand, some not so nice.

I'm going to have some interviews coming up and don't want to be shaking the interviewers hand with my sweaty hand. I'm reasonably fit, blood pressure normal, diet normal, don't sweat too much from any other parts of my body, just my hands. Sometimes you can wipe my hand with a tissue and see the beads of sweat forming.

One person that made a comment in the past told me that it's quite common, not sure what he called it something like sympathosis. Not sure if he was taking the p***, ie sympathy!! But he said there was an operation that you can get that involve snipping something under the armpit. I don't want to that far as it doesn't really bother me, just want something to stop the sweating for a short time.

Anyone know of solution I could try? I've used powders before, even one that professional tennis atheletes use but to no avail.
Thanks!

The General

A couple of people in my class in school use to have the same problem, i dunno how to prevent it, maybe keep washing your hands every hour or so to cool them down

Pinx

Do your hands feel hot or are the normal temperature? A good way to cool down really quickly is to run the insides of your wrists under cold water for a few seconds.

WhiteWashMan

spill your water cup just as you are about to shake hands and it will give you an excuse to wipe your hands on your arse.

jester77

Somtimes they are hot, very hot. My ex-girlfriend wouldn't hold my hand sometimes because of the heat. But other times they can be very cold but still sweating. There's no real pattern to it, can be a bit embarassing sometimes as well. I work with a computer and there's often drops of sweat around where the mouse is and on the keyboard. And if I'm at friends house playing x-box or playstation the guys are always making comments when I've to pass the joypad on, but I'm used to this. It's just the interviews that are concerning me.

TerrorFirmer

You'd do best to look it up on the net to find some slightly more expert advice, or failing that even go to your doctor and see what he recommends....

Crumbs

jester77 wrote:

One person that made a comment in the past told me that it's quite common, not sure what he called it something like sympathosis.

It is quite common. I've known a few people who've had that problem. Do a search for hyperhidrosis.

chump

PALMAR HYPERHIDROSIS: sweaty palms and sweaty hands
Palmar hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating of the palms and hands is one of the most common manifestations of the condition. Caused by over-stimulation of the sweat glands in the palms, hand sweating can be severe and emotionally devastating. Some patients sweat so profusely that the sweat drips to the floor. Other patients suffer with hands that are discolored, cold and clammy. Handshakes are awkward, embarrassing. Reading a newspaper results in stained hands and smeared ink. Needlework can be impossible to manage.

While the sweating is involuntary and cannot be consciously controlled, many patients report a tingling in their fingers or a sensation that feels as if the skin pores are opening.

ApeXaviour

Well there are three things you can do:

1. Put talcum powder before you shake hands with people in these interviews. (probably not the best idea)
2. Spray anti-perspirant on your hands before shaking.. (not sure if this would work but worth a try)
3. My personal recommendation, a friend of mine suffers severely from this (I've seen him hold his palms up and soon a pool collects in the centre!). Anyway he plays basketball, and uses this hand grip stuff:
http://www.westonsinternet.co.uk/images/phy132x.jpg

apparently it works a charm!

4Xcut

a friend of mine had sweaty palms and wa told that it was too much dairy if that helps

OY

This may sound wierd but i know a guy who had this problem bad and he had some operation done. Now i do not know the details save to say that he had to fly somewhere for this, so it is not a popular operation.
(I want to say he went to california, where they have an operation to fix everything that could be remotely wrong or off centre with the human body!)
Anyhow, it was a mad operation, they went into his lungs and deflated something and he has a couple of scars, one on his back and one on his armpit but hey... the sweating palms has stopped!

I thought he was crazy TBH!

ApeXaviour

hyperhidrosis
They cut a nerve afaik under your arm.. I read up on it before, I'll try find the link.

EDIT: http://www.sweaty-palms.com/detailsofsurgery.html

OY

ApeXaviour wrote:

hyperhidrosis
They cut a nerve afaik under your arm.. I read up on it before, I'll try find the link.

EDIT: http://www.sweaty-palms.com/detailsofsurgery.html

Good job! I had no idea. Like i said i just thought he was crazy...

jester77

Thanks for the replys. Don't really want to go the operation route, sounds very drastic, they even deflate your lung during the operation! I'll give that physio sport grip a try and see how it goes, I've tried other sports powders but to no avail... but if it just works for an hour or 2 to get me through the interviews then that would be great!

johnnyc

i used to have sweaty feet the only way i found that stop them sweating was to use salt mixed in warm water the salt hardens up your feet so i recon it would do the same to your hands

Peace

I saw a prgramme on Discovery several months back about a teenager (male) in America who had this medical condition. He had trouble playing footyball for his school team... whatever.

He got the operation i believe previous posters are talking about and he was cured. I don't think its a major operation, its easy to fix once its identified.

Baffled

I suffer from this too. Mine gets worse if im panicking or anxious or nervous. What I did when I was going for an interview is bring a tissue in your pocket and about 2 minutes before the interview is over and you have to shake hands, take the tissue out and just rub the tip of your nose with it and then scrunch the tissue in the hand that your going to shake hands with. Worked for me.

chump

That's a good idea Baffled. I'm guessing the hands would still be a bit clammy, but I suppose better clammy than sodden.

Bottle_of_Smoke

It sounds like it could be psychological to me, sometimes i get a slight perspiration when talking to a particularly awkward customer in work, and in other situations of nervousness...

If you're in college there's probably a free counciller, might be worth asking even to see if they'd ever treated anyone like that before.

Larianne

I heard about this kinda thing on the radio. The radio host used to have a really sweaty forehead and got whatever the operation is to cure it. He did say it was expensive though. I'm sure there's some old wives tell kinda cure thingy.. or just wear gloves!

acri

yeah i gots me that problem. most of the time if its mentioned i just laugh and say "yeah. damn hands" or some bullsh*t like that. you just gotta be discrete. without obvious action, just wipe your hand of your trousers as you go in to shake someones hand. they wont notice. and if they do, sure its no biggy. its not that big a deal, just try to think of it in a light-hearted sorta way.

ApeXaviour

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote:

It sounds like it could be psychological to me

Though it can be brought on as a result of anxiety etc. Consistent clammyness is generally considered a medical condition. Though only in the sense that male pattern baldness or big feet etc are considered a medical condition..

In some cases it can be very extreme and cause redness like rash and constant prune fingers..

acri

ApeXaviour wrote:

Though it can be brought on as a result of anxiety etc. Consistent clammyness is generally considered a medical condition. Though only in the sense that male pattern baldness or big feet etc are considered a medical condition..

In some cases it can be very extreme and cause redness like rash and constant prune fingers..

whats this about big feet? i gots me size 15 and im only 17... 'tis a bitch. but the hand thing definitiley isnt psychological. i tried sprayin em with deoderant actually. it worked for a few hours but wears off after a while.

Dreamcatcher

I used to get sweaty palms when I was younger, during nerve-wracking situations, but don't anymore, maybe cos I'm less likely to get nervous, or maybe my skin is just getting "dryer" with getting older

The first thing I'd suggest is to look at your diet. Are you eating a lot of sugary, salty or processed foods for example? Or maybe you're on some medication or something... Sweating is one of the body's natural ways of eliminating toxins - this will vary according to what's "toxic" from person to person - it could be a manifestation of a food/substance intolerance..
To begin with, try at least to drink plenty of water during the day to help flush out your system and keep you cool.

Also, I wonder do your feet also sweat...? Personally I have this theory that if my feet are comfortable, the right temperature, then the rest of my body is too! Always if I'm wearing shoes, socks that are too warm, my hands feel too warm too.
So you could try to adjust what you wear on your feet - choose only natural fibre socks - 100% cotton, and wear lighter shoes. In summer, wear sandals(though a lot of blokes won't, I know!)

The post on cold water on wrists is a very good idea, always cools me down if I'm stressed.

Bottle_of_Smoke

acri wrote:

whats this about big feet? i gots me size 15 and im only 17... 'tis a bitch. but the hand thing definitiley isnt psychological. i tried sprayin em with deoderant actually. it worked for a few hours but wears off after a while.

think he was just giving an example - the two aren't connected or anything!

LadyJ

Cold hands,warm heart.
Sweaty hands,cold heart???

o Fiac

This post has been deleted.

LegacyUser

this is not a joke btw but lately I've been having big problems with a sweaty @rse, esp. My jocks do be soaked, even if the rest of me is not that warm. It's wuite uncomfortable. WHen I wake in the morning, my jocks are stuck to me, even if the room is not that warm / not too many blankets, etc.

any advice please???

ApeXaviour

That sucks..

eat less salty food and sleep naked

worked for me..

melekalikimaka

i have the same prob...even sweaty when cold...anyone who says anything i tell em where to stick it, stuff their opinions, if they have a problem with your hands they dont have to touch em

Larianne

Just go to the interview with a banaged hand.arm and say that you sprained it so then they can't shake it and its not as if theyre gonna go for the other hand. just a thought...

MisterAnarchy

I have this condition too..its Hyperhydrosis and it affects 3% of the worlds population and is hereditary.
It is a Medical condition .
I've had it since I was about 9.I'm 28 now.
I sweat profusely thru my hands and feet everyday .
I remember when I was young I had to stop sitting in Church as I would sweat so much from my hands a massive puddle of water would form :eek:
I learned to live with the condition but its a pain in the ass at times esp meetings,interviews etc..
For a condition that effects 3% of people ,the amount of nonsense spoken about it is alarming.
The amount of bull**** notions that people come up with are annoying me.
Hyperhydrosis has nothing to do with diet and cannot be cured by putting cold water on wrists.
It is not caused by bad hygiene or not drying your hands .
Also any anti perspirants you can buy in a general supermarket are hopeless as they dont contain high enough concentrations of Aluminium Chloride.
A very good site for info is www.sweathelp.org and forums at http://www.esfbchannel.com/forum/index.html
You will get all the info you need here.
The only treatments are :
Topical anti-perspirants, such as aluminum chloride. Drysol, a topical lotion applied two to four times a day, is usually the first medication tried. It is often very effective, but it can cause chapping and cracking of the skin.
I use Maxim ;http://www.coradhealthcare.com/Maxim.htm but I dont think its great.
Oral medicines: Anticholinergic medicines (such as Robinul*) are used to block certain receivers on involuntary nerve sites. In people with hyperhidrosis, this leads to decreased sweating ability. Some psychotropic drugs (drugs that affect mental function), like amitriptyline, have also proven effective against hyperhidrosis.
I used these for a short term but theses were ineffective.
Iontophoresis: This involves applying low-intensity electrical current to the hands or feet while they are immersed in an electrolyte solution. When used daily, it can decrease the problem or even solve it temporarily. However, the procedure is time-consuming and can be mildly to moderately painful.
Botox (Botulinum toxin): This substance, a derivative of the deadly botulism toxin, is injected into the affected area. While this usually works, its effectiveness wears off after six to 12 months. Therefore, the person has to undergo periodic injections. While these treatments can help many people with hyperhidrosis, they do not work for everyone and their effectiveness can even decrease over time. Moreover, they often don’t provide a permanent solution to the problem.
Surgical treatment: People with hyperhidrosis and/or facial blushing are now considering surgical treatment known as endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy (ETS) and endoscopic sympathetic block (ESB). Treatment of primary underarm hyperhidrosis with ETS is reserved only for patients with the most severe forms of underarm hyperhidrosis or axillary hyperhidrosis that is in combination with severe hand sweat, face and scalp sweat, foot sweat or severe facial blushing. What are ETS and ESB ?
ETS can be done in Cork and Dublin but I would be wary of getting this done unless you fail with the other treatments.
Look at the forum I mentioned and you will learn alot.
Cheers

acri

ApeXaviour wrote:

That sucks..

eat less salty food and sleep naked

worked for me..

thats your solution for everything.

jester77

MisterAnarchy wrote:

I have this condition too..its Hyperhydrosis and it affects 3% of the worlds population and is hereditary.
It is a Medical condition .
I've had it since I was about 9.I'm 28 now.
I sweat profusely thru my hands and feet everyday .
I remember when I was young I had to stop sitting in Church as I would sweat so much from my hands a massive puddle of water would form :eek:
I learned to live with the condition but its a pain in the ass at times esp meetings,interviews etc..
For a condition that effects 3% of people ,the amount of nonsense spoken about it is alarming.
The amount of bull**** notions that people come up with are annoying me.
Hyperhydrosis has nothing to do with diet and cannot be cured by putting cold water on wrists.
It is not caused by bad hygiene or not drying your hands .
Also any anti perspirants you can buy in a general supermarket are hopeless as they dont contain high enough concentrations of Aluminium Chloride.
A very good site for info is www.sweathelp.org and forums at http://www.esfbchannel.com/forum/index.html
You will get all the info you need here.
The only treatments are :
Topical anti-perspirants, such as aluminum chloride. Drysol, a topical lotion applied two to four times a day, is usually the first medication tried. It is often very effective, but it can cause chapping and cracking of the skin.
I use Maxim ;http://www.coradhealthcare.com/Maxim.htm but I dont think its great.
Oral medicines: Anticholinergic medicines (such as Robinul*) are used to block certain receivers on involuntary nerve sites. In people with hyperhidrosis, this leads to decreased sweating ability. Some psychotropic drugs (drugs that affect mental function), like amitriptyline, have also proven effective against hyperhidrosis.
I used these for a short term but theses were ineffective.
Iontophoresis: This involves applying low-intensity electrical current to the hands or feet while they are immersed in an electrolyte solution. When used daily, it can decrease the problem or even solve it temporarily. However, the procedure is time-consuming and can be mildly to moderately painful.
Botox (Botulinum toxin): This substance, a derivative of the deadly botulism toxin, is injected into the affected area. While this usually works, its effectiveness wears off after six to 12 months. Therefore, the person has to undergo periodic injections. While these treatments can help many people with hyperhidrosis, they do not work for everyone and their effectiveness can even decrease over time. Moreover, they often don’t provide a permanent solution to the problem.
Surgical treatment: People with hyperhidrosis and/or facial blushing are now considering surgical treatment known as endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy (ETS) and endoscopic sympathetic block (ESB). Treatment of primary underarm hyperhidrosis with ETS is reserved only for patients with the most severe forms of underarm hyperhidrosis or axillary hyperhidrosis that is in combination with severe hand sweat, face and scalp sweat, foot sweat or severe facial blushing. What are ETS and ESB ?
ETS can be done in Cork and Dublin but I would be wary of getting this done unless you fail with the other treatments.
Look at the forum I mentioned and you will learn alot.
Cheers

Thanks for the info, very helpful.
Interview next Wednesday so I want to have dry hands for it. Need something small that will fit in my pocket so I can apply it beforehand! Is Maxim available here over the counter anywhere?

MisterAnarchy

Is Maxim available here over the counter anywhere?

No but you should be able to get Driclor (Drysol) in any decent Pharmacy
It is stronger than Maxim ,20% Aluminium Chloride as opposed to 12.5% but it may sting .
Its only about 7 euro for a bottle.
Give it a go.
Another site I found recently is www.sweating.ie which is good.