Damp hands are always associated with excessive sweat production. Numerous potential causes face many treatment options and therapies. Those affected face this easily diagnosed disease with several preventive measures.
What is the difference between wet hands?
Damp hands in relaxed and unexcited situations, on the other hand, are part of the clinical picture. The duration of the complaints also plays a role. If those affected suffer from damp hands for a long time, this is hyperhidrosis. 60% of patients suffer from the locally limited shape of the hands. This makes this area of the human body one of the most frequently affected areas for this disease.
Doctors classify hyperhidrosis into different degrees. In the moderately strong form, sweating on the palms is limited. The severe hyperhidrosis is also shown by excessive sweating on the back of the fingers and on the side of the hands.
causes
Unfortunately, the causes of damp hands have not yet been investigated in detail or conclusively. However, there are some constellations in which hyperhidrosis generally occurs more frequently. For example, a hormonal imbalance can cause excessive sweating in the hands. But an overactive thyroid is also responsible for damp hands.
If people suffer from psychological problems, these can also show up as hyperhidrosis. Obesity should also be mentioned as one of the possible reasons for excessive sweat production. After all, tumors can even be responsible for these unpleasant symptoms on the hands. This goes hand in hand with the changes in the hormonal balance of those affected, as tumors can also produce hormones.
Anyone who has to take medication should expect side effects. Wet hands are one of those. The range of possible causes for excessive production of sweat on the hands is quite diverse. They range from harmless to dangerous reasons.
You can find your medication here
➔ Drugs against sweating and sweatingDiseases with this symptom
- Hormonal imbalances
- Obesity
- neurosis
- psychosis
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hyperhidrosis
Diagnosis & course of disease
The doctor makes a reliable diagnosis. If those affected notice that they are sweating too much on their hands, they should see a doctor. He asks the patient in detailed discussions about any previous illnesses. In addition, the living conditions are ideally discussed in detail.
It is important that those affected watch their damp hands carefully. Over time, they will realize whether they are producing enormous amounts of sweat on their hands under fear, stress or for no reason. With this information, the doctor makes a reliable diagnosis. There are several methods that can be used to determine the exact amount of sweat. Doctors even use gravimetry or the minor test to determine the amount of sweat for a specific time unit.
However, no doctor can predict to what extent the disease will progress. It shows up to varying degrees in patients. An individual course of the disease is a hallmark of hyperhidrosis. The frequency or the amount of sweat can therefore vary greatly from patient to patient.
Complications
Damp hands are normal during physical exertion, at high temperatures and high humidity, as well as after eating spicy foods and with strong emotional arousal. In all other cases it is an overproduction of the sweat glands in the palm of the hand, a hyperhidrosis palmaris. The excessive sweat production is then not controlled by the thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus, but by another center in the CNS via sympathetic fibers of the autonomic nervous system.
The causes of damp hands can be organic or psychological. For example, hyperthyroidism or hypophysis can cause hyperhidrosis, or it can be triggered as an undesirable side effect of medication. In some cases, hormone-producing tumors can also lead to excessive sweat production in the hand. Often, however, the psyche (fear, stress) or excessive weight are the triggering factors. An important diagnostic tool for diagnosing palmar hyperhidrosis is a careful medical history. In addition, there is the qualitative iodine starch test (minor test) with which the skin region where perspiration is produced can be differentiated in color. In a gravimetric test, the sweat production can be measured quantitatively on a certain skin area over time.
If the cause of the damp hands is known, the possible therapy aims to eliminate the cause. In other cases, treatment is based on the severity of the disease. Treatment with medicinal antiperspirants containing aluminum salts is recommended in mild cases. Further therapy options are tap water iontophoresis, direct current treatment and CT-assisted lumbar sympathicolysis, in which phenol is injected into the ganglion of the sympathetic trunk on the right and left of the lowest thoracic vertebra (Th12) in order to inactivate the stimulation of the sweat glands by the sympathetic for about a year . Treatments with botox (botulinum toxin) are also possible, but must be repeated every 6 months and can lead to restricted movement of the hands. While non-treatment can lead to psychological problems, some treatment methods can lead to compensatory perspiration in other parts of the body.
When should you go to the doctor?
The symptom of damp hands is also known under the technical term hyperhydrosis or hyperhidrosis palmaris. This condition is extremely uncomfortable for those affected, not only during social contact. The moisture on the palms of the hands often causes difficulties in various practical activities in professional and private life. The grip suffers when the hands are wet, and wet hands leave unwanted marks on sensitive surfaces. So there are enough reasons to seek medical advice if your hands are frequently damp.
A visit to the doctor with wet hands can drastically limit the symptom. In addition, if your hands are wet, you should always consider whether they are just annoying or whether they have a medical background that requires treatment.The first point of contact should be your family doctor if your hands are wet. Based on his medical history and initial examinations, he will decide whether to continue treatment or refer to a specialist, for example an internist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, nephrologist, neurologist or psychologist. Removal of the sweat glands can also be helpful for the surgeon.
If physical causes for damp hands can be ruled out, a psychologically conditioned trigger can almost always be determined. The range of psychological causes ranges from personality traits such as shyness to certain situations that are perceived as particularly stressful to various phobias. Here, extensive therapeutic discussions can provide clarity and promising treatment approaches.
Doctors & therapists in your area
Treatment & Therapy
Usually damp hands can be treated. If tumors are responsible for the excessive production of sweat, they must be removed. Linked to this is the end of the production of disruptive hormones. The therapy for a simpler form of the disease shows how different the treatment can be. In some cases it is sufficient to drink sage tea as part of systemic therapy.
The reason for this is the antiperspirant effect of this mint family. Patients with damp hands also use special gels from the pharmacy to minimize excessive sweat production. With topical therapy, doctors try to clog the sweat glands. The principle can be compared to that of antiperspirants. Aluminum also acts as an effective ingredient in the treatment.
Those affected usually get the corresponding products in the pharmacy in the form of ointments or roll-ons. In overweight patients, it is worth reducing their weight. This can have an effect not only on damp hands, but also in many other areas. This can be achieved with sport. It is generally a recommended factor when it comes to treating hyperhidrosis. Good results can be achieved in the form of yoga.
Electricity therapies or even surgeries expand the doctors' scope of action. During the surgical interventions, the sweat glands are removed. If the doctors opt for therapy with electricity, tap water iontophoresis is the choice. It minimizes the extent of damp hands in an average of 8 out of 10 patients.
Outlook & forecast
Damp hands can appear temporarily and then go away on their own, so that no explicit treatment is necessary. There are several factors in our life that can cause this symptom. This includes, for example, regular consumption of alcohol or the use of unsuitable cosmetic products. If the above factors cause clammy hands, there is definitely no need to see a doctor. There is no risk of consequential damage or a significant worsening of the symptom.
However, if the person concerned feels severely restricted in everyday life, a visit to the doctor is advisable. A doctor can determine whether a disease is hiding behind chronically damp hands. This does not necessarily include physical illnesses, but also extreme nervousness, shyness or strong feelings of fear.
In general, if a person sweats senselessly and without physical activity, this could be a sign of hyperhidrosis. In such a case, treatment is urgently recommended because this is the only way to prevent chronic sweating in the future. Psychotherapy is also very helpful in many cases because it can break the connection between wet hands and uncomfortable feelings.
You can find your medication here
➔ Drugs against sweating and sweatingprevention
There are several ways to prevent damp hands. The psychological impact should not be underestimated. Anyone who prepares for certain situations in advance, controls the production of sweat a little better at the crucial moment. This is possible because he is more relaxed.
Handkerchiefs soak up sweat unnoticed when those affected put their hands in their pockets. Operations that remove sweat glands prevent sweating in the first place, while ointments and antiperspirants clog the sweat glands. Overweight people lose weight and tumor patients will feel better once the tumor is removed.
You can do that yourself
Damp hands are uncomfortable and cause headaches, especially when we are supposed to greet someone with a handshake. Although the trade offers a range of creams and hand deodorants for damp hands, home remedies can also help.
Rubbing alcohol is an ancient, tried and tested product and is available in every drugstore. Rub a few splashes into the palms of the hands and massage in several times a day to reduce perspiration. The agent also cools pleasantly. Sage tea also has a positive effect on perspiration. A hand bath with sage can also bring relief. However, sage works individually and does not have the same effect on everyone. In addition, patience is necessary, because success takes a few weeks. Body powder from the drugstore clogs sweat pores and often soothes. Just like rubbing alcohol, some powder is put into the palms of the hands and rubbed in several times a day.
Sweaty hands can also be caused by medication. After stopping the drug, a change should appear quite soon. If stress is the reason for clammy hands, it should be reduced as much as possible. Sometimes a change of company is actually appropriate when there is stress at work. Nervousness and fears, frequent triggers for sweaty hands, can be reduced, for example, through autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation. This also helps against test anxiety.
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