• Severe cases of sweaty hands and feet can be treated surgically or with mild electric shocks
• Medications can be prescribed to stop the body from sending out sweat signals
• Products containing aluminum chloride can be useful at controlling some amounts of sweat on the hands and feet
• A home remedy using black tea might be the best choice for milder cases

All of us sweat. It’s our body’s natural cooling system hard at work. Of course, some of us sweat more than others and sometimes that excessive sweating can be more than just a mild inconvenience. If you suffer from very sweaty hands and feet, you might be relieved to know there are a number of ways to overcome your problem. Below are five ways that you might want to consider.

5. Surgery

While surgery might sound like an extreme measure for someone suffering from sweaty hands, there are people who have become so frustrated by the problem that they will resort to desperate measures. The process is called Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS). The surgeon uses a tiny camera to identify the nerve which is prompting the overproduction of sweat. That nerve is cut to permanently stop the signal and to put an end to the excessive sweating. While this is a permanent solution, most physicians want to try less invasive options before recommending it.

4. Electricity

If you’re thinking that sweaty hands and electricity don’t seem to make a good combination, you’re right in some ways. However, one of the FDA approved treatments for sweaty hands and feet is a process called Iontophoresis. Basically, your hands and/or feet are placed in water along with a mild electric charge. You’ll feel a tingle from the electricity which will actually stop the nerve from sending the signals to the sweat glands temporarily. The procedure needs to be repeated but only takes about 20 minutes to complete. Blisters can appear on the treated area but that’s the only serious side effect of the treatment.

3. Drugs

Before the above treatments are tried, most physicians will prescribe anticholinergic drugs. This is a class of drugs that stop impulses that travel along the sympathetic nervous system (this is the part responsible for sending sweating signals). The drugs are used for the treatment of lots o disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, but can be helpful in preventing sweaty hands and feet without the skin irritation caused by Iontophoresis.

2. Aluminum Chloride

Some of the stronger antiperspirants on the market include an ingredient known as aluminum chloride. This ingredient actually is very effective at drying up that excessive sweat so your hands and feet will feel drier. Look for a product that contains at least 20% aluminum chloride then use it every night after you’ve washed and dried your hands and/or feet. Repeat every night until you start to see results which might take up to a week. Make sure to wash off the residue in the morning and never use aluminum chloride if you have open sores or injuries on the affected area.

1. Black Tea

Although drinking a delicious cup of tea might help you forget about your problem for a bit, the real solution is to soak your hands and feet in the tasty beverage. Black tea contains a compound known as tannic acid which basically works like a good antiperspirant. Add five tea bags to one quart of boiling water and prepare just like ordinary tea then soak your hands and/or feet in the liquid for about 30 minutes every night. This can be particularly useful if your condition isn’t severe enough to warrant surgery or medications but annoying enough to call for some type of action.

• Armpit sweating is one cause of skin irritation due to sweating
• Causes of sweating include a variety of sources, such as an increase in temperature

Sweating is, of course, a normal function of the body. We may not enjoy sweating, but without it our bodies would overheat and cause us serious health problems. However, sweating can sometimes cause problems on its own, including skin irritation.

Skin Irritation & Sweating Problems

The basic idea of sweating is that as the moisture evaporates from our skin our bodies are cooled down. However, sometimes evaporation cannot occur or too much moisture is being produced in the first place. These types of problems can lead to skin irritation.

Friction is one of the main causes of skin irritation. For example, if you wear latex gloves for long periods of time while working, eventually that material will have rubbed so much against your skin it will actually begin to rub away skin cells. This causes skin irritation. If you begin to sweat during this time it becomes easy for sweat to get trapped on your skin because evaporation is inhibited by the latex glove. The sweat will only build up and worsen the skin irritation.

A condition called hyperhidrosis can also lead to skin irritation. The condition is more commonly referred to as excessive sweating. This occurs when the body begins producing more sweat than what is needed to effectively cool down the body. If you suffer from hyperhidrosis, for example, you’d be sweating even if you were in a comfortable room doing no physical activity. Once you did begin to sweat, wet patches would be left in the armpit areas of your clothing and you could even begin to drip with sweat.

When the condition becomes severe, the excessive sweating can cause a dermatological condition known as maceration, which occurs when the skin is thick with sweat for so long that it begins to whiten and soften. Because of this process, the skin becomes more vulnerable and can be injured easily. The skin is also at greater risk of developing eczema and of getting irritated.

An Even More Common Type of Skin Irritation

Although the above examples of sweating leading to skin irritation, the most common example of this connection is known as a heat rash. When you are in a hot environment for a long period of time and begin to sweat a lot, that extra sweat can damage the top layer of your skin. At that point, the sweat gets trapped under the skin and forms a tiny raised bump on the flesh. Sometimes the bumps are so small that they are more noticeable by touch than by sight. Eventually, the bumps burst and release the sweat.

Treatments for Skin Irritation Caused by Sweating

The good news is that most of these conditions are easily treatable. Using powder to control wetness and taking breaks to let your skin breathe can be good ways to release excess sweat and to prevent skin irritation. For patients suffering from excessive sweating, prescription strength products are available to help control the wetness. If things do not improve, doctors can perform surgery to reduce your ability to sweat.

With a heat rash, cooling down the skin and applying anti-itch ointments will do the most good and will help improve the effects of skin irritation quickly.