“Sweaty palms” and the surgical technique that treats the root cause

If you have never experienced it yourself, you may not understand how much of an irritation excessive sweat on the palms of your hands can be. Aside from the fact that having moist hands can be annoying enough in itself, the problem can also affect a person’s self-esteem. It can build anxiety until reaching a point where it affects the way that person leads their daily life or approaches their work.

Washing hands, applying talcum powder, using a fan to dry the hands and trying to reduce stress are all just superficial measures that may cause a temporary halt to the sweating. However, these are merely temporary solutions, rather than addressing the root cause.

If a person is diagnosed as suffering from excessive palm sweating and the perspiration has no clear cause – such as thyrotoxicosis -, the problem may be treated by selecting antiperspirant medication which contains aluminum chloride. This substance causes a decrease in sweat gland function, so that the person perspires less. However, the medication is only effective after it has been applied.

Botox injections or the use of electrotherapy called iontophoresis to stimulate the nerves which excrete sweat to stop functioning can stop perspiration temporarily, but when the medication wears off, the perspiration will return to its former levels.

Nevertheless, there is a treatment available for excessive palm perspiration that is both long lasting and immediately effective. The treatment is called thoracoscopic sympathectomy. This utilizes laparoscopic technology and other equipment which is inserted through the armpit area and then guided to the sympathetic nervous system via the thoracic cavity. The surgery destroys some areas of nerve fibers that are responsible for sending signals to the hands or armpits, resulting in perspiration occurring in those places. The surgery is therefore required on both sides of the chest. The procedure takes one to two hours. A single night’s stay in hospital is sufficient before the patient is able to return home.

After surgery has been carried out, patients may experience sweating in other areas, such as the back, stomach or thighs, as the body compensates for the reduction of perspiration. However, this compensation will not be drastic, nor will it seriously affect the daily life of the patient the way the previous condition had done. Moreover, some patients may not experience any side effects from surgery at all. Overall, the surgery has positive long-lasting effects than can be seen immediately after it has been completed with most patients never returning to the same perspiration levels as before. Fewer than 5% of patients are at risk of a return to the same state as before.

Complications which may arise from the surgery are no different to those of any surgical procedure, namely that bleeding may occur from the area of incision or that the wound may become infected.

Due to the incisions being of no more than around 5–10 mm each and there being only two to three incisions in total, post-surgery treatment should be focused on keeping the wounds clean. The wounds should be kept dry for around one week after surgery and patients should ensure that they keep their doctor’s appointments so that their progress may be tracked.

Currently, thoracoscopic sympathectomy surgery is seen as the only form of treatment that can offer a long-lasting solution to the problem of excessive palm sweating. The procedure helps patients build self-esteem and lead a happier life. However, the surgical procedure is rather complicated and reliant on the use of up-to-date medical equipment, as well as specialists in the field. For these reasons, patients who wish to treat their excessive palm sweating in this way should exercise great care when selecting the hospital and medical team they wish to be treated by, to ensure the safest and most effective results.