My Sweaty Palms

I have another growing pain or rather, it is more of an irritation I have to cope with in my everyday life. I have a condition call palmer hyperhidrosis. During the June holidays of 2006, when I was on holiday in Vietnam, I started to have extremely sweaty palms that soaked up the whole of my terry handkerchief even when I was in a cold air-conditioned room. My soles were also very sweaty and of course it was very uncomfortable to walk about, especially outside in the heat when we went sightseeing.

Most people may have slightly more clammy palms when they are nervous, afraid, under stress or feeling very warm but my condition is different. It might be in the genes because my aunt has the same condition as me.

When I have to shake hands, sometimes it could be quite awkward as the other person may find shaking hands with me unpleasant but if I do not shake hands, it would be rude of me. Sometimes it is inconvenient for me to write especially during exams when I am nervous, because my excessive sweat hinders my grip of the pen or pencil. In addition, I was in my primary school bowling team, not only did my flat feet gave me problems with balancing, my sweaty hands hindered my holding the bowling ball properly, affecting my performance.

As I entered my teens this year, my feet became so sweaty that my shoes are completely drenched (and of course, stink) at the end of my school day. Due to the hot and humid climate, I found the skin of my toes and soles cracking and very painful. My mother examined them and declared I have fungus growing on my feet. So she went and bought me three pairs of school shoes. I must wear one pair and let it air for three days before wearing the shoes again. I must put anti-bacterial powder on my soles before wearing my socks and shoes. Soon, after that, my ‘fungus’ growing skin healed but it is now a routine for me to take extra care of my feet hygiene. So far, my problem is not as bad as my aunt who would sometimes form a small puddle of sweat at the place where her feet were while she was reading the newspapers for a while. You may think I am exaggerating, but I am not.

I found through the internet that the most likely cause of sweaty palms, as well as other types of hyperhidrosis, is an overactive sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system manages all sorts of functions in the body that make up what is commonly termed the fight-or-flight response; this includes the release of a number of chemicals such as adrenaline, increasing heart rate, constricting blood vessels, and of course, sweating. When the sympathetic nervous system malfunctions, certain fight-or-flight responses may be triggered at inappropriate times, as in the case of my sweaty palms and soles.

Perhaps one day, when I need to hold a girl’s hand, ha ha, then will having palmer hyperhidrosis become a great inconvenience. As for now, extreme sweaty palms and soles just part of me, like allergies, flat feet and pimples.

There are some treatments for palmer hyperhidrosis including botox which will reduce the sweating but the treatment will have to be done repeatedly. The only permanent treatment is to cut off the nerves that supply the sweat glands in the armpit and palms to reduce the amount of sweating. However, the side effect could be other parts of the body such as the face, back or feet become even more sweaty. Well, I do not think I need such a treatment as yet.