The only time my sweaty hands have worked to my advantage was when I was 18 and took my driver’s test. I had soaked the wheel, and the poor instructor thought I was nervous so he let me skip the parallel parking.
What he didn’t know was that this had been happening for as long as I could remember. In fact, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t constantly search for something to wipe my hands on.
It took a while to ask for help — partly because I didn’t know what options were available and partly because my parents told me I would grow out of it. But as my hands dripped all through college, I realized I needed to see a doctor.
The simplest solution he gave me is applying a cream like Drysol or Certain Dri every night in order to build salt clogs that stop the sweat from reaching the surface. Iontophoresis, a process that uses an electrical current to stop the sweating, is another option but it requires maintenance. Some people take a drug called Robinul, but Dr. Vine doesn’t prescribe it because, while it dries the problem area, it also dries everything else, like your nose, mouth and, um, other parts of your body you probably don’t want dry.
Botox also has many uses other than smoothing the foreheads of aging celebs. Like treating hyperhidrosis! It works by blocking the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands.
