Here I want to talk about a particular kind of hyperhidrosis treatment that is quiet popular, even thought scientists, dermatologists and medical doctors are still not really clear about why it works. It's quiet interesting actually the more you learn about it. I'm talking about iontophoresis.

Iontophoresis works best for people with sweaty hands or sweaty feet. It can also be used for people with sweaty armpits (I'm going to go into more detail about that soon), but I don't advice you to do so. But you can imagine that many people are uncomfortable when they have sweaty hands, and it surely is no pleasure to shake a persons hand with sweaty palms. And sweaty feet... well, we all know what they can smell like, and I don't think I have to go into further detail here.

The American Academy of Dermatology claims that iontophoresis has a 83% success rate for people with palmar hyperhidrosis. I can't confirm these findings from my own experience, but I am sure that the AAD did not come up with these numbers easily, and that they have the facts and the scientific research to back this claim up.

One thing you should know right from the start is that iontophoresis is not cheap. You will need to use a certain device that costs around $700 when you buy a cheap one. You will also have to replace batteries, and these are special kinds of batteries that cost more and are hard to come by. Sometimes, when a manufacturer stops producing the batteries, you are basically left with an electric device you can not use because you can't power it.

The way iontophoresis works is that it basically is kind of an "electric chair" for your sweat glands. You literally electrocute your sweat glands. You put your hands in a water tray, and then an electric current gets sent into the water. To some people, this feels ok, to others this is actually an extremely painful experience. I guess everybody has a different pain tolerance level.

I mentioned previously that the experts are still not clear why this treatment works, but the theory goes like this: the electrical charge (which can also be referred to as ion - that's how this treatment has gotten it's name) together with the minerals in the water kind of makes the outer layer of your skin thicker, and thus "blocks" your sweat gland ducts on the surface of your skin a bit. This causes your skin to sweat less. However, you have to keep on using this treatment regularly. You don't really "kill" the sweat glands, but you rather shock them so much that they are unable to work for a while. But after a while, they will go back to normal functioning, and you will have to electroshock them again.

I also previously mentioned that iontophoresis can be utilized for sweaty armpits too. The way this works is that there are special pads that you can soak in water and then stick under your armpits. However, keep in mind that your armpits are even more sensitive to pain than your hands and feet, and for most people this form of treatment is just too untolerable.