Palmar Hyperhidrosis is a medical term used to describe excessively sweaty hands. The heightened activity of the sympathetic nervous system causes the profuse sweating. Hence, the prefix hyper.
Too much sweat on the hands cause discomfort and inconvenience on the part of the patient. It affects work, daily activities, and social interactions in everyday life. In some cases, it can render the patient disabled. It also puts one in danger during driving when the steering wheel of the car gets slippery due to accumulation of water from the palms.
About 40% of the sufferrers of hyperhidrosis are genetic in origin. According to statistics, this disorder begins in early childhood and gets more severe towards adolescence and into adulthood.
Surgery is an option for this particular problem. Thoracic Sympathectomy is what it's called in the medical field. Downtime was one of the problems in the past why this procedure was not commonly selected. There was a need for many days at the hospital to recover aside from the fact that it was expensive, painful, and caused scarring.
Over the years, this method has evolved and became more advanced. Now, it is performed using a mini camera, called an endoscopic surgical procedure where a camera is inserted through a small incision into the body cavities such as abdomen or chest. A minimal invasive surgery means less damage and quicker recovery. It can also be done on outpatient basis. A patient may go home on the same day after the surgery and recovers naturally. This makes Thoracic Sympathectomy a good treatment choice for palmar hyperhidrosis.