Are you suffering from chronic sweating on your hands and feet? While you probably want to stay mum about this unladylike characteristic, it also pays to be informed. Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, can affect the whole body or just certain areas. The most frequent localized sites are the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. However, excessive sweating can also occur in areas like the armpits, groin, and genitals, as well as on the forehead, tip of the nose, and front of the chest.

Localized hyperhidrosis is commonly triggered by emotional factors such as anxiety, anguish, or fear. This emotional type of hyperhidrosis is usually limited to the palms, soles, and armpits. It is intermittent and depends on the severity of the emotional excitement. In some cases, it has been found to be an inherited sweat gland disorder. So what can you do about it? Browse through the gallery for a few tips.


(First published as “No Sweat!” in the “Health Check” section of Good Housekeeping Philippines’ October 2001 issue. Adapted for use in Female Network. Photo by norio takahashi via Flickr Creative Commons.)