Driving with hyperhidrosis?

Hi all, new member here

I am a 20 year old male and have been experiencing excessively sweaty hands for the past year. I found out that it was an actual "disorder" just a few months ago. I have been noticing everyday tasks are becoming more challenging than ever before, especially driving. Especially when it is hot, my hands just sweat so much that I have almost no grip on the wheel. This is very dangerous, so I researched and found some leather "driving gloves". Although they give me good control of the wheel, because of my excessive sweat, the gloves leave a black residue/stains on my hands that is very difficult to wash off. And it's not just a particular one, several of them have done that. I have tried cotton gloves, but they are very slippery, and offer very little grip on the wheel. How does everyone else drive with this horrible condition? What kinds of steering wheels do you guys use (mine is plastic)? I need some help with this.

At the moment, mine is currently untreated. I have tried drysol and it worked ok for me (still sweat, just not as much), but my hands started to hurt/feel weird so my physician asked me to stop. I also can't take robinul at the moment because I am taking something else (unrelated) that would have potential interactions for that. Also, my dermatology appointment is not until 2.5 months, so I need some advice on how to drive while leaving HH untreated. I might try ionotophorisis later.

I am so fed up of this condition, and I've only had it for a year.
 

truffleshuffle

Well-known member
Well I may be mistaken but I always thought plastic made things sweat more. Like plastic shoes always made my feet sweat alot more than other shoes. Have you tried getting a wheel cover to help? I know walmart or any automotive store sells them. You might try that.
 
Well I may be mistaken but I always thought plastic made things sweat more. Like plastic shoes always made my feet sweat alot more than other shoes. Have you tried getting a wheel cover to help? I know walmart or any automotive store sells them. You might try that.

hi thanks for the response. do you have palmar HH? and i thought about getting a leather wheel cover but it looks kinda hard to install (dont you have to stitch it on or something?). anyone with palmar HH have success with wheel covers?
 

truffleshuffle

Well-known member
I don;t think I have hh but i do sweat alot and feel like I sweat more than other people. You don;t have to stitch anything its seems complicated but its not you just place the steering wheel in it and try and fit the rest around the steering wheel. I don;t know about leather though I bought a leather couch and it seems like that can make me hotter and sweat more than reular specialy on hot days.
 
I don;t think I have hh but i do sweat alot and feel like I sweat more than other people. You don;t have to stitch anything its seems complicated but its not you just place the steering wheel in it and try and fit the rest around the steering wheel. I don;t know about leather though I bought a leather couch and it seems like that can make me hotter and sweat more than reular specialy on hot days.

links of an example please? and what materials do you recommend? do you use one?
 
and people with palmar HH, i'd like to get some tips/advice on how you guys drive with this condition. dont be shy.
 
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HH

Well-known member
Hi thebobjohnson. I reckon those gloves are probably making your hands even hotter so they are obviously sweating even more, probably a good idea to ditch them.

I think you should definitely try ionotophorisis, if drysol has some effect on reducing the sweating then ionto should give you good results as long as you stick to it (doing weekly treatments). There's plenty of info about ionotophorisis on this website.

I suffer from palmer HH myself and using a ionto machine has greatly helped me.
 

hyp-hi

Well-known member
You could try a steering wheel cover, one that is rubber or possibly cloth. My steering wheel is rubber and I don't have a problem with it even with HH.
 

Sprawling

Well-known member
Been sweating on and off the wheel for years. It's one of the perks of having sweaty hands. I never found any tpe of steering wheel cover that worked for me. I guess for me I just had to adapt and get used to it. Always drive with 2 hands when the conditions are sweaty.
 

SaintChains

Active member
You could also try a wool steering wheel cover. Think of sheepskin seat covers, only for the wheel. It would provide a decent grip, I think, but might feel to warm on your palms.

They are super easy to "install" - you just fit them over the wheel and they are held in place by elastic.
 
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You could also try a wool steering wheel cover. Think of sheepskin seat covers, only for the wheel. It would provide a decent grip, I think, but might feel to warm on your palms.

They are super easy to "install" - you just fit them over the wheel and they are held in place by elastic.

have you had success with this?
 
Been sweating on and off the wheel for years. It's one of the perks of having sweaty hands. I never found any tpe of steering wheel cover that worked for me. I guess for me I just had to adapt and get used to it. Always drive with 2 hands when the conditions are sweaty.

did any cover work "better" than others?
 
Hi thebobjohnson. I reckon those gloves are probably making your hands even hotter so they are obviously sweating even more, probably a good idea to ditch them.

I think you should definitely try ionotophorisis, if drysol has some effect on reducing the sweating then ionto should give you good results as long as you stick to it (doing weekly treatments). There's plenty of info about ionotophorisis on this website.

I suffer from palmer HH myself and using a ionto machine has greatly helped me.

well the gloves would be perfect if they didnt stain. for winter i could get a lined glove (i.e. with cashmiere or thinsulate) and therefore should not have any staining, but summer/hot days are more of the problem. i might try ionto later down the road, but honestly my knowledge of it is very limited (i.e. where you do the treatments, how you do it at home, where you get the machine, etc)? if you weren't doing ionto, how would you drive?
 

Arya

New member
Hi thebobjohnson !

I suffer from HH too and it's very disabling in everyday tasks. But for driving there's a simple thing you could do : turn the air conditioning towards yourself and put on cold air. The cold breath usually takes away the sweat and cool down the hands.
(I have "severe" HH so if it works for me it will probably work for you too.)

Hope it helps :)
 
Hi thebobjohnson !

I suffer from HH too and it's very disabling in everyday tasks. But for driving there's a simple thing you could do : turn the air conditioning towards yourself and put on cold air. The cold breath usually takes away the sweat and cool down the hands.
(I have "severe" HH so if it works for me it will probably work for you too.)

Hope it helps :)

"severe" as in dripping? i've never gotten into that stage (yet). i've done this but did it on low air and do remember it helped a little
 
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