UKC

Ther are various problems which arise due to excessive sweat production in the hands (hyperhidrosis).

1)Shaking peoples hands
2)Playing guitar
3)typing

The most annoying however is slipping off of the rock during a climb. To try and battle the small rivers that meander through my palms i use a combination of liquid chalk and normal chalk. It doesn't really work though as i still have to chalk up every five moves or so, wasting time and energy.

Any one else suffer from sweaty hands and have a better solution not involving operations.

In reply to Ant Baker:

Keep them cold? Just need a portable fridge in your chalkbag!

D.

In reply to Ant Baker: Go and see your doctor. All jokes aside, there is a medical condition that causes some people to sweat a lot. Normally this is obese people and not necessarily sweaty palms! But, if you go and see your doctor and explain the situation, then tell him you almost died from your sweaty palms, he may give you some sort of pill that reduces the level of sweat that is expelled. Other things to try and anti perspirant on your hands... if it is really bad then experiment with different things. I'm sure you'll find something that works!

my mate has this problem, only with his hands, ever since he was in a car crash and got some glass in them. he saw the doc and got some nasty stuff which sucks the moisture out and leaves you hands pretty sore the first few times. does seem to work to a certain extent, cant remember exactly what he was given, but it sounded like a form of rat poison.

wil t

In reply to Ant Baker: Wear gloves!

In reply to Ant Baker:

Yes....I've taken to using liquid chalk and normal chalk, seems the best combo....although I still have to chalk up almost every move if I have to stop for more than a second, and dream of only chalking up every 5....I'm amazed when I see people down the wall climb an entire problem and still have chalky fingers whilst mine are pink and moist after touching one hold =(.

Sorry no solution though, beyond accepting at as a problematic part of climbing and taking loads of chalk and learning how to chalk quickly.

In reply to Ant Baker:

Physio Sport ultra-grip hand powder. Kind of meant for sweaty gym equipment I think but works a treat on middle management. Unfortunately I can't find it on sale anywhere anymore. If anyone knows...! Ive tried some other 'hand grip' concoctions but they weren't as good.

deal with the fact you have to replace the strings all the time. A combindation of Fast Fret and Dr Stringfellow helps tho.


use somebody elses computer. Or an underwater keyboard


Oh I am glad its not just me I find mental state has a lot to do with it as well. The annoying thing is that I'm NOT nervous about interviews, (just climbing

In reply to Minty: I found the Physio Sport stuff next to useless. Much better was Biobas Active Hand:Grip. A lot of outdoor shops seem to stock the stuff (Tiso & Nevisport in Scotland) or you can order it direct. Check out their web site at http://www.biobas.com

Thanks guys, it's at least some consolation to know i'm not the only one suffering!

I'll try out some of your suggestions.

Now, off for some climb time!

In reply to Ant Baker:

Got sweaty feet too? Thers a product called "Odaban" available non prescription which stops you sweating on your feet. From the times I've inadvertantly got in on my hands it leaves them feeling very dry and silky-like. mmmm...just had a thought....

In reply to Ant Baker: Rather than using chalk, have you tried just wiping your hands on your t-shirt in between moves? That should be quicker than faffing around with chalk.

In reply to Ant Baker:

i suffer form sweaty hands too. i use a big chalkbag with loose chalk (franklin white gold) and really cake my hands in it before starting the climb. cant be doing with chalk balls, too fiddily and not as quick

In reply to Arran Willis:

i do get sweaty hands, but actually went the other way, and never climb with chalk now. it's kinda ok, funnily enough, as my hands seem to be adjusting quite well. i only have a problem with sweat when i'm nervous... as someone said earlier in the thread. on a route within my reach, no chalk is absolutely fine. and i'm improving steadily, so it's not as if it impedes me noticeabily.

In reply to DrGav:

chalking up is part of my psyching up procedure before a tough one. i don't tend to use much, if any when im not pushing. it does help on the harder movers though as every bit of extra friction helps, plus its nice to know you're sweat proofed for a move or two, dont want to get sweaty on the crux now.

In reply to Arran Willis:

Yup, i do agree.. i'm kinda just happy to not have the extra fuss of a chalk bag [energy wise] + nice to avoid just one bit of gear. be interesting to see when i stop improving, and think hang on, what i need is some chalk!

In reply to Ant Baker: I suffer from sweety hands and have tried creams and powders for my condition.
There are far too many side effects with the operations.
However you may want to ask your doctor about a treatment called Iontophoresis. This involves putting your hands in water with an electrical current. There may be a long waiting list for such a treatment. As a member of the British climbing team I was given a higher priority as it was seen as ocupational. Unfortunatly it did not work for me but has for others.

In reply to kristian:

My girlfriend suffers from Hyperhydrosis and went through a number of options:

Antiperspirant for the hands (aluminium hydroxide I think)
- caused skin irritation

Electrical shocks in water
- didn't work for her either

Bottulism toxin injections to the palms
- bloody painful, was supposed to kill off some of the nerve endings that triggered it off. Didn't work.

Operation to cut the nerves
- This did work, she's only had it done to the one hand. This is not a light option and does have side effects. Think very carefully since it is non reversible.

'Real' hyperhydrosis is pretty rare. What most people call excessively sweaty hands is nothing compared to the running stream of sweat that can afflict sufferers.

Ant; if your specialist says you do have this then reply direct and we can share info.

A.

In reply to Martin W: Hi, thats interesting as I found exactly the opposite - couldn't remember the name of it in my orig post tho! Looking at the bottles they have different NastyChemicals(tm) in them so I guess as with most of these things: YMMV.

Cheers,

Pete.