Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Author Spotlight: Exploring the Effects of Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Published on: January 19, 2024
Treatment of Palmar Hyperhidrosis with Tap Water Iontophoresis: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Single-Blind, and
Do Hun Kim1, Tae Han Kim1, Seung Ho Lee1
1Department of Dermatology, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Background:
Palmar hyperhidrosis is a common disorder of excessive sweating. A number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of iontophoresis in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. However, controlled clinical studies on iontophoresis for palmar hyperhidrosis have been limited.
Objective:
To determine the efficacy and safety of iontophoresis in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis with a randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind, and parallel-designed study.
Methods:
Twenty nine patients with significant palmar hyperhidrosis were enrolled in this study. They received active iontophoresis treatment (group A) or sham treatment (group B). Iontophoresis was performed 20 minutes each time, five times per week, for 2 weeks. Its efficacy was assessed with starch-iodine test, mean sweat secretion rate, and hyperhidrosis disease severity scale.
Results:
Twenty-seven of the 29 patients completed the 2-week treatment. After completion of 10 times of treatment, results of the starch-iodine test showed clinical improvement in 92.9% of patients in group A and 38.5% of patients in group B (p=0.001). The mean sweat secretion rate was reduced by 91.8% of patients in group A and by 39.1% of patients in group B (p<0.001). Improvement in quality of life was reported by 78.6% of patients in group A and by 30.8% of patients in group B (p=0.028). In group A, one case of localized adverse event was noted, although no adverse event was encountered in group B.
Conclusion:
Tap water iontophoresis could be used as an effective and safe treatment modality for palmar hyperhidrosis.
