Iontophoresis for the hands
Sweaty hands
Sweaty hands can be treated comfortably and safely with iontophoresis.
The intensity of the sweat is irrelevant to the success. Iontophoresis has been used as a treatment against sweaty hands for many years and is a recognized form of therapy against hyperhidrosis.
⇒ Are you looking for a device? Our recommendation for the hand treatment
How can I treat my hands with iontophoresis?
Iontophoresis is a current-carrying water bath.
The setup is relatively simple:
You need two treatment tubs, electrodes covered with grids or towels, and two electrodes connected to the device via cables.
In principle, this setup is already complete. Lastly, you need a conductor to carry the electric current: in most cases, normal tap water suffices.
Both hands are placed into the tubs on top of the towels or grids covering the electrodes. The user increases the current until they notice the electric current (a slight tingling sensation). Then, the current is reduced until the tingling is practically impalpable during the treatment.
The hands are treated for a daily 15 minutes until an improvement occurs.
The duration of the subsequent treatments (after an improvement has been achieved) usually depends on the desired degree of dryness and the user's skin condition/body comfort.
Due to its VPC option (variable pulsed current of 50-90%), the Hidrex connectION is an exceptional device for the treatment of the hands.
The Hidrex connectION is our recommended standard device for the hand treatment, along with our very user-friendly top-selling product Idromed 5 PC.
Recommended devices – Iontophoresis against sweaty hands
Charts for the hands | TIP-TOP | TOP | OK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement for the hands | 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place |
| Manufacturer / Device | Hidrex Connection | Dr. Hönle Idromed 5 PC |
Iontophoresis is perfect against sweaty hands
Which iontophoresis devices are most suitable for the treatment of hands?
If you want to follow our recommendations, you should definitely use a pulsed current device.
The gentler the current, the easier you will find it to reach a high current strength.
However, if the pulse setting is too gentle, the treatment time will increase considerably due to the lowered current dosage. Low pulse widths beneath a value of 50% are therefore not preferable. We recommend a pulse width of 70-80% as the ideal setting for the hand treatment (very sensitive patients can use lower settings at 50-60%).
Not interested in technicalities? If you would rather not deal with the optimization of the pulse width, we recommend a simple automatic model. Ideally, it should deliver a pulse below 90%, such as the Idromed 5 PC.
Boundaries of iontophoresis values (hands)
An example of the influence of the pulse width on the averaged current.
This graph shows an averaged and realistic example of the hand treatment. It was measured on and by our own team and resembles both our own user experience as well as the experiences of our customers.
For a better overview, the values were rounded. Our team member has been an iontophoresis user for many years. When treating the hands with direct current, the tolerated treatment current was ca. 9 mA. When choosing a pulse width of 50%, the treatment current was roughly twice as high (ca. 15 mA). This is the highest output of the device for the pulse setting of 50%.
The best and highest value (21 mA) was reached with a pulse setting of 70% - again, the highest output for its setting.
With a pulse width of 80%, our team member was "only" capable of tolerating a current of 19 mA. Thus, elevating the pulse width could not bring an additional improvement to the averaged maximum current. The same was true for a pulse width of 90%: the averaged current was equal to the value reached with a setting of 50%. While using a pulse width of 60%, the maximum output was reached, averaging to "only" 18 mA.
The difference between 9 mA and 21 mA measures 2½ times.
| Data | AAM | Dermadry | Hidrex Connect | Idromed PC | Hidrex Classic | Idromed GC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TOP TEN | 3rd place for hands- Buy | 3rd place for hands - Buy | 1st place for hands - Buy | 2nd place for hands - Buy | 3rd place for hands - Buy | 4th place for hands - Buy |
| Made in | Taiwan | China | Germany | Germany | Germany | Germany |
| Max. output in mA | 30 | 25 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 25 |
| Max. output manual mode | 30 | 15 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 25 |
| Max. according to manufaczurer* | 30 | 15 | 30 | 15 | 30 | 15 |
| On/Off switch | √ | - | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Direct current 100% | √ | - | √ | - | √ | √ |
| Switch between PC/DC | √ | - | √ | - | √ | - |
| Pulsed current | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | - |
| Variable pulse | - | - | √ | - | - | - |
| Pulse width in % | 50 | 90 | 50-90 | 50 | 50 | - |
| Choice of electrode material | √ | - | √ | - | - | - |
| Adjustable treatment time | - | - | √ via App | - | - | - |
| Polarity change | - | √ | √ | - | - | - |
| Optional polarity change | - | - | √ | - | - | - |
| Frequency of polarity change | - | 2,5 und 5 min. | Halfway through | - | - | - |
| Memory - last settings * | - | - | √ | - | - | - |
| Program for hands | - | √ | √ | - | - | - |
| Strengths / Features | Budget / Battery | Budget | Technology | Simple | Budget | Budget / DC only |
*No Memory Function? ⇒ The device needs to be set up manually for every single treatment session. This is true for most devices on the market - inlcuding those outside of our offer!
Switchable iontophoresis devices - combination devices
Our offer includes combination devices. These devices provide an additional direct current. We believe that you should not make excessive use of the DC option. While it is true that you can treat your hands with direct current, this approach is certainly a little outdated and has its roots in the earlier days of iontophoresis, when no other form of electric current was available for the home therapy.
In our estimation, this current form is no longer up to date. Although opinions differ on this subject, our expertise shows: it is better to choose pulsed current for your iontophoresis treatment - especially for the hands!
Disadvantages of switchable devices
Switchable devices pose the risk of an accidental direct current setting. This makes these devices a little more complicated than their non-switchable counterparts.
Of course, for people who are somewhat technically proficient, this is not a hurdle. Younger users are the most disadvantaged when selecting direct current during their iontophoresis therapy. A fear of the electric current can lead to the rejection of the therapy as a whole. Curiosity and a lack of technical understanding can often result in unpleasant experiences, especially when using pulsed current values with a direct current setting.
If you want to keep your iontophoresis therapy simple and superficial as well as exclude the risk of setting undesired current types by accident, we recommend the Idromed 5 PC made by Dr. Hönle. The Idromed is an easy automatic model with a relatively brief user manual.
Make use of our valuable tricks for a more comfortable hand treatment:
Operating the device without an assistant - Saving time - Resting the hands comfortably - Free tips.
How to perform an iontophoresis treatment (example: hand treatment)
Iontophoresis - procedure of the hand treatment
- Open the case. If you want to, you can divide the case into two treatment tubs by sliding the two halves in two different directions.
- Put the case on an even surface (in our example: dining room table).
- Take the iontophoresis device out of the case, including the power supply unit. Plug in the power supply.
- Connect the device to the electrodes using the cables. Put one electrode into each tub and cover it with a grid as protection against skin contact with the metal. (The protection of your skin is of utmost importance. A direct contact with the metal can lead to burns.)
- Pour a bit of tap water into each tub (preferably warm water to make sure your hands don't get cold!)
- Put your hands in the tubs.
- The device increases the current until it reaches the set value.
- At the end of the treatment, the device reduces the current to zero.
- The treatment is over. Dry your hands, dispose of the water, and dry the electrodes, grids, and case. The device can be stored in the case.
Questions about iontophoresis:
Does it matter if I sweat lightly or extremely heavily?
In principle, the intensity of the sweating is irrelevant. If the iontophoresis therapy takes effect, even the strongest sweating (heavy, dripping wetness) can be suppressed. Some sources - literature, internet sources and even some doctors - indicate that iontophoresis is ineffective against very heavy sweating. We cannot confirm this opinion at all. In our experience, the rate of success does not depend on the intensity of the sweating.
Regardless of sweat level, the initial effect ranges within a certain percentage. For example, a user who sweats 50% less will find that their previous level is reduced by half. Reaching an even amount of success is the biggest challenge with iontophoresis. Most users prefer a completely dry or even excessively dry skin condition. After all, sweat is a very uncomfortable companion, which is why dry skin can be a highly rewarding experience. In the beginning, the iontophoresis effect ranges within a certain percentage. In most cases, a success of 100% can be reached due to the daily initial treatments, which result in a slight overtherapy. If the initial treatment cycle shows no effect on the skin (0%), this is classified as a non-success. The next step would be to figure out why the iontophoresis treatment did not work.
In principle, lightly sweaty hands and very sweaty hands require the same amount of treatment time. The theory that "heavy sweating equals long treatment times, light sweating equals short treatment times" is wrong.
Iontophoresis did not help me at all, is this normal?
No - normally, iontophoresis is an efficient treatment. If this is not the case, it is possible that you overlooked one or several smaller factors during your sessions. Our troubleshooting may help figure out what went wrong.
Iontophoresis had a very slight effect on me - is this all I can expect of the treatment?
Even a small iontophoresis effect can be increased. If your efforts fail, it's time to begin the troubleshooting.