Title: Hands-free treatment of severe congenital palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) via iontophoresis

Team: Athena Lopez, Natalie Celt, Nicole Malow, Niki Shakouri

Client: Pediatric medicine – Sunghoon Kim, MD (UCSF)

Iontophoresis is an at-home solution for treating palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis, an extreme sweating disorder that affects the hands and feet. Treatment consists of placing the hands or feet in two small aluminum bath trays, each filled with tap water, for 20-30 minutes. A mild current inhibits the sweat glands and temporarily reduces patients’ sweating. Despite effective treatment outcomes, the iontophoresis device requires patients to sit still for long periods of time as a result, patient compliance to treatment is poor. Thus, a method to allow for treatment with daily activity for patients with palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis using at-home iontophoresis devices to increase treatment adherence is needed.

Our unmet need centers around creating an Iontophoresis wearable device for palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis that allows for effective treatment with daily activity.