Oxybutynin gel versus nanoemulgel for treating primary palmar hyperhidrosis: A pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction: Palmar hyperhidrosis or excessive palmar sweating can reduce one's quality of life as it is associated with significant physical and occupational disabilities. We compared the gel and nanoemulgel of oxybutynin in treating these patients. Materials and Methods: This pilot study was performed as a double-blind controlled randomized clinical trial at Shahid Faghihi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. In two randomly allocated groups of 15, patients diagnosed with primary palmar hyperhidrosis by an attending dermatologist applied half a fingertip (roughly 0.25 g) of 1% oxybutynin topical gel or 1% oxybutynin nanoemulgel to both palms every 12 h for one month. The Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were used to assess the patients at the beginning and end of the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Results: The groups were similar in terms of age (p = 0.800), sex (p = 0.096), and baseline HDSS, VAS, and DLQI scores. The mean HDSS scores decreased significantly (p = 0.001) over time in patients receiving the gel (3.00 ± 1.00 vs. 2.33 ± 0.61) or nanoemulgel (2.92 ± 0.82 vs. 2.14 ± 0.53), without a significant difference between the groups. The same was true for the VAS and DLQI scores. Three patients in each group experienced transient, self-limited anticholinergic side effects (p = 0.983). Conclusion: Oxybutynin gel and nanoemulgel offer equal safety and similar efficacy in reducing the disease severity and increasing the quality of life of patients with palmar hyperhidrosis.