Hyperhidrosis is a common condition in which a person sweats excessively with no identifiable cause, sweating that can interfere with daily life even with using over-thecounter antiperspirants.
Sweating doesn’t affect health, but it can be uncomfortable, stressful, and embarrassing and that can have a negative impact on the quality of life and may lead to feelings of anxiety.
There are different treatments for this issue, such as Iontophoresis, Botulinum toxin injections, and surgery to remove the sweat gland.
Treating hyperhidrosis to control heavy sweating can be done by Botulinum toxin injections to block the overactive nerves that trigger sweat glands so the nerves can’t signal the sweat glands which means no sweat. The treatment is less invasive than surgical and it is simple and quick, and takes 15-20 mins only. This treatment prevents excessive sweating in the injected area. Most people don’t feel much pain during the procedure. But for who is having low pain tolerance, the treated area can be numbed beforehand.
–Before the procedure, we make sure the treatment area is clean.
-No sign of infection or inflammation.
–Stop taking any blood thinners a few days before to prevent bruising.
After the treatment may the person feel tender around the injected area for one to two day max and some bruising.
The normal activities can be resumed immediately , but advisable to avoid under arm deodorant or products with perfume, stop exercising for about one to two days to prevent skin irritation.
Usually, the results take between 3 to 5 days to be noticed, and 2 weeks to get the full effect. Follow-up 2 weeks after the treatment is recommended, as additional Toxin may be needed for better results. The sweat production can be reduced by more than 50 percent for at least 6 months. Therefore, booster injections are generally needed every 7 to 8 months. Most people still have a little bit of sweating and may need deodorant. But it varies from person to person.
Botox injections in the armpits have almost no side effects, only the immediate discomfort of the injections, temporary pain or bruising at the injection site. A possible rare side effect is short-term muscle weakness in the treated area.
– Botox is an FDA approved treatment for excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis underarms. it works by blocking signals from the nerves responsible for sweating and stopping the sweat glands from producing too much sweat.
– Some medical conditions associated with excessive sweating can be serious, especially if it is associated with other symptoms, like weight loss, sweating while sleeping, fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat, so, it’s better to consult a doctor to rule out any causes.
– It is still necessary to treat the bad smell. As the bad smell is a bacterial reaction to sweat secretions, it can occur with simple sweating as well.
This article is Medically reviewed by : Dr. Iman Itani MBBS.GP. Aesthetic doctor.