Do you feel like you sweat more than the normal person would or in situations where excess sweating isn’t warranted? You may have a condition called hyperhidrosis, which leads to embarrassing moments where sweat soaks through your clothing or drips excessively off your hands. Thankfully, there are treatments to help with your overactive sweat glands so you can live a normal life again
What is Hyperhidrosis?
Sweating is a normal body mechanism meant to cool you off when your body temperature is elevated or when you are nervous. Hyperhidrosis is the medical term to describe when normal sweating becomes excessive. People with hyperhidrosis may sweat a lot even when the environment is not warm or when they are not exercising. Excessive sweating usually affects the underarms and is relatively common in hands and feet, which is considered focal or primary hyperhidrosis. Or you can experience sweating all over the body, which is called secondary hyperhidrosis.
There is no medical cause for this condition, but it might be hereditary. Hyperhidrosis can be triggered by medical conditions like thyroid disorder, diabetes, nervous system disorders, menopause and obesity, but certain prescription drugs may also induce excessive sweating. While this condition doesn’t cause physical harm to most people, it can have a negative effect on their quality of life, causing people to shy away from public situations and relationships.
Hyperhidrosis Treatment — Help with Excessive Sweating If excess sweating is affecting your daily life and has led to emotional stress and social avoidance, it’s time to speak to your doctor about treatment. There are several treatment methods that patients can try, from prescription antiperspirant and medicine to surgery. But many of our clients have good luck with using Botox as a way to stop excessive sweating. Studies have shown Botox to be effective in reducing excessive sweating in both underarms and hands, though the effects of the Botox won’t last as long in treating the hands. Botox is approved by the EU and FDA to be used in the treatment of excessive sweating. It works by temporarily blocking the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands in the underarms.
The procedure is simple and safe and only takes about 30 minutes for your appointment. A topical anaesthetic cream will be offered before the procedure to minimise any discomfort you may feel from the injection. Shaving or trimming of underarm hair at least 12 hours before the procedure is recommended to reduce the risk of infection. The effects of the hyperhidrosis treatment with Botox should be apparent in a few days, but the full effect will be seen in two weeks and can last up to nine months depending on the individual. You’ll want to come into the clinic one or two times per year for a top-up so that you never have to deal with the embarrassment of excessive sweating again.
