Had enough with sweating in the underarms? palms? soles?
Botox can stop excessive sweating…!!
Introduction
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) in the underarms, palms or soles is a phenomenon that affects a significant amount of patients. Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) is not temporary disease and as a result patients suffer for years due to continue excess sweat.
Hyperhidrosis is an unpleasant situation that affects significantly everyday life of patients in all areas such as in personal, work and social life. For example patients that suffer from hyperhidrosis in the underarms may change many T-shirts though out the day or wear a specific colour so that excess sweat is not that prominent. Another example is when patients suffer from hyperhidrosis in the palms do not feel confident to handshake or touch the skin of other people.
Hyperhidrosis is a condition that often affects patients psychosocially and can cause embracement, discomfort and can reduce an individual’s confidence.
Treatment and outcomes of excessive sweating with botox:
Treatment of excessive sweating with botulinum toxin A (known as botox), is considered the most effective and popular method for treating hyperhidrosis in the underarms, palms or soles.
Treatment lasts for a few minutes (3-5 min) and after the treatment there is a significant reduction of sweat (70-90%). Results of botox in the underarms lasts of an average 7-9 months. In the palms and soles results lasts from 6-8 months.
Generally, patients that suffer from hyperhidrosis usually require doing treatment with botox only once a year during spring/summer when symptoms exacerbate and is mostly needed.
Why do patients suffer from excessive sweating?
When excessive sweating affects localized areas such as the underarms, palms or soles of patients this is called localized or primary hyperhidrosis. In most cases of localized/primary hyperhidrosis is not related to any medical condition. Localized/primary hyperhidrosis is a phenomenon found within patients of the same family i.e runs in families.
On the contrary generalized hyperhidrosis i.e excessive sweating in the entire body surface, can be related to thyroid disease, menopause, Parkinson disease etc.
How is treatmet with botox for hyperhidrosis is performed?
Initially the affected area is mapped using the starch-iodine test. After in the affected, botox is administered intradermaly (i.e superficially) into the skin in small doses. The method of administration is with the use on small injections and the affected area is numbed with local anaesthetic.
Is treatment with botox dangerous? Can it cause side effects?
Botox is a medication used in medicine for decades for various diseases such as migraines, spasms of the limps, urinary incontinence, spasms of the eyelids etc. In dermatology and particularly for hyperhidrosis the amounts used are a lot smaller compared to other specialities. The use of botox for hyperhidrosis is superficial and used only on the skin surface without any permanent or severe side effects. Using botox for hyperhidrosis is safe and is extremely uncommon to develop any side effects especially in the amounts used but must be performed by a certified Dermatologist trained in the technique.
Possible side effects from using botox in the underarms area include mild pain during the injection (the procedure lasts 3-5 minutes), rarely small bruises at the injection-side (may last for few days, not permanent) and extremely rare localized infection (treated with oral antibiotics). There are no permanent side effects from the use of botox because botox is not a permanent treatment and is fully reversible within a few months.
