Sale and Altrincham Messenger 16 May 2013
EXCESS SWEATING…..there are solutions available
Q – I have a real problem with sweating around my armpits, despite trying numerous different antiperspirants. I have heard that this is a problem that can be helped by use of Botox. Is this correct? Andy, Timperley.
A – Hi Andy, you have my sympathies. The condition you describe sounds like hyperhidrosis, and if it is limited to the armpits it would be known as axillary hyperhidrosis. No clear cause for this condition has been found to date.
If regular antiperspirants do not work, your next course of action would typically be a more powerful antiperspirant, prescribed by your GP. Such antiperspirants contain aluminium chloride, and work by “˜plugging up’ the sweat glands.
If this proves unsuccessful, or causes undue irritation of the skin, then Botox has indeed been shown to be very effective for this condition. Using a very fine needle, a number of very small injections are made to the relevant area, in your case to the armpit. Once fully effective (typically after one to two weeks) the Botox blocks the transmission of nerve impulses to the sweat glands, and this eliminates the production of sweat in the treated area. It is very effective, though the effects are not permanent, and treatment would typically need to be repeated after six to ten months.