Maybe it’s time to come see us at AesthetiSpa and we can try Botox injections. We’ve had great success with this FDA-approved approach to hyperhidrosis, and maybe that would be a great treatment for you heading into the New Year.
What causes hyperhidrosis?
Sweating is our body’s air conditioning system. When our body temperature rises, the nervous system automatically triggers the sweat glands to produce sweat and send it to the surface skin to cool it down. Also, when a person is nervous or anxious, the same mechanism can happen, especially on the palms.
When a person has hyperhidrosis, the nerves responsible for signaling your sweat glands become overactive, even though there isn’t the usual trigger of physical activity or a temperature rise. For these people, stress or anxiousness exacerbates the problem. This is known as primary focal hyperhidrosis, and there is no medical cause. There is thought to be a genetic component, as excessive sweating tends to run in families.
Who is a candidate for excessive sweating treatments?
If you suffer from hyperhidrosis, Botox injections could be a great treatment. The one caveat is that patients must be at least 18 years old. Patients should also have already tried topical solutions and found them ineffective.
How does Botox work to stop hyperhidrosis?
Everyone has heard of Botox because of its success in treating wrinkles and lines on the upper third of the face. Botox received approval for those aesthetic uses in 2002. The FDA approved Botox for treating hyperhidrosis in 2004.
Botox, which is made from the botulinum toxin type A, works on wrinkles and sweat glands in the same way, by blocking nerve messages. For wrinkles formed by muscle contractions, Botox blocks the nerve messages to contract the muscles. When Botox is injected around sweat glands, it blocks the messages sent by the overactive nerves to the sweat glands, so the sweat glands do not receive the messages to begin producing sweat and the person stays dry or produces dramatically less sweat.
How effective is Botox for treating hyperhidrosis?
Research has shown Botox to be very effective in treating hyperhidrosis on the underarms and the hands. For underarm sweating, Botox has been shown to result in an 82-87 percent decrease in sweating. For the hands, Botox has decreased sweating up to 90 percent. It is not as effective for sweating on the soles of the feet.
Interested in putting an end to your annoying excessive sweating? Call us at AesthetiSpa, 843-849-9925, to schedule a consultation for Botox injections.