Botox Treatment for Hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis is a condition in which abnormally excessive sweating directly relates to exercise or heat. In this condition, you sweat so much that your clothes completely soak or the sweat drips off from your hands. Excessive sweating disrupts daily activities and results in embarrassment and social anxiety.
Botox is a treatment in which toxins are injected into the skin. Botox has both cosmetic and medical uses, and in this article, we will discuss Botox for the treatment of Hyperhidrosis.
Does it work?
People who have an issue of excessive sweating in their underarms find it an excellent way to reduce it. The (United States Food and Drug Administration) has approved Botox for the excessive arm sweating treatment. The Botox injections work by blocking the body chemicals that play a role in activating sweat glands.
The International Hyperhidrosis Society states that underarm Botox reactions are beneficial in reducing sweating by 82 to 87%. The Botox injection effects generally last for 6 to 12 months and, in some cases, 14 months.
After getting the Botox injections, the results will be evident in 2 to 4 days. And full results will appear within two weeks of treatment. These injections aren’t a permanent solution as the injections will last for 4 to 12 months. To reduce the sweating, you have to take ongoing injections.
Only underarm Botox injections are approved, but your doctor may recommend you for some other body part like the face, feet, or hands.
How does it work?
Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium that makes a neurotoxin known as botulinum toxin. Neurotoxins are responsible for affecting the function and structure of the nervous system. Botox alters the role of specific neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are the chemicals present in our body that instruct our body to react in a specific way. Botox works by blocking the neurotransmitters that activate our sweat glands and control sweating in the injection area.
Botox for other body parts
Your doctor can prescribe Botox on other body parts to avoid excessive sweating. These body parts include:
Back
Groin
Hands
Chest
Feet
Head
Under the breast
Face
Nose
Botox treatment on feet and hands has higher chances of side effects and is less effective compared to the underarms. In addition, the procedure is quite painful in such areas. Experienced dermatologists can use Botox injections to treat groin, breast, and face excessive sweating. The experienced dermatologist should have detailed knowledge of complex tissues and muscles for effective and safe treatments.
Procedure
An experienced dermatologist can use Botox injections in his office. An experienced medical professional hardly takes 10 minutes to inject the Botox injections in both underarms.
In this procedure, a minimal amount is injected under the skin. It’s usually injected in a grid pattern with approximately 1 to 2 centimeters of distance. Before the injections, your doctor may numb that area with local anesthetics or ice. It will ease the discomfort and pain.
You can immediately go home after the injections. But for the aftercare, you need to avoid hot showers and baths for the rest of the day. After 1 to 2 weeks of the procedure, you may need to go for a follow-up appointment. It will benefit from checking up for the missed areas or side effects.
References
https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/32/2/238/2801331
https://www.sweathelp.org/hyperhidrosis-treatments/botox.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/botox-for-sweating
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22328694/
https://mhealthfairview.org/blog/botox-for-excessive-sweating-how-does-it-work
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/botox-for-sweating/
https://www.bsuh.nhs.uk/documents/botox-injection-for-hyperhidrosis/
