What Is Hyperhidrosis?
About 1.3 million Americans have a medical condition named severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis better known to you as excessive underarm sweating.
Excessive underarm sweating is a medical condition that involves overactive sweat glands. Sweat is your body’s temperature regulator. In severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis, sweating significantly exceeds the body’s normal requirements for cooling.
|
 |
|
As you probably know, people with the condition do a lot to cope:
- Change clothes frequently
- Put absorbent materials under clothing
- Avoid certain fabrics and styles of clothes
- Seek medical attention and treatment
While people with excessive underarm sweating may choose many different antiperspirants, in many instances those products fail to stop the sweating.
Clothes can be a real issue, because the wrong choice can reveal your excessive underarm sweating condition rather than hide it. Your wardrobe can be very limited. And you may have to purchase new clothing frequently, an added strain on your budget on top of your purchases of extra-strength antisweating products.
Can BOTOX® Treatment Help?
BOTOX® is FDA approved for excessive underarm sweating that is inadequately managed with topical agents. BOTOX® neurotoxin helps control this condition by temporarily blocking the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. When the sweat glands don’t receive chemical signals, the excessive sweating stops.
BOTOX® neurotoxin treatment is very effective. Clinical studies found that:
- 57 out of 104 patients treated with BOTOX® (55%) achieved an effective response, compared to only 6 out of 108 treated without BOTOX® (6%). “Effective response” is defined as an improvement of at least 2 grades on the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS)
- 84 out of 104 patients treated with BOTOX® (81%) achieved a greater than 50% reduction in sweating, compared to only 44 out of 108 treated without BOTOX® (41%)
BOTOX® neurotoxin treatment is not a cure; your symptoms will return gradually, and you will know when the time is right for another treatment. Your healthcare provider will recommend a treatment strategy to ensure that you receive the best possible results with BOTOX® treatment.
Is BOTOX® Cosmetic the same as BOTOX®?
Yes, it’s the same formulation (Botulinum Toxin Type A) from the same company (Allergan, Inc.) as BOTOX® Cosmetic, but in a treatment designed especially for the specific medical need of excessive underarm sweating when antiperspirants fail. BOTOX® was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nearly 20 years ago, and it has been used to treat a variety of medical conditions. The same formulation with dosing specific to excessive underarm sweating when antiperspirants fail was approved in 2004. Dermatologists who treat underarm sweating with BOTOX® have received special training in order to be qualified to perform this procedure.
What is treatment with BOTOX® like?
The actual treatment takes about 10 to 15 minutes. A small amount of BOTOX® solution is injected into the affected underarm area through a very fine needle. The needle is placed just under the skin, so you may experience some injection-related discomfort. The most common side effects following injection include injection-site pain and bleeding, non-underarm sweating, infection, sore throat, flu, headache, fever, neck or back pain, itching and anxiety. You’ll receive about 15 injections during the session, based on your dermatologist’s assessment of the area that needs to be treated.
Bear in mind that BOTOX® treatment is not appropriate for all sufferers. Your dermatologist and you will decide if it’s right for you.
What happens after treatment?
You should notice a significant reduction in underarm sweating within 4 weeks of your first treatment. Once the treatment becomes effective, you may be able to stop using dress shields and carrying extra changes of clothing, and you can probably use a regular deodorant instead of a prescription antiperspirant. There is a possibility that some sweat glands may be missed, and you may continue to experience some sweating from the untreated areas. If you do not see a significant reduction in sweating, you should contact your dermatologist and request a follow-up consultation.
|
|
