(Hyperhidrosis)
Excessive
Sweating
Treatments

The Scientific Stuff

Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating is a common disorder affecting many people. Palmar hyperhidrosis or sweaty palms are the most common form of hyperhidrosis, causing excessive sweating of the hands. Hyperhidrosis can also cause excessive foot, underarm and facial sweating. It is thought that hyperhidrosis is a result of over activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Sweating is often uncontrollable, embarrassing and not anticipated. Normal sweating is needed for thermal regulation however in people suffering from hyperhidrosis, sweating exceeds the body's need for physiological thermal regulation. Hyperhidrosis is an inherited problem that has been seen in almost every ethnic group. People don't get used to living with hyperhidrosis but they continue to suffer throughout their lives from it.

Hyperhidrosis can have severe physiological consequences such as cold and clammy hands, dehydration, and skin infections secondary to maceration of the skin. It can also have devastating emotional effects on one's individual life. It is a medical condition with severe negative psychological consequences. Unfortunately friends, relatives of affected individuals and even most doctors usually do not understand the tremendous negative impact that this condition can have on one's life.

The Good Stuff

Fortunately with the recent advances in medicine, many forms of treatment are available to treat hyperhidrosis. Topical antiperspirants, Botulinum Toxin A protein injections and surgery (Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy or ETS) are some methods used to manage or treat hyperhidrosis.

What You Need To Know

Muscle relaxant injections consisting of Botulinum A Protein, normally used to help reduce the wrinkles on the face can also work to stop sweating. These injections have been widely used for the treatment of hyperhidrosis, especially in the underarms, face and scalp or underneath the breasts. It can also be used in the palms and feet, but is very painful to inject in this area and may require some form of sedation or anaesthetic . The underarms and scalp don't tend to be too painful and can often be done with just local anaesthetic cream or ice.

What I Need To Tell You

Muscle relaxant injections work by stopping the nerve signal to the sweat glands in the area it is injected into. The underarms are the most common area treated by muscle relaxant injections. Usually 100 units are used for this area, and the cost of this treatment is discounted from the usual cost of facial or neck treatments to allow for the higher dose needed. For feet and hands, 100-200 units are required to do both the right and left sides. Often this treatment will last up to 8 months depending on the severity of the problem. There are no specific side effects from this treatment.