It’s one thing to sweat before a big presentation or after a tough workout. Sweating is the body’s natural way of staying cool and avoiding overheating. But when patients are faced with excessive sweating, it can be embarrassingly difficult to stay cool. In these instances, Botox can be an excellent option for keeping cool and staying dry.

What is Hyperhidrosis?

Normal sweating is controlled by nerves, which trigger sweat production in response to different stimuli, which can range from the body being too hot or emotional changes. In some patients, sweat glands are hypersensitive and overproduce sweat with the smallest stimuli. This condition is known as hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating. There are two main types of hyperhidrosis:

• Primary focal: Usually develops in adolescence and is inherited, patients with this form of excessive sweating usually experience weekly episodes in more than one specific part of the body, such as the hands, feet or underarms.
• Secondary general: Often caused by another medical condition or medication, patients with this type of hyperhidrosis experience sweating across large swaths of their body instead of specific areas. Sweating episodes can also occur overnight.

While treating secondary general hyperhidrosis can come down to adjusting medication, treatment for primary focal hyperhidrosis can vary. Depending on where on the body sweating episodes occur, some of the more traditional treatments may not be recommended for certain cases. However, there is one fairly new treatment option has been successfully used across all instances of hyperhidrosis – Botox.

Botox beyond cosmetic care

When most patients think of Botox, they often think about the anti-aging benefits of this injectable treatment. However, it’s the same features that make Botox a popular wrinkle-fighting solution that also offer hyperhidrosis patients a lasting solution for their condition.

Medical-grade Botox is a highly diluted form of the botulinum toxin. While deadly in its pure form, the refined form has been successfully used in many medical and cosmetic applications over the years. Some of the lesser known uses of Botox include as a treatment for migraines, crossed eyes and teeth grinding as well as freezing wrinkles.

For patients with hyperhidrosis, Botox has long been one of the top recommended treatment options. In fact, the FDA approved Botox for the treatment of severe excessive sweating starting in 2004. Through this application, Botox is injected in areas that experience excessive sweating. The refined protein then helps block the nerve signal that tells the body’s sweat glands to start producing. As a result, patients can reduce unnecessary sweating in these specific areas in just a few short visits to their specialist.

Another advantage of using Botox to treat excessive sweating is how successful these injections can be. Unlike surgery, which is restricted to where certain parts of the body or antiperspirants which may not offer total dryness, Botox has a high success rate across nearly all parts of the body. Some studies have shown that the injection can reduce underarm sweating by nearly 82 to 87%, palmar sweating by up to 90%, and foot sweating by 50%. Furthermore, patients can enjoy results for up to 14 months – an improvement from trying to control excessive sweating with medication or non-surgical options.

Stop Sweating – Schedule your consultation today!

For many, excessive sweating can seriously undermine an individual’s day-to-day life. Learn what life could be like without having to worry about sweating – call our Palm Springs doctor and see if Botox is the answer to your hyperhidrosis.