What is Hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excessive sweating. Sweating is one of the most important ways in which the body loses heat, however, people with Hyperhidrosis produce sweat in amounts far greater than needed to control their temperature. There are two main types of Hyperhidrosis:
Focal Hyperhidrosis is the more common type involving excessive sweating on the feet, hands and in about 30 – 40% of cases, the armpits. Botox is recommended for the treatment of focal Hyperhidrosis affecting the armpits (Axillary Hyperhidrosis) in cases when other treatments have not worked.
Generalised Hyperhidrosis affects the whole body. It is much less common and is usually caused by another illness such as an infection, diabetes or when the thyroid gland is overactive. The excessive sweating usually stops when the illness is treated.
How common is Hyperhidrosis?
It has been estimated that up to 1% of the population have some form of Hyperhidrosis. It usually starts during the teens and twenties. What are the causes of Hyperhidrosis?
Many things can trigger normal sweating and this is also true for Hyperhidrosis – it’s just the amount of sweating that varies.
Examples of triggers include:
Exercise
Heat or cold
Alcohol, coffee or tea, smoking, hot or spicy food
Stress, anxiety or strong emotions
Certain times of the day
People with Hyperhidrosis can produce a large volume of sweat. This means that the hands, feet, chest or armpits (depending on which part of the body is affected) may be constantly damp. This may make normal everyday activities more difficult to carry out and it can cause embarrassment both at work or socially. However, it is not true that Hyperhidrosis causes body odour since the smell that some people think is due to sweating is in fact caused by bacteria if sweat remains there for a long time.
What can I do about Hyperhidrosis?
Simple self help measures you can take include:
Choose clothing that will keep you cool.
Keep your work environment cool and well aired.
Avoid the food and drinks that trigger sweating. These will be different for everyone but you will probably know what causes problems for you.
Try to reduce the causes of stress, tension and anxiety. These are common problems for everyone, although people with Hyperhidrosis have the extra difficulties of coping with excessive sweating.
What is Botox and how does it work?
Botox is a treatment given by injection into the skin. It is recommended for the treatment of auxiliary hyperhidrosis and it has been used for many years to treat muscle spasm affecting the eyes, face and neck. Botox is also used to relieve muscle spasm in children with cerebral palsy. Botox blocks the actions of the nerves that supply the eccrine glands; this prevents the glands from producing sweat. Botox blocks the nerve endings but over about 6-12 weeks new nerve endings grow to replace them. This means that the effects of treatment last for several months but will eventually wear off.
What happens during treatment?
Using a very fine needle, your doctor will inject a small amount of a solution of Botox into 10 to 15 places about 1cm apart and spread evenly in each armpit. Sometimes a dye is used to show up the areas where sweating is greatest and where the injections should be placed. A course of treatment takes about 30 minutes.
How quickly does it work and how long will the effects last?
You should notice some change for the better within a week of your treatment.
Different people have different responses to treatment. In a clinical trial, sweat production was reduced by 83% one week after treatment. Furthermore, sweating was reduced by at least half for 95% of patients. Follow up treatments can be given when the effects of the first course wear off, this usually happens after 4 to 7 months.
Your doctor will advise you about when to return for further treatment.
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