The Best Treatment Options for Hyperhidrosis
If you suffer from excessive sweating, you are familiar with the constant embarrassment and anxiety that plagues your daily life. If you feel like hope is lost, fear not, as there are a few treatments and solutions you can use to help control hyperhidrosis.
Treatments for Hyperhidrosis
There are several medical treatments available to people suffering from excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis like Botox, laser therapy, and even surgery. However, there are less invasive alternatives like antiperspirants and oral medications that are excellent starting points to alleviating your sweating problem.
Antiperspirants
Powerful antiperspirants like DRYSOL® are considered the first line of treatment for excessive sweating of the underarms, feet, hands and face. Antiperspirants are not only the least invasive option but also the most popular, with the global antiperspirant and deodorant market estimated to be worth $72.7 billion USD. They are inexpensive, easy-to-use, safe, and are generally available over the counter or by prescription from your doctor.
Oral Medications
There are several oral prescription medications available to help manage and control excessive sweating. These medications systemically limit sweat by preventing the stimulation of sweat glands.
These types of medications are best suited to patients with certain types of hyperhidrosis, particularly excessive facial sweating and generalized hyperhidrosis.
Botox
In 2004, Botox was approved by the FDA as a treatment for severe hyperhidrosis. Over the years, Botox has been used to treat millions of patients with various conditions, and at least 20 countries have approved Botox for the treatment of excessive underarm sweating.
According to research, treating excessive sweating in areas like the armpits, face, hands, and feet with onabotulinumtoxinA, the protein found in Botox, is safe and effective. When used to treat underarm sweating, Botox injections have resulted in an 82-87% decrease in overall sweating.
Lasers
Laser therapy can be used to treat excessive sweating of the underarms. During this procedure, a laser focuses on a particular area, enabling doctors to target specific body structures in a powerful and precise way. In fact, it can be more accurate and less invasive than traditional surgical tools. In order to help treat underarm sweat, the laster is used to heat and destroy the sweat glands found under the skin. Generally, the procedure is done in less than an hour.
Surgery
Surgery is usually the last resort for almost any type of medical condition, including hyperhidrosis. Underarm surgery techniques include curettage, excision, and liposuction. During excision and curettage, the sweat glands are either cut or scraped out, while it may be removed by suction during liposuction. Sometimes, a combination of these will be used. These procedures are the most invasive and are usually performed under local anesthesia.
Please remember that this advice is for informational purposes only and you should consult your doctor on the best treatment for excessive sweating.
The cause of primary hyperhidrosis is not well understood. Eccrine sweat glands distributed throughout the body, but heavily concentrated on the palms, soles, axillae, and face are innervated by postganglionic autonomic nerve fibers and stimulated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. 4 It is thought that increased or aberrant sympathetic stimulation of the eccrine sweat glands is responsible for the increased sweating rather than an increased number or size of the glands. 4 Persons with primary hyperhidrosis have a higher-than-normal basal level of sweat production and an increased response to normal stimuli, such as emotional or physical stress. There are no controlled studies on the s 0 ensitivity and specificity of the history, physical examination, or testing to accurately diagnose primary hyperhidrosis or to quantify its severity. Criteria for diagnosis include focal, visible, and excessive sweating for longer than six months without apparent cause, and at least two of the following: bilateral and symmetric sweating, impairment of daily activities, occurrence at least once per week, age of onset younger than 25 years, no occurrence during sleep, and a positive family history. 2 Requiring four criteria increases the discrimination between primary and secondary hyperhidrosis (positive predictive value = 0.99; negative predictive value = 0.85). Laboratory testing is not necessary unless history and physical examination suggest a secondary cause. 2 There are several possible secondary causes for excessive sweating. Conditions and medications that can cause excessive sweating are listed in Table 1 1, 2 and Table 2, 5 respectively.