Axillary Hyperhidrosis - excessive
arm-pit sweating:
Sweating from the under-arm, or the arm-pit, is called Axillary
hyperhidrosis. It is thought to affect about 5% (1 in 20) of the
population.
Although not proven, it is likely that axillary hyperhidrosis runs in
families.
It can
be one of the most embarrassing conditions for people.
Fortunately there are now some very effective ways of treating this.
Permanent cure for Axillary Hyperhidrosis
The
Laser Sweat Ablation operation is a new walk-in walk-out local anaesthetic
operation to cure armpit sweating that was introduced into the UK by Mark
Whiteley in March 2009.
There
have been other attempts to achieve this - including retrodermal
curettage, VASER, laser sweat reduction, axillary liposuction.
However, the current research suggests the best results seem to be coming
from the Laser Sweat Ablation operation.
Although ETS has been
use for axillary hyperhidrosis, it is unwise to do so if armpit sweating
or axillary hyperhidrosis is the only problem. ETS will stop sweating the
whole of the arm and hand as well as the axilla and so the risks of
compensatory hyperhidrosis are too great for this to be a usual option.
In
the past some surgeons have either cut away the hair bearing area of the
armpit or axilla completely or passed sharp instruments beneath the skin
to "cut the nerves". Neither of these surgical options are acceptable in
my practice.
The removal of the skin is painful and very disfiguring. The "cutting of
nerves" by cutting under the skin itself is rarely successful and merely
leaves scars that can be painful and can be disfiguring.
Temporary treatment for Axillary hyperhidrosis (armpit sweating)
One of
the most effective ways of temporarily stopping sweating from the armpits, or axillary
hyperhidrosis, is by injecting a dilute solution of Botulinum Toxin
into the skin of the armpit or axilla. Using a very fine needle to make
the procedure almost painless, approximately 12 injections are made in
each armpit or axilla. No anaesthetic is needed and the whole process
takes 20 minutes.
The Botulinum Toxin binds to
the nerve that control sweating in the skin, and reduces all sweating in
the area for 4 – 12 months. Clinical studies have shown this treatment
reduces the amount of sweating from the armpits by 3 - 4 times. A first
course usually lasts 4 – 9 months, with subsequent courses being more
effective and lasting 6 – 12 months per time.
However to get these results you need to have the full dose
injected. not all doctors or clinics give a full dose - often they
give half or quarter doses - presumably to make sure that patients
come back quicker.
If you want to have Botulinum Toxin
treatment, check which one you are going to be given and what dose
you are going to be given before agreeing to go ahead. in our
practice we would give the full dose:
-
Dysport®
= 500 units
-
Botox®
= 100 units
NB - Many people have been led to
believe that "Botox®"
is a new treatment for under-arm sweating. This is because of some
clever marketing by a UK based company in 2008. However, The
Whiteley Clinic has been using Botulium Toxin for treating armpit
sweating since 1999.
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