Are you suitable for Botox hyperhidrosis treatment

Sweating or perspiring is one of the most intrinsic bodily functions. Sweating is crucial for thermoregulation i.e. keeping the body temperature within certain limits irrespective of the ambient temperature. The process of sweating is triggered by certain stimuli such as undertaking strenuous physical exertion, rise in surrounding temperature and even experiencing certain emotions such as stress or anxiety.  But when a person sweats excessively regardless of being under physical duress or not, has clammy hands / feet even in winter and sweats more profusely when stressed or anxious then there’s cause of concern. Sweating excessively is medically recognized disorder called Hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis can be highly disruptive for social and professional life and tends to erode self-confidence of the sufferer.  There are several treatment options available to alleviate hyperhidrosis such as ETS surgery, lontophoresis, antiperspirants, MiraDry and Botox injections. Among these treatment options Botox treatment for hyperhidrosis is hailed as one of the most viable treatment options for excessive sweating and is also FDA and NHS approved.

Suitability criteria for Botox hyperhidrosis treatment

In addition to experiencing aforementioned symptoms if you find yourself:

• Changing clothes frequently because of severe underarm sweating
• Carry around antiperspirants and talcum powder to mask the pungent sweat smell
• Having visible sweat patches on your clothes all the time

Then you are suitable for Botox hyperhidrosis treatment. Botox treatment for hyperhidrosis entails injecting the affected area directly with Botulinum delivered through a fine cannula. Botox works by temporarily blocking the signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands to spew sweat. The sweat glands are rendered dormant thus halting excessive sweating.

Botox treatment for primary / focal hyperhidrosis

It’s imperative to understand that Botox treatment for hyperhidrosis is used to treat primary or focal hyperhidrosis. Primary or focal hyperhidrosis is a condition where profuse sweating is experienced in certain body parts like the palms, feet, underarm and scalp. It’s said to be idiopathic and not associated with any underlying medical ailment unlike secondary hyperhidrosis.

Symptoms of focal hyperhidrosis include:

• Social ineptness because of excessive sweating
• Focal hyperhidrosis tends to be symmetrical as in profuse sweating is experienced in both palms, both feet, both armpits

• Frequent change of socks because of moist feet
• Carry a handkerchief for keeping your always moist palms dry

Other treatment options

Although Botox is an all-encompassing treatment option for hyperhidrosis but in some cases other treatment should first be given a chance. The use of antiperspirant is also an all-round option for excessive sweating of the hands, feet, underarms. Some antiperspirants not only slow down production of sweat but also mask the acrid smell of it.  Likewise lontophoresis deals especially with the palmer hyperhidrosis (sweating of hand and feet) and works well for people who are unable to control their sweat levels with maximum strength antiperspirants.