For many, the end of summer means shorter days, warmer clothes and an end to sweaty 90-degree days. However, this is unfortunately not the case for thousands of people that suffer from excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis comes in two forms, Primary Focal or Secondary Generalized, it is important to understand the different types in order to properly diagnose each case.
Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis
This type refers to excessive sweating as a medical condition. It usually begins during childhood and it occurs on specific areas of the body, usually called focal areas, like your hands, feet, underarms, face or head. Symptoms usually occur at least once a week, but not while you are sleeping.
Secondary Generalized Hyperhidrosis
This form of excessive sweating is often caused by another medical condition or as a side effect of a medication. Secondary generalized hyperhidrosis causes sweating on larger areas of the body, also called generalized areas. A key difference with primary focal hyperhidrosis is that people experience sweating in their sleep and it usually starts in adulthood.
BOTOX® can help those suffering from hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating when topical medicines used on the skin don’t work. BOTOX can decrease hyperhidrosis when small amounts of BOTOX is injected under the skin. BOTOX helps block chemicals known to cause sweating in the body. Patients are injected multiple times at treatment area with BOTOX that is placed right below the skin. Doctors will often use one or more anesthetic techniques to ensure that patients are comfortable.
Five benefits of BOTOX for Hyperhidrosis:
SAFE
BOTOX was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 2004 for treating Hyperhidrosis. Botox will block the chemical messenger, botulinum toxin which will cause the body to stop sweating in the injected area.
LONG LASTING:
Dryness will usually lasts 4 to 12 months with some studies showing results lasting as long as 14 months
EFFECTIVE:
BOTOX is 82-87% effective at decrease in sweating armpits
BOTOX is 80-90% effective at decrease in palmar (hands)
QUICK:
BOTOX results may be noticeable 2 to 4 days after treatment with the full effects usually noted within 2 weeks
SHORT:
BOTOX treatments are very short, often only 10 minutes or less
Excessive sweating in focal areas can be embarrassing. If you are suffering from excessive sweating and don’t know why then it may be time to visit your dermatologist and consider BOTOX. Learning about the next step to get your excessive sweating under control might change your life and it can be a lot easier than you may think! Call 202-822-9591 to book an appointment with Drs. Dale Isaacson and Marilyn Berzin.
