Using Botox to Stop Sweat

Botox continues to be the top non-invasive procedure requested by patients, due to it’s fantastic success at eliminating fine lines and wrinkles without surgery. While everyone knows about it’s ability to treat these deficiencies, what most patients don’t know is how useful Botox can be in the fight against too much sweat.

Dr. Stafford Broumand, a board certified plastic surgery from New York City, talks about Botox and how it can be used appropriately to treat patients suffering from extreme sweat production, alleviating sweat with a few simple injections a year!

By Stafford R. Broumand, MD
and Beverly Brooks
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com

Perspiration Control

Botox Cometic, widely used to temporarily improve the appearance of frown lines, is now proven to have other cosmetic uses. If the patient is concerned about unsightly sweating, Botox can keep the appearance and odor under control.

“If you are concerned about having to wear cotton, because you will stain your silk shirt, that doesn’t have to happen anymore,” says Dr. Stafford Broumand.  “You don’t have to be afraid someone will see you sweat, it’s miraculous and can be life altering.”

How it Works

Botox is injected into the skin to treat the symptoms of severe underarm sweating (severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis) when medicines used on the skin do not work well enough in people 18 years and older.

It temporarily blocks the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. When the sweat glands don’t receive chemical signals, the severe sweating stops. Sweat continues to be produced and doesn’t get backed up. For example, if the patient receives injections to stop sweating under the armpits, the remainder of the body will continue to sweat.

Minimal to Insignificant Pain

Whether treating the armpit, hand or sole of a patient’s foot, pain from the injections is minimal. Dr. Broumand says it’s similar to having teeth cleaned.

“On a scale of one to ten, it’s a one,” says Broumand. The actual treatment takes about 10 to 15 minutes. A small amount of Botox solution is injected into the affected underarm area with a very fine needle. The patient will receive approximately 15 injections.

Frequency of Injections and How Long it Lasts

Botox neurotoxin treatment is not a cure: the patients symptoms will return gradually, typically after six to eight months. A board certified plastic surgeon can advise the patient on a treatment strategy to ensure the optimal results.