I was asked last week by a patient why BOTOX COSMETIC was being used at our medical spa in Toronto for heavy sweating. I agreed with him that it is not so intuitive. He, himself, suffers when having to give presentations at his firm because, under slight stress, his underarms get wet. He feels it gives the wrong impression (being nervous, not confident, worried, etc.) to the clients he is trying to bring in to his firm. He will therefore wear layers of clothes, which adds to the body heat. So here is my answer.
Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, of the underarms, hands, and feet can be uncomfortable, both physically and socially. We’ve all shaken hands with someone suffering from this medical condition. You can be sure that the person suffering from this also hates having to shake clients’ hands or give presentations with his or her arms up (think teachers, lawyers, bankers, CEOs, gym coaches, etc.).
Sweat glands happen to be stimulated by the same neuromodulator (called acetylcholine) as the one stimulating the muscles to contract, hence BOTOX works as a “blocker” for both sweating and muscle contractions, respectively weakening sweat production and wrinkle formation.
What Solutions Exist for Excessive Sweating?
Topical Treatments
Many topical treatments have been offered over the years to treat hyperhidrosis, such as deodorants, antiperspirants, etc. Unfortunately, many topical treatments contain aluminum and can be irritative.
Liposuction
Surgery has also been performed, such as liposuction to the underarm, but this seems to work only for some time after which, the heavy sweating returns. Not only this is not always efficient, but liposuction to the underarm region must be done very carefully as the main trunks of nerves and blood vessels to the hands are found just below the armpit skin and could be injured.
Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy
Another surgery called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) is quite invasive and will only be done occasionally for heavy sweating of the hands. This surgery involves going into the chest cavity with instruments and camera to try to divide the nerves (sympathetic system) around the main thoracic blood vessels that bring innervation to the hands. It is quite invasive and it does not always work.
How Does BOTOX for Hyperhidrosis Work?
BOTOX “therapeutic” was approved several years ago, both by the FDA and Health Canada, for the treatment of heavy sweating. (Learn more about the product in our previous blog post.)
Treatment
When used for hyperhidrosis, I like to apply a topical anesthetic cream over the skin area to be treated, after which several small injections in the dermis are performed. It is a relatively fast treatment and the effects will appear usually within 3 to 7 days. Results can last up to 12 months, the average being 6 to 9 months in my experience. Women tend to require 50 units per side whereas men often receive 100 units per side.
When doing hands and feet, I will often add wrist or ankle local anesthetic blocks as the skin over the fingers and toes are more sensitive than the underarm region. For complicated cases of hyperhidrosis, there is a “starch” test I can perform to identify precisely where the sweat glands are located, if unclear.
Side-Effects
Side-effects are usually local where patients will have tenderness and some visible welts for a few days, same as one would see with mosquito bites or allergy testing.
Cost
Pricing varies based on the number of units required, but many drug plans and insurances will cover the medication part of the treatment, or a part of it, which can be advantageous to patients.
If you would like to learn more about treating excessive sweating with BOTOX at our Toronto medical spa, please contact us online or call (416) 929-9800.
Dr. Marc DuPéré
