Underarm excessive sweating can be embarrassing. You’ll find yourself not only dealing with stain marks but also trying to find a way to manage the odor..
But thankfully, modern medicine has already provided a range of solutions to deal with hyperhidrosis. Here are some procedures you can explore to minimize excessive armpit sweating.
Botox
While commonly known as a cosmetic procedure, Botox can also help manage excessive underarm sweating. The neurotoxin blocks the nerves responsible for activating your body’s sweat glands. Because of that, you no longer sweat as much in your Botox-treated area.
Pros
- Botox is one of the most accessible hyperhidrosis treatments out there.
- It has an 80% effectiveness rate in decreasing perspiration.
- It is a quick treatment that only takes 5-10 minutes per session.
Cons
- It is contraindicated for those who have severe blood clotting disorders.
- You may experience pain or bruising at the injected spot, as well as headaches and flu-like symptoms.
- Serious side effects such as muscle weakness, difficulty in breathing, and loss of bladder control are rare but also possible.
- Results are temporary, only lasting for about four months.
Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS)
Your surgeon creates a small incision beneath your armpit. The lung on the side where you’re being operated on will be collapsed for a while. It prevents air from moving in and out as the surgery is going on.
Your surgeon inserts an endoscope or tiny camera into the incision. It helps your surgeon see the nerves that he needs to work on. He may also create another small incision or use the same cut to insert a cutting instrument that will sever the sympathetic nerves in the area.
After cutting and clipping the nerves, your lung is expanded. Your surgeon may also insert a plastic tube to help push out all the air from the chest cavity.
ETS destroys a part of the sympathetic nerve trunk that controls the sweat glands of the hands and armpits.
Pros
- It helps treat extreme cases of hyperhidrosis.
- It has an 85% success rate in treating armpit hyperhidrosis.
- It can also treat facial blushing, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and Raynaud’s disease.
Cons
- One of the most common side effects is compensatory sweating. This is when the sweating stops in one area but may start sweating in another part of the body, like your chest or back.
- ETS is also irreversible.
- Because it is a surgery, ETS is the most invasive hyperhidrosis treatment.
- It also leaves a scar on your skin.
- There are rare cases when the surgery can become fatal, so it should be treated as a last resort if all other treatments have failed.
miraDry
miraDry involves the use of a handheld device that emits microwave technology.
These waves eradicate excessive sweating in a series of simple steps.
First, the doctor marks the target area, then proceeds to numb the underarms. Once ready, he places the device directly on your skin.
Once it is activated, you will feel a slight sucking sensation. This means the sweat, odor, and hair glands are being brought closer to the surface of your skin.
Microwave energy is delivered onto the skin, destroying the glands in the area. As the process happens, the spot is also cooled to protect the skin.
Pros
- It is quick and non-invasive.
- It is a treatment specifically made for excessive underarm sweating.
- Most of the time, a single session is enough to get the results you want.
- It produces permanent results.
- It also destroys odor and hair glands in your armpits.
Cons
- Possible but rare side effects include damaged hair follicles, swelling, numbness, tingling of the arms, and nerve damage.