Excessive Sweating Treatment (Hyperhidrosis)

Hyperhidrosis is the medical term used to describe excessive sweating, where your body produces more sweat than is needed to regulate its temperature. This can be due to the overproduction of a specific neurotransmitter in the sympathetic nervous system (your body’s ‘thermostat’), a side effect of medication, an overactive thyroid gland and menopause to name a few. 

Hyperhidrosis can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, causing social and emotional distress, especially if it impacts your daily life. The excessive sweating usually occurs in your armpits, face, hands, or soles of your feet, but can also affect the whole body. It’s more common than people may realise, with the NHS website claiming over one million people in England are affected by it. 

If you’re suffering from hyperhidrosis, it’s important to realise it’s a diagnosable medical condition, and the first step would always be to contact your GP to discuss your options. Injections may be one such option and depending on the policy of your Primary Care Trust, the injections may be available on the NHS. If not, you may have to pay for the treatment at a private clinic like Karidis.

The treatment is a protein that can be injected into the areas of concern in small doses and block the action of nerves that supply the eccrine glands, thus significantly reducing the production of sweat. 

The treatment is a prescription drug and FDA-approved in the treatment of severe primary hyperhidrosis of the underarm. It’s also been shown to be effective in treating other areas, such as the palms and feet. Although its use in this field is still relatively new, the results speak for themselves, with patients reporting relief from their symptoms for up to six months.

There’s a moderate amount of pain, this is because the areas that are often treated are very sensitive. We usually administer a topical anaesthetic cream, which takes around 30 minutes to take effect. This relieves some sensation but the needle entering the skin can still feel like a slight bee sting that lasts for a few seconds. This can be experienced between twenty to fifty times per area as we need to make sure the treatment is spread across the site. Once your treatment is completed there’s usually no discomfort, but you may feel a bit of sensitivity in the area for a few hours.

It’s difficult to put an exact timeframe on how long the treatment lasts but it’s safe to say between four to six months. In our personal experience, some patients have enjoyed relief from their symptoms between 8 – 12 months, but it really does vary per person. It can take between 10 – 14 days for the drug to take effect after the first treatment and we welcome patients back to the clinic after two weeks to review its success and administer a top-up if needed. It’s important to note that injections will not completely stop your sweat production but can reduce symptoms dramatically.

As with all of our treatments, a free consultation is the best way in which we can determine if you’re a suitable candidate. The treatment is tolerated by most people, however, patients who are pregnant or have neurologic or muscle disease should not be treated and may have to find an alternative remedy for their symptoms.