Botox benefit: No sweat about excessive sweating

Excessive sweating is known as hyperhidrosis. It is when your typical antiperspirants are not able to stop the sweat from dripping.
OnabotulinumtoxinA is a natural, purified protein with the ability to temporarily block the secretion of the chemical that is responsible for “turning on” the body’s sweat glands. By blocking, or interrupting, this chemical messenger, botulinum toxin “turns off” sweating in the area where it has been injected. Botox injections are very shallow, meaning that the medicine is injected just below the surface of the skin, where it remains.
In 2004, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating of the underarms) in patients unable to obtain relief-using antiperspirants.
Research demonstrates that treating excessive sweating of the armpits, hands, feet, head and face (craniofacial), and other relatively small body areas (such as under the breasts) with onabotulinumtoxinA is safe and effective. When used to treat underarm excessive sweating, Botox has been shown to result in an 82-87 percent decrease in sweating. Results start to be noticeable approximately 2 to 4 days after treatment with the full effects usually noted within 2 weeks.
Dr. Alaa Arif, a consultant cosmetic dermatologist, spoke to Arab News about the use of Botox in controlling excessive sweating.

How does Botox help with excessive sweating?
Botox is a natural protein with the ability to temporarily block the secretion of the chemical that is responsible for “turning on” the body’s sweat glands. By interrupting, this chemical messenger, botulinum toxin “turns off” sweating in the area where it has been injected. We inject Botox just below the surface of the skin, where it remains.

How long does the treatment last?
When used to treat underarm excessive sweating, Botox has shown to result in an 82-87 percent reduction in sweating. Results start to be noticeable approximately 1 week after the treatment with the full effects usually seen within 2 weeks.

How often does one need to do the treatment?
Dryness typically lasts 3 to 6 months. Statistics from published studies have shown that repeated treatment with Botox is safe and effective for bringing long-lasting improvements in the patient’s quality of life. Botulinum toxin injections do not cure hyperhidrosis; your symptoms will go away gradually (usually in about a week) and return gradually. Follow-up injections are required to maintain dryness. These repeat injections may be necessary at intervals every 6 months.

How about retouches?
After you receive Botox injections for any focal area, it’s recommended that you follow-up with your health care provider in 1 to 2 weeks. This follow-up is highly useful because it enables your physician to ‘touch-up’ any sweating areas that may have been missed during the first round of injections and ensure that you are getting the treatment’s full benefit.

Does it cause pain?
Botox for hand and sole sweating may cause temporary pain and weakness.
Botox injections work well on the head and face but the injection technique requires skill, so patients should seek an experienced practitioner. A potential side effect of Botox injections in the face as a treatment for sweating is asymmetry, particularly of the forehead. This can happen if some of the Botox diffuses into the facial muscles. Such asymmetry, however, is always temporary and can, if necessary, be balanced-out by additional Botox injections.
Hyperhidrosis has also been scientifically proven to improve on-the-job productivity. While sweating is an essential body function for temperature-control, localized body areas house only a small percentage of the body’s sweat glands (the underarms, for instance, are home to less than 2 percent of the body’s sweat glands.) The temporary cessation of these sweat glands’ functioning, therefore, has little to do with body thermoregulation sweating

Where do people typically need to inject Botox?
Research shows that treating excessive sweating of the armpits, hands, feet, head and face, and other small body areas (such as under the breasts or between the toes) with Botox is safe and effective.

How about pregnant or nursing mothers who seek this treatment? Is it safe for them?
No, it’s unsafe to perform Botox procedures during pregnancy and for nursing mothers.

Tell us a little about the procedure, do you need to follow up with a health care provider after
the treatment?
Injections can be administered in the clinic and take not more than 10 minutes. There are no restrictions in work or leisure activity (aside from refraining from intensive exercise).
During the procedure, a very fine needle is used to inject tiny amounts of Botox just under the skin intermittently throughout the area of excessive sweating (in a grid pattern, approximately every 1 to 2 centimeters.) Multiple injections are given based on your doctor’s assessment of the area that needs to be treated. To ease any potential discomfort, physicians may use one or more of a number of anesthetic techniques such as a topical painkiller, ice, or vibration analgesia.