Hi, Dr. Adam Goldman here, over at the Metropolitan Vein and Aesthetic Center. I’m here today to talk to you about the medical condition known as hyperhidrosis. This is a fairly common condition that affects approximately 365 million people worldwide. It is defined as a greater than five times increase in sweating, in the underarms predominantly, and that is not needed to control the body temperature. This produces excessive sweat and odor, is often very socially embarrassing, and can undermine your confidence.
Treatments for Hyperhydrosis
There are several treatments available for this condition.
Botox
One of the older treatments is Botox, which is used obviously to treat wrinkles on the face. It can be used under the arms to give a temporary reduction in sweat. It is effective. However, it only lasts six to 12 months. It is quite expensive and certainly needs to be repeated multiple times to make any change. Another old treatment is something called iontophoresis, which is the application of an electrical current to the sweat glands, which will control the sweat, however, it is a lengthy, lengthy process, quite painful to do, and you will probably lose interest even before you get any kind of real results.
Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy
Another treatment is actually surgery and that is something called endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. This is a very effective treatment for sweating the hands. Not everyone is a candidate for it to treat the underarms, and, unfortunately, it does require surgery and general anesthesia, and has some risks, although they’re not terrible, it is a much more invasive option.
MiraDry
Finally, the newest FDA-approved treatment for excessive underarm sweating is commonly called MiraDry. So this uses electromagnetic or microwave energy to permanently reduce sweating and to turn off those sweat glands. The treatment is done in the office with local anesthesia, takes about an hour or two, and you can resume normal activities almost immediately.
Many people have been impressed with the results of MiraDry in NYC. In fact, a recent study has shown Mira Dry to be an effective long-term treatment option for more than 90% of people.
The MiraDry treatment works by destroying sweat glands located under the armpits and has been shown to reduce excessive underarm sweating and odor by more than 80%. Currently, it has not been approved for any other area on the body other than the underarms.
NY Metro Vein MiraDry Experts
If you suffer from this condition and are interested in a permanent treatment, please contact our offices at Metropolitan Vein and Aesthetic Center, and we’ll be happy to do an over-the-phone or in-person consultation to see if you’re a candidate. We would love to help you regain your confidence in all social situations and work so that you can live sweat and underarm odor-free, or relatively free, so that you can carry on your life in a much better. Please call us if you need any help. Thank you.