Hyperhidrosis (Excessive Sweating) Treatment

Hyperhidrosis is a medical term for excessive sweating. Excessive sweating is defined as sweating that goes beyond what is necessary to cool the body.

Fortunately, highly effective treatments exist, and we are here to help!

If you suffer from this condition, you're not alone. Two to three percent of the population share your misery. Hyperhidrosis is not a dangerous condition. It's significance is social as you know all too well.

You don’t need to be told about its impact on your life. It is embarrassing. You need to constantly wipe your hands and face. You dread having to shake hands. You cannot grip objects firmly. You avoid social situations. You only wear dark-colored clothing to hide the wetness in your underarms. Your cleaning bills are huge. You have to buy new shirts, blouses, jackets, socks, and shoes more often. The disorder is debilitating, and the overall impact on your life cannot be overstated.

Let York Laser and MedSpa transform your life! We have two options available:

  • miraDry and
  • nerve blocking treatments.


This page covers nerve blockers. To read about miraDry, a device which uses microwaves to kill underarm sweat glands click here. 


Nerve blockers stop the nerve impulses to sweat glands to very effectively dry them up for about 6 months each time.* It can be used in underarms, hands, feet, and scalp.

To learn more about injections and how they can help, read the FAQs below or click here:  Nerve Blocking

Book your physician consultation today (905) 726-1126.

*Results may vary.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions


The most common ways to treat hyperhidrosis are:
 
Focal Nerve Blocking injections: blocking the signal from the nerve to the sweat glands. This is one of the therapies offered by York Laser and MedSpa. Useful for underarms, hands, feet, and scalp. The rest of the FAQs describe this method.
 
miraDry: microwaves are used to destroy sweat glands for permanent reduction. Only used for the underarms.  
 
Topical treatments: applying aluminum chloride hexahydrate 20-25%. This potent antiperspirant can cause skin irritation. It is effective for mild to moderate sweating. 
 
Oral medications: can be aimed at the underlying conditions. There are no specific drugs available for hyperhidrosis. Nerves can be inhibited by oral medications, but these drugs usually cause excessive drowsiness. They are not practical and not recommended.
 
Iontophoresis: applying low-intensity electric current to affected areas while they are immersed in an electrolyte solution. It can be useful for palms and soles, but is obviously impractical for face and underarms. It needs to be repeated regularly.
 
Surgery: a) Excision of the sweat glands in the underarms can be done, but this is not very popular. Scarring can be severe.

b) Sympathectomy: surgery to cut the nerves that feed the sweat glands can work very well for the face and palms. It is less predictable for the underarms, and completely impractical for the groin and soles, because it requires open abdominal surgery (Sympathectomy for the upper body is done using scopes inserted through small incisions in the chest).

Injecting a nerve blocking agent into the skin of the affected area interferes with the transmission of signals from nerves to sweat glands. Without nerve impulses to tell the glands to make sweat, the gland dries up.

The substance injected is a nerve blocking agent, botulinum toxin type A. There are currently three nerve blockers available in Canada. We use the one which is the most common, has been around the longest, and has hundreds of scientific studies.

Because this substance is a prescription drug, federal legislation prohibits mentioning it by name.

The following is an excerpt from Health Canada’s website:

Food and Drug Regulations:

• Section C.01.044: Prohibits consumer-directed prescription drug advertising beyond the drug’s name, price and quantity. This means, for example, that when a prescription drug is advertised by name to consumers, no reference can be made to its therapeutic use and/or benefits.

By far, the most common area treated is the underarms. Palms, soles, forehead, and scalp can also be treated.
Almost anyone who does not respond to simple measures to counter sweating is a candidate.

Only people with preexisting nerve and muscle disorders such as myaesthenia gravis, Eaton-Lambert syndrome, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cannot use nerve blockers.

At each site where you want your sweat reduced, several tiny injections are placed into the skin using a very short very fine needle.

Underarm treatments take about 10 minutes. Treatments of palms or soles take about 20 minutes.

We limit the amount of nerve blocker injected per session to 500 units to minimize the possibility of side effects such as nauasea. If you are doing more than one area (eg. underarms and palms) and the amount exceeds 500 units, each area must be done at a different session, usually one to two weeks apart.
 
This is a very conservative approach taken to ensure your safety.
 
That said, almost no one requires doses this large. The most common area treated (underarms) requires only 100 units (50 per side). Palms typically take 200 units (100 per side), and soles also take 200 units. So we could still treat all three areas in one session with 500 units.

The cost of the medication itself is frequently covered by your extended health insurance.

The injection fee is not usually covered. You should check with your insurer. We provide a receipt and a letter for you to send to your insurance company. We do not bill your insurer directly. You need to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Most Health Spending Accounts (HSAs) allow you to use the funds for any service performed by a physician. Since the clinic is owned and operated by a physician, hyperhidrosis treatments qualify for payment through Health Spending Accounts. Check with your human resources department to make sure.

As of March 2010, medical services that are purely for cosmetic purposes ceased to qualify for the medical tax credit on your tax return.

When done properly, nerve blocking injections for the underarms are very well tolerated.

Palms and feet are quite tender and prone to reflex jerks, so we recommend pretreatment with topical anesthetics. Numbing cream must be applied about one hour prior to treatment. Despite this numbing, treatment of palms and soles is still uncomfortable.
It takes 3 to 10 days before results are noticeable. The effect lasts six months on average.*
 
It works very well. Most people are dry. Most people no longer require antiperspirants or deodorants.*
 
For people with severe hyperhidrosis, this is a life-altering experience!
Bruising is fairly common (10 to 20%).
 
Rarely, the medication spreads too far, and weakness of the muscles occurs. This effect is usually mild and lasts a few weeks. It is not relevant to underarm treatments where there are no nearby muscles, but it might be noticeable in the hands, which are full of small muscles.
 
The medication can aggravate nerve and muscle disorders, so it cannot be used in patients with rare nerve diseases such as myaesthenia gravis, Eaton-Lambert syndrome, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Rarely, headaches, nausea, and flu-like aches occur. They usually resolve within 24 hours.

Please call (905) 726-1126 to book a consultation with the doctor.

We require 48 hours notice for cancellation of your consultation or treatment, in order to fill the appointment time. If sufficient notice is not given, the full value of the treatment to be done may be charged with the minimum being $100.

*Results may vary.

 

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