Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, can have a huge impact on sufferers and their daily lives. Affecting the hands, feet, face, or underarms, those with hyperhidrosis continue to produce sweat when their body doesn’t need to. This can lead to a range of issues, from difficulty gripping to painful skin infections.
Prescription antiperspirants or medications are often offered as a short-term solution, but hyperhidrosis is a permanent condition. So, can injections help with excessive sweating?
Botulinum toxin, or botox, injections can be used to control excessive sweating and regulate the effects of hyperhidrosis. This treatment is ideal as it provides the long-term results of a surgical procedure, but without the same level of invasiveness. Unlike other treatments, botox injections are also recommended for use on all of the areas commonly affected by hyperhidrosis.
This blog will take a deeper look into the use of injections to treat excessive sweating and how they work, so let’s get started!
What Is Hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis is a fairly common condition that causes a person to sweat excessively. According to NHS Scotland, an estimated one to three people in every 100 are affected in the UK. Excessive sweating can affect the whole body, or just certain areas including the:
- Armpits.
- Palms of your hands.
- Soles of your feet.
- Face and chest.
- Groin.
There are no guidelines as to what is considered “normal” sweating, but if your daily life is being interfered with, you may suffer from hyperhidrosis. For example, you may be avoiding physical contact or struggling to use tools and equipment at work.
Hyperhidrosis typically isn’t a sign of a serious health problem, but it can mean you feel more self-conscious, embarrassed and distressed. Treatment is available, and seeking help can dramatically improve your quality of life.
What Causes Hyperhidrosis?
In the majority of cases, excessive sweating has no obvious cause. This is known as primary hyperhidrosis. It’s thought to stem from a problem with the part of the nervous system responsible for sweat control. The brain sends signals to eccrine glands (a type of sweat gland), even though there is no need to cool the body.
Secondary hyperhidrosis is a form of the condition that has an identifiable cause. A number of different things can trigger the onset of excessive sweating, including:
- Pregnancy.
- Menopause.
- Certain medications.
- Infections.
- Low blood sugar.
- An overactive thyroid gland.
- Anxiety.
Can Hyperhidrosis Cause Complications?
Excessive sweating doesn’t typically have serious health implications, but it can cause both physical and emotional problems that can impact daily life.
Fungal Infections
Fungal infections, particularly on the feet, are more common if you suffer from hyperhidrosis. Excessive sweating, in combination with wearing socks and shoes, creates the right environment for fungi to grow. This can lead to issues like fungal nail infections or athlete’s foot.
Skin Conditions
Hyperhidrosis can increase your risk of developing certain skin conditions, such as:
- Warts: These are small, rough lumps found on the skin. They are caused by the HPV virus, which spreads in the conditions created by excessive sweat.
- Boils: These appear when one of your hair follicles becomes infected. Hyperhidrosis leads to a warm, moist environment that encourages this bacteria to grow.
- Eczema: Eczema sufferers have a weakened skin barrier, which is more susceptible to dehydration when sweat evaporates. Sweat can also irritate the skin, causing itching and eczema flare-ups in already inflamed skin.
Body Odour
Hyperhidrosis itself doesn’t cause body odour. This is because the condition doesn’t affect the apocrine glands, which are responsible for producing unpleasant-smelling sweat. However, excessive sweating can result in body odour when bacteria begins to break down the sweat. Certain lifestyle factors, like drinking alcohol or eating spicy food, can worsen this.
Emotional Impacts
For many sufferers, the emotional effects of hyperhidrosis can be quite severe. The daily impacts of excessive sweating can lead to withdrawal from social situations, little interest in doing things, or simply feeling down.
How Do Hyperhidrosis Injections Work?
Botulinum toxin, or botox, injections work by blocking the nerve signals from the brain that stimulate the sweat glands. The treatment only affects the areas that have been injected, and produces results within five days of treatment.
It’s important to note that injections aren’t a permanent solution for hyperhidrosis and you will need to retreat the area every 2-8 months. Botox does, however, provide substantial relief from hyperhidrosis, reducing sweating by around 80%.
If you want to find out more about hyperhidrosis, take a look at the information page put together by the experts at Infinity Aesthetics here.
Are There Other Treatments For Hyperhidrosis?
When visiting a GP for help with hyperhidrosis, sufferers are often provided with short-term solutions. This often comes in the form of prescription anti-perspirants or medications. These kinds of treatment can be difficult to maintain on a daily basis, often causing as much inconvenience as the condition itself. Medication and anti-perspirants are also not recommended for controlling symptoms on a long-term basis.
There are also a couple of surgical options for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. An endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) involves cutting the nerves that control sweating, and is typically used for excessive sweating in the hands or armpits. Alternatively, a surgeon may choose to remove the sweat glands in the affected area, called a local resection.
These procedures can carry severe risks of complications. ETS, in particular, is seen as a last resort because of the serious negative side effects it frequently causes. Compensatory sweating in other areas, extremely low blood pressure, and heart rhythm issues are just some of the examples, so most practitioners don’t recommend this surgical technique.
Hyperhidrosis Injections With Infinity Aesthetics
Using botox, our expert founder Dr Owen Thomas can provide you with long-term relief from hyperhidrosis, without the risk of serious complications. After spending more than 20 years as a medical doctor, Owen opened Infinity Aesthetics, focusing on safe and effective treatments ever since.
We’ll work with you to create a bespoke treatment plan, with the aim of reaching your desired results. You can be sure you’re receiving top-quality treatment, so why not book your consultation today? Alternatively, click below to contact our helpful team with any further questions.
FAQs
What Does The Hyperhidrosis Injection Process Involve?
A weak form of botox will be injected into the affected area around 10-12 times during the procedure. This should be minimally painful, and will produce results in around five days.
Do Hyperhidrosis Injections Have Any Side Effects?
You may get some mild pain, swelling, or bruising in the immediate aftermath of your treatment. These should subside on their own in the hours following the injections.
Are Hyperhidrosis Injections Available Through The NHS?
The availability of botox injections to treat hyperhidrosis through the NHS will vary depending on your area. You may only be able to receive this treatment in private clinics, like Infinity Aesthetics, but you may also choose this avenue to avoid long waitlists or a need to try more ineffective treatments first.
Dr. Owen Thomas has been a medical doctor for more than 20 years since qualifying from Cardiff in 1999, now specialising in aesthetics in London and Swansea. After a 2 year level-7 Master’s Degree course in injectable aesthetic treatments training at Harley Academy, and additional study with Empire Medical Training in the US and other experts renowned in their field, he won a scholarship in the prestigious Aesthetic Intelligence Fellowship run over 7 months in Kensington, London and Paris.
