If you suffer from hyperhidrosis – excessive sweating of the underarms, hands, or feet – the embarrassment of sweat-soaked clothing doesn’t end in winter when the temperature dips in San Diego.
It’s a year-round struggle, and getting it under control can be a long, frustrating road.
With a bathroom full of pills, deodorants, and prescription-strength antiperspirants, you probably feel like you’ve exhausted all of your options for controlling your excessive sweating. But what if we told you the answer to your problem may not be in your medicine cabinet at all, but in a Botox vial?
Though most people know Botox for its miraculous wrinkle-smoothing properties, the popular injectable has been used in a number of surprising applications since the 1980s. Now, Botox is FDA-approved for excessive armpit sweating, providing the millions of Americans who suffer from hyperhidrosis with an effective, long-lasting solution.
Here’s a quick look at how Botox injections can be used to treat wrinkles and excessive sweating.
Botox for wrinkles
Part of the reason facial wrinkles exist is because of repetitive muscle contractions that pull the skin into creases. While other facial injections fill or plump these creases, Botox sends a neuromodulator into the muscle group that prevents the muscle from being able to contract. When the injected muscles can no longer contract, it causes wrinkles to relax and soften.
Since 2002, Botox has been FDA-approved for treatment of moderate-to-severe frown lines between the eyebrows. However, it’s also commonly used to treat horizontal forehead creases, crow’s feet around the eyes, vertical lines on the upper lip, and downturned corners of the mouth. The treatment only takes a few minutes, and there’s no anesthesia required. Some patients experience mild redness and swelling at the injection site, but this usually subsides within a few hours.
It’s important to note that because Botox targets muscle, wrinkles caused by sun damage or gravity will not respond to the injections.
Botox for excessive sweating
Hyperhidrosis isn’t a life-threatening medical condition, but it can significantly impact a person’s quality of life. Most people who suffer from excessive sweating in the underarms, hands, or feet have been living with their condition since childhood, and don’t often realize their problem is treatable with Botox.
Just as Botox blocks the signals from your nerves to your muscles to eliminate facial wrinkles, Botox injected into the underarms disables the chemical messenger between your nerves and sweat glands. Without the chemical message, your glands cannot produce sweat.
Botox injections for excessive sweating are performed in a 15 to 30-minute outpatient session.
The effect of Botox injections is usually apparent within two to three days and lasts between six and eight months.
Could Botox be the solution you’ve been searching for?
At San Diego Body Contouring, our board certified cosmetic surgeons have performed thousands of Botox injections for the treatment of wrinkles and hyperhidrosis. Whether you’re unhappy with how the aging process has changed your appearance or you’re suffering from excessive sweating that’s affecting your quality of life, we’re here to help.
