Sweating is a necessary function which controls our body temperature during times of exercise and in warm or hot surroundings. When we’re hot, we sweat, and when the moisture evaporates, it cools us off. People also sweat when they’re nervous, because emotions can affect the sweat glands.
The sympathetic nervous system regulates our sweating and it’s a normal response to a rise in temperature or anxiety. For some people, this system is sped up, working at a higher level. This causes excess sweating to occur at inappropriate times, producing far too much sweat that is necessary, to maintain normal body temperature.
Some reasons we sweat are:
- Heat and humidity – when the weather is hot or humid it makes us sweat, and when the sweat evaporates, it cools us down.
- Exercise – our body temperature rises when we exercise and sweating gets rid of the extra heat.
- Menopause – the drop in oestrogen affects your body’s internal temperature gauge.
- Spicy food – spicy food contains capsaicin, which is the compound that gives spicy food its heat.
- Illness – A fever is your body’s way of fighting off an infection.
Underarm sweating can cause embarrassment, limit your social life and really affect your confidence and self-esteem. The problem begins, when normal everyday sweating, becomes excessive sweating. Also called Hyperhidrosis, it happens to men and women, and it means that you sweat far more than your body needs you to. The body’s cooling mechanism becomes overactive, producing four or five times the amount of sweat that’s needed.
To help relieve this you can:
- Take a bath or shower once or twice daily.
- Use deodorants with antiperspirants, to help decrease sweating.
- Wear clothes made of natural fibres, such as cotton or linen, especially in the summer.
- Underarm pads can help to absorb sweat, preventing underarm stains.
- A change of clothing during the day can help your comfort.
Excessive sweating can now be effectively treated with Botox injections. The Botox hyperhidrosis treatment involves injections of tiny amounts of Botox, using a very fine needle in a grid like pattern over the affected area. Botox works by temporarily blocking the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands, and when the glands no longer receive the chemical signals, the excessive underarm sweating stops.
- Procedure time – 20 minutes
- Downtime – minimal
- Back to work – immediate
- Duration of results – 9-12 months
- Anaesthetic – none
- Results seen – sweat free
In most cases the treatment takes effect within a matter of days and can last up to 9-12 months, and the treatment can easily be repeated as often as necessary.