Hot & Sweaty?!

Cosmetic Treatment of Excessive Sweating at Jouvence Aesthetics.

What is excessive sweating?

It's normal to sweat if you get hot or do exercise, but you may be sweating excessively if you're sweating when your body doesn't need to cool down.

Excessive sweating can happen for no obvious reason, because of another condition you may have or as a side effect of medication you're taking.

Things you can do to help with excessive sweating

Do

wear loose-fitting clothes to minimise signs of sweating
wear socks that absorb moisture and change your socks at least twice a day if possible
wear leather shoes and try to wear different shoes day to day

Don't

do not wear tight clothes or man-made fabrics – for example, nylon
do not wear enclosed boots or sports shoes that may cause your feet to sweat more
do not do things that might make your sweating worse – for example, drinking alcohol or eating spicy food

A pharmacist can help with excessive sweating

There are things they can give you over the counter, such as:

stronger antiperspirants instead of deodorant
armpit or sweat shields to protect your clothing
foot powders for sweaty feet
soap substitutes that are more gentle on your skin

See a GP if you're sweating excessively and:

things you can do yourself aren't helping
it's lasted for at least 6 months
it stops you from getting on with your daily activities
it happens at least once a week
it happens at night
you have a family history of excessive sweating
you're taking medication for another condition

Your GP may refer you for tests if they think another condition may be causing your sweating.

Treating severe or excessive sweating

If there's no obvious cause for your sweating, and nothing seems to be helping, then you may be referred to a specialist (dermatologist).

They may recommend other treatments that you can try, such as:

taking tablets that reduce sweating
treating the areas with a weak electric current passed through water or on a wet pad (iontophoresis)
having botox injections for sweating under the armpits (this may not be available on the NHS)
surgery – for example, removal of the sweat glands

Visit Hyperhidrosis UK for more information on available treatments.

If your sweating is caused by another condition, any treatment you may need will depend on what's causing it.

Botulinum toxin is frequently referred to as Botox® which is the brand name and original form of the drug produced by the company Allergan. There are now other companies who also make the drug.

The toxin works by blocking the chemical at the end of the nerves. In the case of the sweat glands it stops the nerve impulse and this stops the glands from producing sweat.

In the UK Botox is licensed for treating underarm sweating and is offered by a small number of NHS hospitals, but it is mostly a private treatment. It can also be used to reduce sweating in other areas, such as hands, feet, forehead or head. It is generally very effective for treating sweating, the effects lasting for 6-8 months for most people.

The procedure requires multiple small injections of the toxin a few centimetres apart in the area and is an advanced specialised treatment. Topical anaesthetic cream can be used to numb the area if needed before injections.

As long as the nurse or doctor doing the treatment is experienced and knows the anatomy of the surrounding area then there are rarely any serious side effects. The reduction in sweating is seen two weeks after the injections.

Cost at Jouvence Aesthetics is from £400 for underarms, feet, hands or other areas. Moira Grobicki is very experienced in excessive sweating treatments and has many happy patients whose lives have been greatly improved by this treatment. Please get in touch for more information or to book a consultation.