HYDERABAD : Who would have thought that a botox treatment, which is used to get rid of wrinkles, can also treat excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis?
“Hyperhidrosis can affect any part of the body — hands, feet, underarms, forehead, or under the eyes. It’s not only socially embarrassing but also affects our functionality. Apart from controlling our anxiety or going through iontophoresis, the only lasting solution that will show results in a week is a botox injection. Action lasts up to six months to a year. Just a five minute procedure. No down time. This one is life-altering,” celebrity dermatologist Dr Rashmi Shetty (@drrashmishettyra) wrote on an Instagram post.
According to Dr Anuroop Roy, founder and medical director of Derma 360 Clinics, the reason for the this condition is that the body is unable to regulate sweating. “The condition is not a disease, the sweat glands are a bit more active. Botox is a very simple procedure where you can directly administer botulinum toxin (the drug used in botox treatment) to specific areas. Once the treatment is done, the sweating stops in 24-48 hours,” says Dr Anuroop.
Botulinum toxin minimises the activity in sweat glands, he adds. The nervous system stimulates the sweat glands, while a botox treatment prevents the impulse from the nervous system to reach the sweat glands so that they dont work excessively. “It (botox) is an injectable treatment. Botulinum toxin is a neuro modulator synthesised from a bacteria, and it acts on an enzyme called essatile coline that is found in our nervous system. It prevents the production of essatile coline, which is responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses from your nervous systems to your muscles or any other organ of our body,” he says.
However, not everyone can get the treatment. Among those who should avoid are breastfeeding or pregnant women, those with neuromuscular disorders, and neurological diseases, adds Dr Anuroop. “The treatment is painful; when we do the procedure, the intensity of the pain depends on the area. If it is done on the underarms, it is not that painful as we numb it up. But if it is done on your feet or palms, it is painful procedure. We try and make it less painful by using a combination of ice and numbing agents before the treatment.”
Dr Revathi S, a clinical cosmetologist botox has been successful in treating hyperhidrosis, blepharoplasty, spasms, migraine and cervical dystonia. “Results of the procedure in treating hyperhidrosis can be seen from the 2nd to 7th day. After just a single sitting of the treatment, it takes around 15 days to see the complete result,” says Dr Revathi.