Excessive Sweating

Sweating is a completely normal and necessary function of the human body.  The release of sodium, water, and other substances onto the surface of the skin helps to regulate the body’s temperature. While sweating is perfectly normal, excessive sweating (or hyperhidrosis) is not. Sweating that occurs outside the normal needs of the body, like sweating when it's not hot or excessive sweating at night, or sweating to an unusual extent that causes the sweat to drip off your body or soak your clothing, usually cannot be regulated with just antiperspirants. Excessive sweating tends to occur primarily in certain areas of the body, such as the armpits, hands, feet, or forehead. If you're wondering how to stop excessive sweating, read on to find out the various treatment options that could be available to you.

Common Questions

There are two types of abnormal sweating.  Primary hyperhidrosis does not have an underlying diagnosis and causes excessive sweating on both sides of the body.  There is often a family history of primary hyperhidrosis, and symptoms usually begin in childhood.  There are various treatment options available for primary hyperhidrosis.

Secondary hyperhidrosis is caused by an underlying medical problem such as respiratory or cardiovascular disorders, neurological conditions, metabolic or endocrine disorders, infection, hyperthyroidism, menopause, or even cancer.  Secondary hyperhidrosis is treated by treating the underlying medical condition.

Primary hyperhidrosis is usually treated in the first instance by the topical application of aluminium chloride, found in most normal antiperspirants.  However, most people with excessive sweating do not respond appropriately to topical treatments.

Some people respond well to anticholinergic medications which work on the automatic nervous system.  While these medications can help to reduce sweating, they can also affect other functions of the automatic nervous system and can cause blurred vision, constipation, dry mouth, and urinary retention problems.

In recent years, the most effective hyperhidrosis treatment for many people has been anti-wrinkle injections.

ANTI-WRINKLE INJECTIONS

You’re probably familiar with anti-wrinkle injections, but did you know that they are also an effective excessive sweating treatment successfully used by people all around Australia? 

Anti-wrinkle injections work by temporarily paralysing the nerve signals to the sweat glands in the area of the injection.  Since people with hyperhidrosis have overactive nerves activating their sweat glands, this kind of treatment has proven to be very effective in reducing excess sweating in a localised area.

A fast and simple treatment, anti-wrinkle injections can temporarily reduce sweating in several areas of the body and is most commonly used in the underarms, face, scalp, palms, and feet.

REDUCES EXCESS SWEATING

Anti-wrinkle injections can reduce or completely stop excessive sweating in a localised area of the body.  If antiperspirants do not help to effectively treat your excessive sweating, anti-wrinkle injections could be an effective way of lessening the symptoms of hyperhidrosis.

BOOSTS CONFIDENCE

Hyperhidrosis is not dangerous in itself, but the effects it can have on a person’s confidence can be debilitating.  Many people avoid certain styles or colours of clothing or avoid particular situations due to their fear of being embarrassed by their excessive sweating.  Unfortunately, this type of avoidance can cause anxiety, which only makes the sweating problem worse.

After effective hyperhidrosis treatment using anti-wrinkle injections, your confidence will be boosted and you will no longer need to avoid clothing and situations as you once did.

NO DOWNTIME

Anti-wrinkle injections are a non-surgical hyperhidrosis treatment with no permanent side effects and no downtime.  Treatments are a walk-in-walk-out procedure and can be finished in as little as 20 minutes. 

With no downtime involved, you can carry on with your normal daily routine immediately after your treatment.  Many people fit in their hyperhidrosis treatments during a lunch break or between other appointments.

Even though the effects of hyperhidrosis are similar for most people, several different body areas can be affected.  The most common area affected by excessive sweating is the armpits, although many people sweat too much on the palms of their hands, the soles of their feet, and even the forehead and other areas of the face.

Anti-wrinkle injections can effectively treat sweating on any small area of the body, yet cannot be used to treat very large areas.  When dealing with sweaty palms, some people choose to concentrate treatments on their dominant hand, to aid with shaking hands, writing, and fine motor skills, while other people choose to treat both hands at the same time.

The first step when preparing for hyperhidrosis treatment is a consultation with our cosmetic nurse/doctor.  You will be asked a series of questions about yourself, your everyday lifestyle, your concerns, and your desired outcomes. This will also give you the opportunity to have any questions regarding what causes excessive sweating and the treatments that may be available to you answered.  It is important that you inform our team about any medication you are currently taking, especially blood-thinning medications.

While individual advice will vary from person to person, our cosmetic nurse/doctor will usually recommend that you avoid needling or intensive treatments at least seven days before your scheduled treatment.  If you are having anti-wrinkle injections in your underarm area, you will be advised to stop shaving up to 3 days before your treatment date.

With no downtime involved in anti-wrinkle injection treatments, you are free to resume your normal activities straight after your appointment.  It can take up to 7 days for sweating in the injected area to reduce, and you should experience complete dryness within two weeks. 

Your cosmetic nurse/doctor will usually recommend that you attend a follow-up appointment two weeks after the treatment date.  At this appointment, it will become clear if any areas were missed, and any touch-up injections will be performed if necessary.

Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition that needs to be assessed properly and carefully while taking into account multiple factors.  The cosmetic nurse/doctor at Clinica Lase will provide a full assessment of your excessive sweating condition and will gather all relevant information before advising you on the most beneficial treatments for you.

We only use the highest quality anti-wrinkle injection treatments, and employ only highly experienced, qualified cosmetic nurses/doctors with specialised knowledge in excessive sweating and other cosmetic concerns.

Please contact our clinics in Carlton or Ballarat for current pricing on excessive sweating treatments and make your booking.