Hyperhidrosis: Treatment for Excessive Sweating

Wellbeing means feeling comfortable with oneself and others. However, during summer or stressful situations, sweating often increases to the point of causing discomfort that affects relationships or, in severe cases, leads to social isolation. The skin of our body contains millions of sweat-regulating glands (eccrine and apocrine). Certain body areas have a higher concentration of these sweat glands (head, axillary cavity, palms, and soles of feet) which can produce excessive amounts of sweat. These glands can be inhibited with simple botulinum toxin injections for an average period of six months, effectively treating hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

Hyperhidrosis can be classified into three main types:

Triggered by emotional stress.

Related to medication use, fever, or physiological conditions (such as menopause).

Associated with organic pathologies.

The first type, once confirmed through medical consultation and thorough medical history, responds well to botulinum toxin treatment. In other cases, management should be referred to the primary care physician as treatment with botulinum toxin may not be appropriate. The procedure consists of an outpatient session where the treatment area is prepared and mapped using a simple test that highlights zones with the highest gland concentration. After thorough cleansing and disinfection, multiple superficial micro-injections are administered using a fine needle, which inhibit sweat release within days without posing any risk to the patient, who can immediately return to daily activities.

When treating palmar and/or plantar areas, temporary numbness/soreness may occur for a few hours, occasional minor bruising at injection sites that self-resolves, and minimal swelling that subsides within hours.