Excessive Sweating ( Hyperhidrosis):

Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating is a debilitating condition for many people. The sweating stains clothes, produces bad odour and is tremendously embarrassing at work as well as at social outings. It affects personal as well as professional life.
Types:
Hyperhidrosis can either be generalized, or localized to specific parts of the body. Hands, feet, armpits, and the groin area are among the most active regions of perspiration due to the high number of sweat glands in these areas. When excessive sweating is localized (e.g. palms, soles, face, underarms, scalp) it is referred to as primary hyperhidrosis or focal hyperhidrosis.
Excessive sweating involving the whole body is termed generalized hyperhidrosis or secondary hyperhidrosis. It is usually the result of some other, underlying condition.

Hyperhydrosis can be associated with:

1. Bromhidrosis which means a foul odour due to a water-rich environment that supports bacteria growth, caused by an abnormal increase in perspiration especially in the axillary area
2. Chromhydrosis: secretion of coloured sweat may be yellow, green, blue, brown or black

Dermatology Life Quality Index ( DQLI ): It evaluates the impact of hyperhidrosis on daily activities. This score can be as high as 9/10 without treatment, indicating hyperhidrosis can cause severe impact on patient’s daily life.

Treatment Options:

1. Antiperspirants: Aluminium chloride is used in higher concentration in antiperspirants required to control hyperhidrosis. They become effective after 3-5 days but daily and multiple applications is needed and recurrence is common.
2. Autosuggestion: Meditation , psychotherapy may help to some extent in stress induced hyperhidrosis.
3. Medicines: Prescription medications called anticholinergics, taken by mouth, are sometimes used in the treatment of both generalized and focal hyperhidrosis eg: propantheline, glycopyrronium bromide or glycopyrrolate, oxybutynin, methantheline, and benzatropine. But they have side-effects, including dry mouth, urinary retention, constipation, and visual disturbances such as mydriasis (dilation of the pupils) and cycloplegia hence can’t be used long term.
4. Botox:can be used to block neural control of sweat glands. The effect can last from 3–9 months depending on the site of injections. The duration of the beneficial effect in primary palmar hyperhidrosis has been found to increase with repetition of the injections.

Skin City Protocol for Hyperhidrosis:
Microwave Therapy: miraDRY
MiraDRY is microwave therapy.
MiraWave TM energy is delivered to the affected area, primarily underarms and the sweat and odour glands are destroyed. All the while, soothing cooling is applied to protect your skin.
This MiraDRY Treatment is very effective for underarm sweating and gives long lasting to permanent results.

Laser Sweat Ablation ( LSA ):
At Skin City, we offer Laser Sweat Ablation Treatment as a very effective and long lasting solution for hyperhidrosis.

The procedure is minimally invasive and done under local tumescent anaesthesia. The process involves making a small incision; then a laser thread is passed directly underneath the skin to destroy the sweat glands. The laser destroys the sweat glands. 1470 nm Diode laser technology is used.

Most people return to work the following day. There may be some soreness for a few days and the risks are minimal. The process eliminates or significantly reduces sweating in 80-100% patients.

The areas that can be treated effectively are: Underarms, Feet.

Since the sweat glands are destroyed completely, the effects are considered permanent.
Both miraDry treatment and LSA treatment are walk in and walk out procedures giving very satisfactory results and making a big difference to the patient’s personal, social and professional lives.