Sweating is a necessary and normal function of the human body, an evolutionary development to keep your body from overheating. But if you have a condition known as hyperhidrosis, your sweating is neither normal, nor always necessary — and sometimes, it can be embarrassing.
If you are constantly worried about underarm sweat stains, keep a change of clothes with you wherever you go, or avoid going out between the months of May and September, read on to learn about a revolutionary new solution for you.
When your body gets it wrong
Hyperhidrosis is a dysfunction that causes your body to sweat much more than is necessary to effectively regulate your body temperature. You may sweat excessively from your palms, scalp, feet, head, or underarms.
For many people with hyperhidrosis, underarm sweat is the biggest problem, because of its association with body odor as well as the obvious aesthetic concerns — you can’t exactly secretively wipe your underarms the way you can the palms of your hands.
You may have a genetic predisposition for hyperhidrosis, it could be due to hormonal changes or a particular medication, or you may have a medical condition that causes it.
Treatment is available
You don’t have to just live with hyperhidrosis. There are effective treatments available at Bopp Dermatology. MiraDry is an innovative and revolutionary treatment that was approved by the FDA in 2015 for the treatment of excessive underarm sweat.
During a miraDry treatment, targeted microwave energy is delivered directly to the sweat glands beneath the skin, destroying them. The miraDry results are immediate and long-lasting, since the sweat glands are gone for good.
What to expect
A single treatment usually lasts about an hour, and you probably won’t require any recovery time afterward. Although the sweat glands are destroyed with heat, the miraDry device cools and protects your skin, preventing any damage to the surrounding tissue. You’ll be given a local anesthetic to further ensure you don’t experience pain or discomfort.
You’ll probably have some redness and swelling immediately after the procedure; ice packs and over-the-counter pain relievers may help.
In some cases, you may find that you stop sweating from your underarms completely for 2-3 weeks after treatment, but that you begin sweating again to a lesser degree after that. The amount of sweat reduction each miraDry patient experiences after one treatment varies a great deal; after two treatments, the average sweat reduction is 82%. Most patients receive 1-3 miraDry treatments for optimal results.
Long-term effects
You may worry whether your body will be able to cool itself properly if the sweat glands under your arms stop functioning. Less than 2% of all your sweat glands are in your underarms, so you’ll have plenty left to properly regulate your body’s temperature.
The goal of miraDry treatment is not to completely eliminate your ability to sweat, but rather to bring it to a normal level. With miraDry, you can stop worrying about the embarrassment of underarm sweat spots and enjoy your summers again.
If you have questions about hyperhidrosis or you’d like to learn more about miraDry, book an appointment for a consultation at Bopp Dermatology and Facial Plastic Surgery in Metairie, Louisiana. Our experts are happy to answer your questions and discuss your unique situation.