How Botox Stops Excessive Sweating & How It Can Help You
Posted on 26th July 2018
Excessive sweating (also known as hyperhidrosis) can be uncomfortable and extremely embarrassing, but the problem can be treated with Botox.
- How does Botox reduce sweating?
- Botox for armpit sweating
- Botox for sweating of the face or head
- Botox for sweating of the hands or feet
- How much does it cost?
- Risks and side effects
How does Botox work to reduce sweating?
You sweat when the nerve endings in your skin tell the sweat glands to produce sweat. Botox helps reduce excessive sweating by blocking those ‘messages’.
Once an area has been treated with Botox, the sweat glands will not produce sweat for up to six months.
Botox is not a permanent solution for excessive sweating as your body produces new nerve endings over time, about every six months. As these new nerve endings haven’t been treated with Botox, they will send signals to the sweat glands as normal to start producing sweat.
Using Botox to treat excessive sweating has mixed results. Some patients find they no longer sweat in the area that’s been treated, while others continue to sweat but much less.
You can find out more about having Botox for sweating at our clinic in Surrey here.
Botox for excessive sweating in the armpit/underarm area
Botox works to prevent armpit sweating. So once you’ve had the treatment, you should sweat less under your arms for around six months.
Some patients notice they’re sweating less within a few days of having the treatment, but it can take up to two weeks to see Botox’s full effects.
What happens during the procedure
During the procedure your practitioner will:
- clean the underarm area with an chlorhexidine antiseptic solution
- use tiny needles to inject around 50 units of Botox into each armpit
Most patients experience very mild discomfort and describe the injections as feeling like a pin prick.
The whole procedure will take around 20 minutes and you can return to your normal day-to-day activities straight away.
How to prepare for underarm Botox treatment
We recommend you:
- shave under your arms the day before your procedure
- don’t use any deodorant or antiperspirant:
- on the morning of the procedure
- 24 hours after having the procedure
- avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours after having Botox
Botox for excessive face and head sweating
Excessive sweating of the face and scalp can be uncomfortable and make you feel extremely self-conscious. If you’ve been diagnosed with hyperhidrosis of the scalp and/or face, Botox can offer you relief.
Before the procedure
Your practitioner will discuss which areas of your face or scalp sweat excessively and if these areas can be treated with Botox. Some parts of the face can’t be treated with Botox. This is because Botox is a muscle relaxant, so if certain muscles are treated this could affect your smile, speech, eating, swallowing and so on.
Common areas that are treated include:
- the ‘T’ zone of upper lip, nose and temples
- the scalp and hairline
What happens during the procedure
Your practitioner will wipe the area with antiseptic then inject the Botox with a tiny needle.
The number of injections you need will depend on:
- the size of your head—Botox injections are usually given one square centimetre apart on the scalp
- how much you sweat—the more severe your hyperhidrosis, the more Botox you will need to treat it
Treating the scalp isn’t painful so the area isn’t usually numbed first. However, your practitioner may numb areas of the face before injecting there.
It requires around 100 to 150 injections to treat the scalp, which should take around 20 minutes to administer. The amount of Botox needed to treat facial sweating depends on how many areas of the face are being treated.
Botox for excessive hands and feet sweating
Excessively sweaty hands and feet can have a huge impact on confidence. Sweaty hands in particular can affect everything from productivity at work to daily activities such as driving.
What happens during the procedure?
The procedures to treat sweaty hands and feet are very similar. Your practitioner will:
- clean the areas with chlorhexidine
- rub a cream onto your skin to numb the pain you may feel
- use a pen to mark the areas they will inject
- inject small amounts of Botox across the entire palm or sole
Although neither procedure is particularly painful, having the injections in the soles of the feet can make walking feel sore a day or two after having the treatment.
You can expect to have around 30 tiny injections of Botox to treat each hand or foot.
How much does Botox for sweating cost?
Costs vary depending on the areas being treated. As a guide, you can expect to pay around £500 to treat each of these areas:
- both underarm areas
- both hands
- both feet
- face
- scalp
Botox for excessive sweating may not be available on the NHS. If you do have the treatment on the NHS, this will depend on NHS funding in your area and it’s likely that you will only be allowed to have the injections every 12 months.
Risks and side effects
What are the common side effects for having Botox to treat sweating?
- Swelling, stinging and soreness at the injection site
- Increased sweating in other areas of the body
- Headaches
- Hot flushes
- Flu-like symptoms
Rare side effects include:
- breathing problems
- muscle weakness
Your practitioner will explain the risks to you before you choose whether to have the procedure. For more information on the risks and side effects associated with having Botox, read our Botox aftercare FAQs.
Who can’t have the treatment?
You will not be able to have Botox to treat your excessive sweating if you:
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
- have been diagnosed with any heart problems
- have been diagnosed with any muscular problems
- are on certain medication such as muscle relaxants or anticoagulants
Your practitioner will ask you what medication you are taking before the procedure to see if there are any contraindications (factors that make it necessary not to give you the treatment).
What next?
Book your Botox treatment with Health & Aesthetics today
End the embarrassment of excessive sweating with Botox treatment at Health & Aesthetics in Surrey. Call the team today on 01252 933 133 or email info@healthandaesthetics.co.uk to find out more.
Want to find out more about Botox?
Visit our page Sweating (hyperhidrosis) Treatment in Surrey for more information on how we treat sweating with Botox.
Although the information in the articles below relates to having Botox for cosmetic reasons, much of the advice is the same for Botox for hyperhidrosis. Just click on the links to find out more.
What happens during a Botox consultation?
