Excessive sweating (also known as hyperhidrosis) doesn’t sound very troublesome, however can have significant impact on an individual’s confidence, lifestyle choices, stress levels, and overall quality of life. Patients with hyperhidrosis usually try everything they can to stop, or at least alleviate their sweating problem. They’ll try deodorants, overnight creams, antiperspirants, underarm balms and other topical ointments in hopes of keeping their condition under control. These patients also usually avoid wearing shirts of specific colours and styles that would showcase sweaty patches, or refrain from ever raising their arms in public. Some may even need to run to the washroom several times per day—whether they be at work in the office, at a restaurant, or just sitting at home—to try and wipe or dry the sweat from their clothing and avoid excessive odour. For these and many other reasons, patients have turned to botox. Yes! You read that right… botox!

How Does Botox Help?

First, let’s look at what botox is. Botox (or botulinum toxin) is a protein that paralyzes the muscle or muscles that are injected. We often associate botox with wrinkles and forehead creases, and that’s because botox works by paralyzing these muscles so that they are no longer able to contract and cause surface wrinkles and creases. 

Our underarms contain minuscule sweat glands and after a strenuous workout or jog (for example), these glands begin to excrete sweat to cool the body’s temperature. When these tiny sweat glands are injected with botox, it stops their receptors from sending messages to the glands to sweat. The result is a significant reduction in sweating, as well as significantly less underarm odour! 

The procedure is fairly straightforward however requires the expertise of an expert injector like Dr. Adibfar and his medically-trained staff at Toronto’s Elements Spa. The sweat glands are all located in the dermis of the underarm, just underneath the surface of the skin. For this reason, the botox should be injected superficially between 1 to 2 millimetres into the skin’s surface. Botox injected at a deeper depth will result in wasted product and little to no positive change. Depending on the amount of units used, Dr. Adibfar injects the botox numerous times in a grid like fashion to cover the area. Although it may sound daunting, this procedure is done relatively painlessly and very quickly (can take anywhere between 15-20 minutes).

When injected into the underarms, the botox takes up to 7 days to kick in and the result of significantly reduced sweat can last anywhere from 6-12 months. Patients with hyperhidrosis who receive botox are some of the most satisfied and thrilled patients. Patients are able to wear whatever fabrics and colours of clothing more freely and feel more confident in any public or social setting. Individuals who don’t have hyperhidrosis, however work in warmer climates (like on golf courses, or as real estate agents in tropical regions) will also opt for botox to maintain a professional, cool, calm and collected appearance. 

Patients notice that their sweat is reduced very significantly, if not completely, leaving them feeling more confident, and overall happier, in a multitude of situations. 

Click here to learn more about botox or to book a consultation with one of Toronto’s best board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeons, Dr. Adibfar.