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What is Hyperhidrosis?

Dr Nazim Mahmood July 8, 2011

The excessive sweating can disrupt life. Someone suffering with this condition may refrain from taking part in sport or other recreational activities. Severe can cause severe social anxiety can be embarrassing. There are three types of this condition.

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Primary focal hyperhidrosis

Primary focal hyperhidrosis affects three per cent of people and is where there is excessive sweating that affects one or more of the following parts of the body, including palms of the hands, the soles of feet, the underarms and the face or scalp. The rest of the body however sweats normally.

Primary focal hyperhidrosis

There may be certain triggers to the sweating such as stress, anxiety, emotion, heat and spicy foods. The condition usually begins in early adulthood. There is no real known cause of this, it is believed the sweat glands in these areas are just more sensitive than normal and there is evidence that it may be partly genetic and run in families.

It can be an embarrassing problem forcing people to change their frequently, avoid social situations and can affect their and performance at work. The constant wet patches can also cause soreness and irritation to the skin. This type of excessive sweating can be easily and effectively treated with Botox® injections.

Secondary focal hyperhidrosis

Generalised hyperhidrosis

How Can I Reduce Sweating?

Are there Medical Options?

These stronger antiperspirants work best for excessive underarm sweating by the pores of the sweat glands. These strong antiperspirants may also be available over the at your local pharmacy, some well known brands include, Anhydrol Forte® which is available as a roll-on, https://www.echelon-Inc.com/product/orexin-b-human/) Driclor® and ZeaSORB® which is available as a powder.

It can take a few weeks before you notice sweat reduction from Aluminium Chloride antiperspirants and they can often cause irritation of the skin.

It is quite unusual that medications are prescribed by a doctor for excessive sweating, this is because these drugs often do not work well and it is very common to experience unwanted side effects from these drugs such as dry mouth and blurring of the vision.

Iontophoresis uses electrical to treat excessive sweating, more recently this treatment has become less available due to the increasing popularity and effectiveness of Botox injections. Iontophoresis works by using an electrical current to block the sweat glands. The downside of this treatment is that it requires around eight sessions lasting thirty minutes each before you will notice sweat reduction and after this you will need regular maintenance sessions every four weeks to maintain the effect. The treatment is also not always successful and may cause short lived side effects such as a dryness and soreness in the mouth and throat.

Is Surgery an Option?

The obvious downside of surgical treatment is that is has an increased risk of surgical complications such as scarring, bleeding, including risks from having an anaesthetic and rarely reduced function of the treated arm.

What can Botox do and what can Face Clinic London offer to help with this problem?

The are relatively painless and can feel like a small sting. Botox injections work by blocking the nerves in the underarm that control sweat glands. The main benefit of this compared to the alternatives is that the treatment is very straightforward and there are relatively few side effects which commonly may include a little temporary soreness and redness in the area .

The treatment is very effective, usually resulting in a 90% reduction in underarm that  can last for up to six months from just one treatment session.

What do our Doctors Say About Botox Treatment?

It is very useful for facial and underarm sweating and the results last 4-6 months. This is the most commonly used treatment for hyperhydrosis now, but availability is on the NHS and more are electing to pay for this treatment privately.

It is amazing to me as a doctor how it can transform a patient’s life, confidence, clothing choice etc. By the time the client walks through our door they have usually tried various anti perspirants, beta blocker or even scarring and destructive surgery which have been unhelpful or resulted in side effects.

I have not known any clients who have been unhappy with the effectivity of the treatment and most will return 2-3 times per year to have the treatment repeated.“

 Book Appointment 

All treatments are carried out by our team of doctors at our . Appointments can be , or by calling our Soho clinic on during . We are located a few minutes walk away from Carnaby Street.

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   Latest posts by Dr Nazim Mahmood ()     - July 27, 2015    - October 28, 2013    - October 15, 2013    

Book Appointment

All treatments are carried out by our team of doctors at our . Appointments can be , or by calling our Soho clinic on during . We are located a few minutes walk away from Carnaby Street.

“Anita is the BEST! I have been going to her for almost two years and she has listened to my requests for my treatments to look “natural” and suggested the BEST options. All of which have literally erased years from my face.”

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- Anon, August 2025

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