| What to Expect From Treatment |
To better manage your Hyperhidrosis, you should be thinking about these five goals: |
- Reducing the amount you sweat so that it is not noticeable and doesn’t interfere with your daily activities
- Few, if any, side effects
- A cost that which you can afford to maintain
- Compatibility with any underlying health conditions or medications you are currently taking
- Convenience
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Whichever treatment you ultimately choose, please ensure that you discuss any other underlying health conditions or medications you are currently taking with your sweat specialist. This is important in determining if your treatment will be effective.
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- Focal injections: interrupting the signal from the nerve to the sweat glands
- Topical antiperspirant treatments: applying aluminum chloride hexahydrate
- Oral medications: treating the underlying conditions
- Iontophoresis: applying low-intensity electric current to affected areas
- Surgery: severing the nerves that cause excess sweating
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| What to Expect from Surgery |
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| Treatment Experience |
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| ETS surgery can often be performed on an outpatient basis, requiring only a day in the hospital. Prior to surgery, a general anesthesia is applied to induce sleep. A couple of small incisions are made under the armpit on either side of the body, and a miniature video camera is inserted to identify the nerves in the chest area associated with the overactive sweat glands. Instruments are then inserted to cut the nerves on each side. The operation takes about 30 minutes and the patient remains in the hospital for 12 to 24 hours. |
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| Surgical excision of the axillary glands can also be done on an outpatient basis, but is less invasive than ETS. A local anesthesia is used, and the sweat glands are either suctioned out (liposuction) or cut out (curettage). In some cases, a surgical procedure could also be done for palmer hyperhidrosis. This involves cutting the nerve that is associated with the overactive sweat glands in the palms and removing the nerve in the area. |
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| Response to Treatment |
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| Immediate relief from symptoms after operation has been reported. Sweating in the area is reduced for at least several years after surgery in many cases. |
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| Side Effects |
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| All surgeries carry risks, including the possibility of infection and allergic reactions to anesthetics. In ETS, there is an additional risk of damage to veins and nerves in the chest area. |
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| Both ETS and liposuction produce minimal scarring, while curettage results in larger scars. Pain is normal after the operation and oral pain medication should be taken for a week or longer after ETS. |
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| There may be increased sweating in other areas, as the body may try to compensate for the reduced sweating in the treated area. |
