Quad Cities, IL/IA

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Sweaty Armpits? Axillary Hyperhidrosis

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Submitted by Diamond Medical Spa and Vein

Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is a common inherited disorder affecting almost every ethnic group. This is a medical condition with severe negative psychological consequences. Unfortunately, friends, relatives, and even most doctors of affected individuals usually do not understand the tremendous negative impact that this condition can have on one’s daily life.

Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by abnormally increased sweating. Hyperhidrosis can also have devastating emotional effects on one’s individual life. With this health problem, sweating is uncontrollable, embarrassing, and not anticipated. Normally, people only sweat to cool off the body when it is overheated; when one exercises; or in response to situations that make them nervous, angry, embarrassed, or fearful.

Palmar hyperhidrosis, or sweaty palms, is the most common form of hyperhidrosis, causing excessive sweating of the hands. How embarrassing it is to shake hands, give a speech, and have sweat literally pouring out of the skin. When the armpits are involved, people may experience an unpleasant odor as well as increased wetness. Hyperhidrosis can also cause excessive foot, underarm, and facial sweating. It is thought that hyperhidrosis is a result of overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Hyperhidrosis can have severe physiological effects, such as cold and clammy hands, dehydration, and skin infections secondary to breakdown of the skin. People don’t get used to the excess sweating; they may suffer their entire lives with it or seek medical help. Affected people are constantly aware of their condition and try to modify their lifestyle to avoid the negative impact on their lives. This can be disabling in professional, academic, and social life, causing perpetual daily embarrassments. Many routine activities become impossible chores, which can be psychologically draining for these individuals on a chronic basis.

Fortunately, with the recent advances in medicine, many forms of treatment are available to treat hyperhidrosis. Medications, topical antiperspirants, iontophoresis, Botox, and surgery have been tried to treat hyperhidrosis. There are other technologies, such as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy, that are risky major surgeries and increase the chance of post-operative compensatory sweating. Radiofrequency energy employed by ThermiDry®, similar to ThermiTight, is a very effective, minimally invasive, single treatment that targets axillary sweat-producing glands in the underarms. MiraDry requires two treatments and costs the same as ThermiDry. An iodine starch test is done to outline the sweat glands to be targeted.

ThermiDry takes about an hour to perform using a small amount of local anesthesia. Clients may be given a light sedative if desired. After the armpit is numb, a tiny probe is moved immediately under the skin in a crisscross fan direction, and radiofrequency energy safely ablates unwanted sweat glands. There is no downtime and very little post-procedure discomfort. The benefits are typically immediate, and a side benefit may be some hair loss and decreased armpit odor. ThermiDry is available at Diamond Medical Spa and Vein and performed by LeRoy Yates, M.D.

Diamond Medical Spa & Vein is located at 3170 E. 53rd Street in Davenport.  Call 563-275-4701 today to schedule a consultation.

Photo credit: Miyuki Satake/iStock