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Jae Kim, MD

Can Botox Stop Sweating?

Sweating is normal, especially after working out or in warmer weather. It is a necessary bodily function, but excessive sweating can be embarrassing in public settings. The medical term for excessive sweating is hyperhidrosis, and it can occur in your armpits and other areas of your body, including the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. The stains on your clothes and the odor can make you feel anxious and self-conscious, and they can put a real damper on your confidence and performance.

Antiperspirant use is a commonly used remedy. Over the long term it may not be healthy for you, because you are clogging your pores with aluminum! Not only that, if you stop using antiperspirant, your armpits could smell worse!

Summers in the DC area are hot. Are you ready?

Fortunately, there is a user-friendly remedy for excessive sweating. Can you get through the entire summer without having to worry about pit stains and going through loads of antiperspirant?

Simply put, yes! We know of Botox as a great treatment with many medical uses, but its primary cosmetic use is to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines of the face. Botox Cosmetic is FDA approved to treat the lines of the forehead, crows feet, and between the eyebrows. It is one of the most common treatments Dr. Kim performs at the office, and many patients are very happy with the results!

After treatment to relax the wrinkles, however, some people notice a secondary benefit. Their skin appears less oily, and there is decreased sweating in the treated areas! Looking back on it, it makes sense because the way your body sends signals to your muscles to contract is similar to the signals to your sweat glands to secrete sweat. If Botox can treat one process, it could treat the other!

Allergan, the company that manufactures Botox, recently obtained FDA approval to treat excessive underarm sweating. Since the effects of Botox last around three months, you can potentially go the entire summer without antiperspirant after just one treatment! Imagine not having to worry about pit stains and odors every time you raise your arms!

Botox is a highly effective way to treat excessive armpit sweating. The most common issue patients deal with is pain at the injection sites, but it goes away with ice and some Tylenol. It takes 3-5 days to start taking effect, and results generally last 3-4 months. The procedure requires little to no down time, which means that you can continue with normal activities almost immediately after the procedure. For more information or to schedule your appointment with Dr. Jae Kim, a fellowship trained facial plastic surgeon and great injector, please call (703) 705-2100 or email info@jaekimmd.com today!

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