If you find yourself sweating for no reason, you might have a condition called hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis means excessive sweating of the armpits, hands and feet. If you have hyperhidrosis, you’ll be sweaty whether it’s cold or not, so winter can be a challenging and damp time as we cosy up.
The hot and the cold of it: treating hyperhidrosis
There are some tips and topicals for managing your sweating disorder at home, but if you want to deal with the cause of the sweating – excess or overactive sweat glands – we can help with some longer-term solutions.
At ENRICH Clinic in Melbourne, we treat excessive sweating disorders in one of two ways: special injections of a nerve blocker (usually reserved for anti-wrinkle injections) or a thermal device called the MiraDry. We’ve got the latest innovative technology, part of our unique and effective hyperhidrosis program.
You’re in good hands, and we’ll have you dry in no time.
Nerve blocking injections
Glands in our bodies are set off by signals from other parts of our bodies, usually the brain. When we get too hot, we’ll sweat to cool off. But what if you’re not too hot, but you are still sweaty? That’s when blocking some (not all) of the nerve signals directed at the sweat glands can become a helpful strategy, as it effectively turns them ‘off’ for a while, like hitting the snooze button.
The injections last several months, so you can try this treatment out for size before committing to anything longer-lasting such as the MiraDry.
MiraDry
The MiraDry machine is a thermal energy device that damages your underarm sweat glands immediately and permanently. The MiraDry is irreversible, which might be precisely what you’re looking for. The MiraDry is only available for underarms, not feet or hands.
Often one treatment with the MiraDry sees you walk out of the clinic with a dry armpit future, though if you have a lot of sweat glands and the impact of one treatment isn’t enough, you may need a booster treatment. Results naturally vary between people, with the number of sweat glands and placement differing. We won’t know the impact until a few weeks after your treatment.
Each appointment is about an hour, and treatments are comfortable – we use a local anaesthetic, so you don’t feel a thing.
You’re likely to have some swelling and after-effects post-treatment, but these don’t tend to last for long, at most a few weeks.
Why can’t MiraDry treat hands?
The design of the MiraDry does not allow for treatment of the hands and feet. We can suction underarm skin, but the soles of the feet and palms of the hands aren’t able to be treated this way.
Additionally, the microwave energy the MiraDry utilises to treat armpit sweat glands can damage essential structures in the hands and feet, unlike around the underarms. Vital structures (like arteries, nerve endings, tendons and blood vessels) on the feet and hands are very close to the skin, leaving them vulnerable to injury by microwaves.
Sweaty hands sink ships
Palmar hyperhidrosis is the name given to palms that sweat more than most. Exceptionally sweaty palms can be incredibly embarrassing for the sweater, so getting treatment can be life-changing.
More than other areas of excessive sweating (feet or armpits), the hands have been shown in research to have the most significant negative impact on a person’s life when held up against other dermatologic conditions.
Treatment options for hands and feet (palmoplantar hyperhidrosis)
Topical treatments
The main treatment options for the hands and feet are topical medications like antiperspirants, oral medicine, surgery, and the previously discussed nerve-blocking injections.
Antiperspirant is an option for use on hands with a reasonable impact on sweating as a first option to explore. Still, you’re more likely to need a more potent product than the supermarket offers if the sweating is severe. 
Nerve-blockers
An experienced practitioner can perform injections of nerve-blocker to dramatically reduce sweating on the palms, with effects lasting about six months.
Which option is best for me?
Each of you will have your specific gripes with your sweating, with some areas being worse than others for you. Because not everyone’s sweating is alike, it’s best to make an appointment with a dermatologist at ENRICH Clinic who can help guide you on the best treatments for your body. A combination approach might be the most useful.
If you want some solutions for your sweating, we have options.
Get in touch, and we’ll see how we can best help you.
ENRICH Clinic
