How to Stop Excessive Sweating
Sweat serves an important function. It keeps the body cool as it evaporates from the skin. However, it is possible to have far too much of a good thing. Excessive sweating (technically known as hyperhidrosis) is stressful and embarrassing.
Fortunately, relief is available from excessive sweating and the unpleasant odors caused when sweat mixes with bacteria on the skin. MiraDry is an FDA approved, non-invasive treatment with no downtime designed to reduce the amount of sweat and odor the body produces under the arms.
How MiraDry Works
The MiraDry procedure is done on an outpatient basis and generally takes approximately one hour to complete. The treatment is performed with a hand-held device that delivers electromagnetic energy below the surface of the skin. This technology has been safely used in other areas of medicine for many years.
The underarm area is numbed in advance, so the treatment is comfortable and easy to tolerate. The electromagnetic energy is directed precisely to the area where the sweat glands are located. The sweat glands are decomposed by heat and become no longer functional, while the top layers of the skin are protected and cooled. The destroyed sweat glands will not grow back, and the excessive sweat and odor significantly reduced.
Some people may need more than one treatment to achieve their desired results. Even in such cases, sweating and odor are reduced after the first treatment. The effects of a MiraDry treatment are long-lasting and will be noticeable immediately after the procedure.
There is no downtime with MiraDry treatment. You may experience mild soreness under the arms for a week or two, but you can return to work immediately after the procedure.
Do We Need the Sweat Glands In Our Underarms?
The body needs to sweat to cool down and prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Given that, is it harmful to destroy sweat glands under the arms?
The fact is, the average person has 2 to 4 million sweat glands located all over the body and only about 2% of them are under the arms. As stated by the International Hyperhidrosis Society, eliminating this small percentage of the body’s sweat glands should have no effect on overall thermoregulation (the function of the body that maintains the correct core temperature).
Who Could Benefit from MiraDry Treatments?
Some people just sweat more, and this problem is both uncomfortable and embarrassing. If you have to dress in layers, re-apply your antiperspirant several times a day, and change your clothes frequently, you may be a good candidate for MiraDry treatment. This treatment may be recommended for men and women who have already tried over-the-counter clinical strength or prescription antiperspirants and still perspire excessively.
Non-Surgical Relief from Excessive Sweating
In the past, when strong deodorants and antiperspirants failed to stop odor and excessive sweating, high-cost, invasive surgery was the only treatment available. Men and women with hyperhidrosis today have a better option. Dr. Brent Birely performs non-surgical, non-invasive MiraDry procedures in Maryland. MiraDry treatment has been shown to reduce sweating under the arms, on average, by a remarkable 82%.
Sources:
- International Hyperhidrosis Society: MiraDry