Hyperhidrosis is a problem that affects patients whose main symptom is excessive sweating even in normal temperature conditions and/or without any activity.
Causes of hyperhidrosis
Hyperactivation of the sweat glands which react unpredictably in conditions where the body does not have to activate this function to regulate body temperature. It can sometimes be hereditary in origin, it can also appear as a result of another medical condition.
Symptoms of hyperhidrosis
The main symptom of hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating, especially on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and armpits, although other areas such as the back or face may also be affected.
Treatment of hyperhidrosis
In Aurea Clinic we solve this disorder with the injection of botulinum toxin in the affected areas, making a careful selection of the patient and assessing the amount of sweating to adjust the dose. There is a surgical technique to remove the sweat glands, called sympathectomy, but there is a risk of excessive sweating in other areas such as the back.
The most frequent side effects after injection in candidate patients are rare, the most frequent being swelling and transient pain. It is not necessary to perform any treatment other than taking analgesics and local cold. As it is a reversible procedure we avoid serious complications. Sympathectomy can lead to much greater complications such as bleeding, need for open surgery (thoracotomy) for an incident, Horner’s syndrome (drooping eyelid), air around the lung (pneumothorax), injury to organs in the chest (extremely rare), need to place a drain for bleeding or air inside the chest, or compensatory sweating in other areas of the body.