What is Botox?

Botox is a purified protein toxin produced by the clostridium botulinum bacteria. Although it is a toxin, the doses used for medical treatment are so small that serious side effects have not been seen and would be unlikely to develop.

How does Botox work?

A tiny amount of Botox is injected with a very small needle into the skin near the origin of the sweat glands. Botox stops the sweat glands from producing sweat by blocking the function of nerves at the sweat gland that normally stimulate sweat production.
What areas can Botox help
The most common areas for the use of Botox are the armpits, palms and soles.

Are Botox injections painful?

When Botox is injected into the armpit there is a minor stinging sensation, which lasts for a few seconds. However, injection of the palms and soles is quite painful. Especially as many individual spots have to be injected. To reduce the discomfort the treatment area is anesthetized with a local anesthetic both as a cream and injected.
Alternatively an anesthesiologist can block the entire area with anesthetic. This is especially useful when treating the palms or soles. In addition we apply ice to the treatment area for a few minutes immediately before the injections to further reduce the discomfort and reduce the amount of swelling. Usually there is no discomfort after the injection. Patients can usually resume normal activities right away.

What will happen after treatment?

There may be slight swelling at the injected spots that resolves within a few hours. Occasionally, an injection site may develop a small bruise that may take several days to fade.
The reduction in sweating develops gradually over 7 to 10 days.

How Long Does the Benefit Last?

The injected sweat glands gradually regain normal function. This recovery of function varies between patients and ranging between 3 to 9 months. Once sweat gland function and associated increased sweating returns, repeat Botox injections should again be able to reduce the sweating.
What are possible side effects?
Botox has been used for more than 10 years for the treatment of eye disorders and for almost that long for the treatment of wrinkles. Side effects are rare and almost uniformly temporary. The most common side effect is a temporary weakness of muscles near the injection site. Muscle function usually returns to normal within a few weeks. Rarely a patient may develop resistance to Botox so that additional injections are not effective. In that case, alternative treatments for the increased sweating need to be explored. Very rarely severe headaches have been reported after Botox injection.

How much will it cost?

The cost of the treatment varies depending on the size of the area to be treated and how much Botox will be needed. We will be happy to discuss treatment cost in advance of treatment. Insurance reimbursement is not available for the treatment of increased sweating.