5 Facts About miraDry® Underarm Sweat Treatment

While sweating is normal and helps the body cool off, for some people, excessive sweating isn’t just a problem on a hot day or after brisk exercise. Excessive sweating, not caused by exercise or heat is known as hyperhidrosis, and miraDry® is a non-surgical underarm sweat treatment that quickly reduces or eliminates sweating and odors. Here are a few facts about this procedure.

1. miraDry® Does Not Treat All Hyperhidrosis-Related Issues

While people with hyperhidrosis often have sweaty palms or feet, those sweaty underarms can be the most noticeable issue. Excessive underarm sweat can seep through your clothing and can be quite embarrassing. While hyperhidrosis isn’t considered a highly dangerous physical condition, the mental toll it can take is often much more serious and you’ve probably wondered on many occasions how to stop underarm sweat.

There are actually two types of hyperhidrosis. One is known and primary focal hyperhidrosis. This typically develops during children or during puberty and people who suffer from this condition may experience excessive sweating in the palms of their hands, their feet, head, upper lip, groin area and, of course, the underarms.

The second type of hyperhidrosis generally does not develop in childhood or adolescents but rather is connected to an underlying cause. This could be thyroid issues, obesity, menopause, diabetes or even the use of some medications. Generally, people with secondary hyperhidrosis sweat all over and not just in the focal areas listed above. In some cases, resolving issues related to the underlying cause can reduce excessive sweating.

The miraDry® procedure currently is only FDA-cleared to be used as an underarm sweat treatment, and not used to treat sweaty palms, feet or other areas. If you suffer from excessive sweating in the hands, feet or forehead, there are other treatments to consider.

For instance, BOTOX® injections have been shown to help, although, this is not a permanent solution. Certain medications, topical solutions and special antiperspirants also might help reduce hyperhidrosis in other parts of the body.

2. miraDry® Is Non-Surgical

In the past, underarm sweat gland removal was only possible via traditional surgical methods. With miraDry®, we use radiofrequency energy to eliminate sweat glands in your underarm area. The glands technically are not removed, but they are no longer active after the procedure. While sweat glands are important and help us humans regulate our body temperature, the miraDry® procedure only removes about 2% of the body’s sweat glands and your body still has plenty of other sweat glands, so eliminating these glands is not an issue.

Before we begin your underarm sweat treatment, we first numb the area with a local anesthesia. We also place a temporary tattoo on your skin to indicate the area where the procedure should take place. Once the area is numbed, the miraDry® handpiece is used to send pulses of radiofrequency energy to the target area. This deactivates the sweat glands, and that’s pretty much all there is to the procedure.

3. miraDry® Is Permanent

Who wouldn’t want a permanent solution to stop excessive sweating? While BOTOX® treatments can be beneficial, they only last for about six to eight months. On the other hand, miraDry® permanently eliminates the sweat glands and they don’t grow back. In some cases, we will recommend a second treatment of miraDry®, but typically one underarm sweat treatment is all that is needed to produce the desired results. You no longer should need special antiperspirants or items such as underarm sweat pads, and you can say goodbye to significant underarm odors and underarm sweat rash.

4. miraDry® Is Not Painful

While our patients are excited about the idea of a permanent underarm sweat treatment, they often ask if the actual miraDry® procedure is painless. In general, the only discomfort you might feel is the application of the numbing anesthetic. The procedure itself should be completely painless, and most patients report no discomfort at all. Many will just sit back, relax and listen to music or an audiobook.

Some swelling and mild discomfort or tenderness after the procedure is normal and can be relieved with ice packs and with over-the-counter, non-steroidal pain relievers. Typically, the swelling and tenderness should reduce over the course of a few days, but some patients notice swelling and bruising for about a week. The temporary tattoo also will fade and disappear after a few days.

5. miraDry® Is Fast & Easy

Not only is miraDry® permanent and non-surgical, but the whole procedure only takes about an hour to complete. We recommend that patients rest for the remainder of the day and ice the affected area to reduce swelling. We also recommend that patients skip their regular exercise routine for a few days, but otherwise you usually can back to work and continue with your normal routine.

Additional Non-Surgical Procedures

At Thaxton Plastic Surgery, we offer a number of non-surgical procedures that can help you look and feel your best. In addition to miraDry®, we offer services such as lip fillers, CoolSculpting®, Juvéderm®, ThermiTight®, ThermiVa®, Voluma® and much more. We also offer many medispa treatments that can help add a youthful glow to your skin.

If you are interested in miraDry® underarm sweat treatment or any of our other non-surgical procedures, give us a call at any time. We can set up a consultation, answer any questions you might have and determine if miraDry® is a good fit for you.