There are people who sweat a lot. But there are others who sweat excessively, and also constantly; a situation in which they see their personal life totally conditioned, but also their work life. In short, their day to day, which makes them stop doing things they should or like because of this health problem. And the thing does not end there because some of these people, moreover, have the bad luck of suffering from what is known as ‘bromhidrosis‘, that is, a bad odor associated or not with excessive sweating.
This excess sweating or hyperhidrosis (bromhidrosis if there is bad body odour), as explained by Dr. Ignacio Sánchez-Carpintero, head of the Dermatology Unit at the International Dermatological Clinic (CDI) and dermatologist at Hospital Ruber Internacional, usually appears in the armpits, hands and feet; and in people who can be without practicing sports or without heat.
“They simply sweat, sometimes so much, that they can soak their clothes and prevent them from leading a normal life or routine, apart from generating psychosocial problems, such as anxiety, for example,” he highlights.
He points out that hyperhidrosis can affect 2% of the white population, being more frequent in adulthood, between 25 and 65 years of age. “It is not clear what its cause may be, although it could occur in people with a certain hereditary predisposition, since it can sometimes be seen as a problem in several members of the same family,” highlights Dr. Sánchez-Carpintero.
The diagnosis can be made through a specialist evaluation, and therefore it is advisable to consult a dermatologist when this sweating is excessive and disturbs the patient’s daily life, they sweat without apparent cause, or it affects them on a personal level.
In addition, the expert emphasizes that excessive sweating in the long term, apart from reducing the patient’s quality of life, can lead to other types of complications such as infections or inflammation of the skin (eczemas or dermatitis, for example). So it encourages not to stop consulting this problem with a specialist.
The star treatment
There are several ways of treatment, according to the dermatologist, such as various antiperspirants, anticholinergic drugs, botulinum toxin, and sometimes surgery, among others.
But, in my opinion, a very effective treatment, compared to so many techniques available today, the star, the one of choice, is technology ‘Miradry‘. It is a device that generates microwave waves and is very effective in eliminating this problem of excessive sweating », he points out.
Hyperhidrosis may affect 2% of the Caucasian population
It is the latest technique that has come onto the market to combat hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating and precisely the International Dermatological Clinic (CDI) has been the first center in Spain to incorporate this technology “with extraordinary results”, according to Sánchez-Carpintero. At the moment it can only be applied to the armpits.
Get rid of the bad smell
How does it work? As detailed by the dermatologist, it achieves a very high temperature of 65-70 degrees through microwave waves. “Due to this thermal effect, the glands responsible for sweating are eliminated, but also the apocrine glands, responsible for the bad smell,” he clarifies.
In fact, he underlines that there are patients with this problem, bromhidrosis, a condition where body odor is exaggerated and caused by the secretion of sweat glands, and which further conditions their personal and work life in general.
«By eliminating the glands, the patient sweats less and the sweat he has practically smells nothing», assures the Ruber International specialist.
This problem says that it can be solved with one session or two, in case the patient’s sweating is extreme. It consists of an outpatient treatment, where local anesthesia is used. “This is injected into the patient through a very fine needle in the armpit, almost imperceptible, and after sleeping in the axillary area, the treatment is carried out. «A template is traced on the skin and then the device (MiraDry) is applied, which through a handpiece that has a suction cup that sucks the skin, waves are emitted in the armpit, applying several impacts until the entire surface is covered» , clarifies.
Decreases 80% of sweating
Specifically, this procedure lasts an hour and its effects are seen from the first day, as stated, while it is possible to reduce around 80% of sweating and also bad smell, with one or two sessions in extreme cases. .
«All techniques can have complications, but in this case, this one is very safe and clinically very effective.. Complications are local and temporary. Most patients have local inflammation. Small nodules may appear in the armpit, apart from causing a little pain that is very well controlled with analgesics such as anti-inflammatories. Usually, these symptoms and the visible signs of inflammation subside within a week. “The patient usually leads a normal life from the next day,” he stresses.
With all this, Dr. Sánchez-Carpintero highlights that it is a technique with a “very high” rate of efficacy, as well as a very high degree of patient satisfaction. “It really solves a problem that until recently was very difficult to solve,” he concludes.