- Excessive sweating can cause issues for people who suffer
- Here at The Private Clinic, we have a range of treatments that targets the cause of excessive sweating, simply and effectively
- Treatments performed by expert doctors and nurse injectors
What’s on this page
- About this Treatment
- What to Expect
- FAQs
- Our Clinics
- Patient Stories
- Meet the Experts
- Related Blogs & News
Medically reviewed by Lorcan Sheppard BSc MBBS FRCA, Chief Medical Officer for The Private Clinic of Harley Street, London.
Last Reviewed June 15th 2023
Related Treatments
Excessive Sweating Treatment
Excessive sweating is an embarrassing and uncomfortable condition that affects around 3% of the UK population. It can have a serious effect on a sufferer’s working and social life.
Excessive sweating – or hyperhidrosis – can have a serious effect on a sufferer’s working and social life and many people simply avoid doing things they would otherwise love to do because they are too embarrassed about their sweating.
Types of Hyperhidrosis
There are two main types of hyperhidrosis:
- Focal hyperhidrosis is the more common type and involves excessive sweating of the hands, feet and underarms.
- Generalised hyperhidrosis is much less common and affects the whole body. It is usually caused by another illness like diabetes, an underactive thyroid or an infection.
Wrinkle injections have been used as an effective treatment for excessive sweating/hyperhidrosis since 1994.
The Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale
Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating is when your body produces an increased and non-physiological amount of sweat. The Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS) grades excessive sweating according to how it affects your life;
- Grade 1: My sweating /perspiration is never noticeable and never interferes with my daily activities
- Grade 2: My sweating is tolerable but sometimes interferes with my daily activities
- Grade 3: My sweating is barely tolerable and frequently interferes with my daily activities
- Grade 4: My sweating is intolerable and always interferes with my daily activities
The Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale is a great diagnostic tool to measure of the severity of your condition.
A score of grade 2 indicates that you may be suffering from mild or moderate hyperhidrosis but grades 3 to 4 indicates severe hyperhidrosis and a perfect candidate for treatment.
Hyperhidrosis Treatment
We offer a wrinkle injection treatment for hyperhidrosis performed only by specialist doctors, nurses and surgeons who are fully trained and qualified in the particular procedure.
The treatment works by blocking the transmission of the nerve impulses to the sweat glands which as a result decreases the amount you sweat/perspire.
At The Private Clinic we only use wrinkle injections to minimise excessive sweating in the armpits. This treatment has been known to treat the hands and feet but due to the discomfort, downtime and potential side effects that performing the treatment in these areas can bring on we do not treat hand or feet for excessive sweating at The Private Clinic.
The minimum legal age for a botulinum toxin is 18 years old. We do not provide treatments to anyone under 18 years old at The Private Clinic and we may ask for ID at the time of your appointment.
Watch Dr Hanson perform Hyperhidrosis Injection Treatment
Excessive Sweating at a glance
Procedure Time
30 mins
Downtime
24 – 48 hours
Final Results
1 week
No. of Treatments
Every 6 months
Results Last
6 – 12 months
We are the UK’s leading non-invasive cosmetic group and have some of the most experienced nurses and laser practitioners in the country working with us. We have successfully treated thousands of patients. By coming to us for your excessive sweating treatment you can rest assured you are in the best possible hands and that you will get the results you were hoping for.
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What to Expect
The Private Clinic has been treating patients for over 40 years with thousands of people placing their trust in us each year. We pride ourselves on being able to offer a personalised service. We have a team of friendly nurses and expert surgeons who understand the importance of this decision and will support you throughout your journey with us.
Excessive Sweating Treatment
Here at the Private Clinic, we offer a proven treatment that can banish excessive sweating for up to a year.
We usually recommend that you come in for a consultation first to discuss your concerns and our nurse, doctor or surgeon can go through your medical history and make sure that you are suitable for treatment.
Before treatment, you need to make sure that your armpits are shaven at least 2-3 days prior as this makes it easier for us to identify the areas that suffer the most from excessive sweating.
You will have a topical anaesthetic applied to the area before to make the treatment more comfortable. Once the anaesthetic has taken effect your doctor, nurse or surgeon will begin injecting the armpit with a series of small botulinum toxin type A injections to cover the entire area.
After your Excessive Sweating Treatment
You will notice a reduction in the amount you sweat one week after your treatment.
If you have not noticed a difference after 2 weeks then we recommend you come back in for a follow-up – a repeat treatment can be carried out to treat the missed areas.
Your results tend to last between 6-9 months but it can differ between patients. To continue achieving the best results we advise having the treatment every 6 months to avoid excessive sweating returning.
According to Allergan, in clinical trials, 89% of patients who had treatment were satisfied after a single week and 93% of patients were still satisfied after 16 weeks of treatment.
You will be able to resume your normal activities after treatment but strenuous activities should be avoided for 24 hours after treatment. You may feel a little bruised in the treatment areas for 1-2 days after treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most treatments for hyperhidrosis are designed to reduce the symptoms and improve the quality of life.
Surgery for hyperhidrosis is available but this is usually only for very severe cases. The procedure is known as Sympathectomy surgery, also called endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy (ETS). It involves cutting and destroying certain nerves within the sympathetic nervous system that carry nerve signals to the sweat glands. There are lots of risks of surgery including scarring, nerve damage, and loss of sensation. Some patients can also develop compensatory sweating that causes them to sweat even more heavily than they did from hyperhidrosis.
We do not offer sympathectomy surgery for hyperhidrosis at our clinics. Our wrinkle injections are a great non-surgical treatment option that can provide patients with at least 6 months of relief from excessive sweating.
Usually our patients that come to see us for this treatment have tried a whole variety of previous treatments like prescription antiperspirants and sweat proof clothing but have not had much success in reducing the excessive sweating.
Although this treatment may not be successful for everyone the majority of our patients find it has made a difference to their condition and visit us for regular treatments.
Certain medical conditions or medications may make you unsuitable for treatment but a full medical history will be taken and discussed with you at your consultation before treatment.
Botulinum toxin is only licensed to treat under arms for excessive sweating. It can be used on hands and feet but we do not treat these areas at The Private Clinic due to the discomfort, downtime and potential side effects.
You should notice that your sweating has reduced considerably within 3 to 7 days of treatment.
Wrinkle injections for excessive sweating are not commonly available on the NHS, in some parts of the country you may be offered this treatment if others have been unsuccessful on the NHS but usually it would be recommended that you find a private practice that offers this treatment.
Excessive sweating treatment is Available in these Clinics
Patient Stories
Outstanding care, patient satisfaction and results mean everything to The Private Clinic Team
Read about our patients’ experiences to see what you can expect from our award-winning procedures.
Hyperhidrosis – Scott
Why Choose The Private Clinic
- Expert medical practitioners with years of experience.
- State of the art medical facilities, all registered by the CQC (Care Quality Commission).
- Our innovative treatment choice means you will be offered the most advanced minimally invasive treatment options.
- When it comes to non-surgical treatments we always strive to give you little to no downtime, so you can get back to enjoying life.
Meet our Experts
We are the UK’s leading non-invasive cosmetic group and have some of the best doctors, nurses and surgeons in the country working with us.
AESTHETIC DOCTOR
GMC Number: 6073046
London Harley Street
COSMETIC DOCTOR
MBBS, MSc (Aesth Med), MBCAM.
GMC Number: 6146269
London Harley Street
SENIOR AESTHETIC MEDICAL PRACTITIONER
RGN
BIRMINGHAM
