Non-Surgical Treatment for Underarm Sweating - miraDry By Shareef Jandali M.D. on May 21, 2016

Humans are born with about 2-3 million sweat glands all over their bodies. For some people, sweating is extreme and the underarms can be one of the most bothersome areas. The disorder is called hyperhidrosis and is caused by the overstimulation of the sympathetic nerves in the underarm area. Excessive sweating can also lead to excessive body odor. Specific foods, stressful situations, exercise, and emotional situations can make both sweating and body odor worse. 

Excessive sweating usually starts in puberty and continues into adulthood. Excessive sweating and body odor can be embarrassing and quite a nuisance. Patients often need to change their clothes frequently, spend money on dry cleaning, and buy new clothes from armpit stains. The FDA regulates over the counter antiperspirants to decrease sweating by about 20%. Prescription antiperspirant medications like Drysol and Certain Dri still only decrease sweating by about 30%. This often leads patients to get Botox injections in the underarms every 6 months, which involves multiple needle sticks and a possible bill of $1000 with each injection treatment. 

Previously, patients were left with no other options and some patients were so frustrated that they would resort to surgery for treatment of excessive underarm sweating. One option is performed by thoracic surgeons and called an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. With this surgery, incisions are made in the underarm between the ribs and an instrument is used to cut the sympathetic nerves that stimulate sweating. This surgery had to be performed under general anesthesia in the hospital. The risks can be significant and lifelong and include: bleeding, infection, injury to the lung, nerve pain, injury to the nerves supplying the arm and hand with sensation/movement, need for a chest tube, Horner's Syndrome, and a lower heart rate needing a pacemaker. 

miraDry is a non-surgical treatment for underarm sweating. It is FDA approved and is performed in the office under local anesthesia only. Results are permanent and decrease underarm sweating by about 80-90% - about as much as surgery, but without the risks. Most patients only need one treatment and have no need for antiperspirant or deodorant! The treatment kills both the sweat glands and odor glands forever.