How to Decrease Underarm Perspiration

Axillary hyperhidrosis is excessive underarm perspiration. It is a condition that is caused by stress or an underlying medical condition. Treatment of this illness goes beyond traditional antiperspirants. Many sufferers must use special antiperspirants, some prescription to treat their mild case of hyperhidrosis. Fortunately, there are other options for people who have tried these topical treatments but failed.

Instructions

• 1

  See your doctor to rule out an underlying condition. The National Institutes of Health describe infections, nerve damage, menopause, cancer, injuries to the spinal cord and hypothyroidism among the many causes of hyperhidrosis. Eliminating the underlying condition should decrease the underarm perspiration. If the problem still exists, then proceed to the next step.

• 2

  Try oral medications that inhibit parts of the sweat production system. In doing so, you should reduce the amount of excess underarm sweat. The Mayo Clinic describes the three major drugs used. Anticholinergics get between the sweat glands and the nerve impulses that start it. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors slow actual sweating, while the clonidine inhibits nerve stimulation to reduce sweat production. Some antidepressants also may be used.

• 3

  Use Botox. The FDA approved Botox as a treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis in 2004. It is used once topical treatments and medications fail. According to the International Hyperhidrosis Society, "80 percent of patients treat with Botox have experienced a 50 percent decrease in underarm perspiration." Treatments last up to a year, and Botox injections must be repeated to be successful.

• 4

  Undergo surgery. A last resort should be surgery for excessive underarm sweating. The California Institute for Hyperhidrosis and Facial Blushing describes the procedure that has become common for this condition. Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS) is a surgical procedure to "disconnect" the nerve behind the excess sweating. According to the Institute, an overzealous sympathetic nerve is located along the front of the spinal cord (inside the rib cage), and is accessed through the armpit. A small incision is made through which the endoscope is thread to the sympathetic nerve. A small section of the nerve is either cut or clipped with a small titanium device. This interrupts to the messages sent by the overactive nerve telling the glands to produce the excess sweat.