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Frequently asked questions about hyperhidrosis
Who performs the operations?
A highly experienced plastic surgeon (and member of the union of German plastic surgeons) carries out all plastic and aesthetic surgery in our hospital.

Is the extraction of the sweat glands painful?
Performed under local anaesthetic, the operation is virtually painless. After the anaesthetic fades away, you will not feel any pain.

Are the side effects of the toxin well known?
The toxin has already been used successfully in the field of neurology for many years, for instance, in the treatment of muscle contractions. The compounds used in plastic and aesthetic surgery often contain a smaller concentration and if the company’s rules are properly applied, there are hardly any risks except the possibility of reddening and swelling.

Do you see problems with repeated injections?
Since the substance is temporally limited, it should be re-injected according to the patient’s wishes. We envisage no problem with this.

FAQ

Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)

Increased sweating of the hands, feet and particularly the armpits is felt by most to be extremely unpleasant. Frequent washing and two or three changes of clothing daily is not unusual. Moreover, one constantly tries to conceal armpit sweat rings by wearing appropriate clothing.

Because conservative therapy (ointments, sprays, etc.) is not usually sufficient, and the effects are not long-term, an operation or under-skin injection will often be taken into consideration. The aim is to remove or inactivate the responsible sweat glands as completely as possible.

During an in-depth discussion in our clinic, you will discover which procedure is best suited to you and what alternative methods can be offered.

The different procedures
Treatment with Toxin
In this painless and quick operation, a specially prepared solution with Toxin is injected into both armpits (and/or the palms of the hands). This active substance causes a temporary inactivation of the function of the sweat glands. The period usually lasts for between 4-10 months. You can leave the hospital immediately after the treatment, which lasts approx. 20 min and you can resume your usual activities. Just three to four days later, you should notice no further perspiration within the area of the injection.

Liposuction
Besides the oft-published operational procedures, which usually leave conspicuous scars after the removal of large sections of skin from the shoulder region, the possibility of subcutaneous (underneath the skin) vacuum extraction by local anaesthetic is also available. Here, by making an incision of approximately 3mm in length, the sweat glands beneath the skin are relaxed and extracted.

By using the tumescence technique of local anaesthesia (tumescere = Latin = swell, inflate), larger quantities of a diluted local anaesthesia solution are introduced into the subcutaneous fatty tissue. This procedure reduces both the extent of the bleeding during the operation and the swelling afterwards.

Please see the liposuction page for details of the surgery itself and for events after the operation.

Chances of success
Almost 100% of the cases treated with toxin injections result in full dryness of the armpit region. A disadvantage of this treatment is the limited shelf life of the compound.

After the surgical extraction of the sweat glands, there is also the danger that increased sweat secretions will appear in the long term.

Surgery-specific risks
As with every surgical operation there are risks with the extraction of sweat glands in the axillary area (armpit), e.g. swelling, dent formation, bruising and temporary numbness of the skin.

After the toxin injection, itching and a reddening of the skin are sometimes seen, but this quickly subsides.

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