Botox for underarm sweat?

[rachelh]

Has anyone tried it?

I am considering it but would like to hear some BTDT experrience. I am usually fine in cotton but start sweating within mintues of putting anything synthetic on.

So what was the cost? Did it work completely?

TIA!

[mnj77]

I'm a total lurker here, but I did botox for underarm sweating in my 20s. I don't remember how much it was (parents paid for it), but it did work really well! I think I did it 3 or 4 times. It was a little bit painful but not unbearable, and I was completely dry for several months after each treatment. I don't know why I stopped, but I never had the super excessive sweating again. That could just be hormonal though - I don't think it's supposed to be permanent. I say go for it - it made a huge difference in my quality of life at the time!

[chlobo]

A friend is doing this and she said it works great. She also somehow got her dermatologist to say it was "necessary" so insurance covered it.

[crayonblue]

Oh man, I can answer this question.

Yes, Botox works. I had it done every 6-9 months for 6 years. Some pros and cons:

Pros:
It works! It makes a HUGE difference in quality of life when you don't have to worry about sweating through shirts.
It is considered a medical necessary procedure so insurance will cover it 100%. Your dermatologist will determine the medical necessary part and any half-way decent derm will agree if you tell them you are sweating too much. They may require that you try Drysol first (a 20% aluminum prescription antiperspirant). Drysol works OK but 1) not completely and 2) it is very irritating to the skin. If the derm requires trying Drysol first, do it and then march back in and tell him/her you can't stand the irritation.
It is not painful. 15 or so tiny needle pricks per underarm and then you are out the door.

Cons:
It only lasts 6-9 months and then you have to go back in and go through the whole insurance rigamarole and then get 30 more injections.
It is possible to develop a resistance to Botox. Not highly likely but possible over time.

DH, who works in the pharmaceutical IT realm, had the Botox for medically necessary procedures account a while back and at one point insurance companies were great about Botox authorization. Once you were approved for Botox for a specific condition there was no wait time for the next treatment. DH no longer works for the same company so I don't know where Botox and insurance companies stand today. I have to say it was kind of dorky fun to know how exactly the Botox-insurance-doctors-pharmacies all work together. Botox for medical issues is a HUGE industry. I do remember a few treatments when I had to wait months for my insurance to get their act together. Other times I could waltz right in, no problem at all! That was very frustrating.

A couple of years ago I got tired of the Botox cycle, so I got MiraDry. AMAZING. It's a procedure that basically lasers the sweat glands and they are gone, dead, never to return. It is expensive--$3,000--or so. I was one of the trial patients so I got mine for $1,000 total. It has something like a 99% success rate and 99% satisfaction rate. There have been many different laser/surgery treatments over the years that have all had varying degrees of success and side effects. Miradry has basically perfected the eradication of sweat glands.

If you have any questions, please feel free to pm me. Unfortunately, I know way too much about this!

[MSWR0319]

A couple of years ago I got tired of the Botox cycle, so I got MiraDry. AMAZING. It's a procedure that basically lasers the sweat glands and they are gone, dead, never to return. It is expensive--$3,000--or so. I was one of the trial patients so I got mine for $1,000 total. It has something like a 99% success rate and 99% satisfaction rate. There have been many different laser/surgery treatments over the years that have all had varying degrees of success and side effects. Miradry has basically perfected the eradication of sweat glands.

If you have any questions, please feel free to pm me. Unfortunately, I know way too much about this!

Interesting!! I didn't know anything about this at all. I need to keep this in mind.

[cckwmh]

It is covered by most private insurances but at least in massachusetts the reimbursement rate is so low that many dermatologists think it is not worth their time to do. The rate barely covers the product, never mind the injections. Some insurances require you to fail dry sol first. We do it in my office, and I have had it done. I personally love it but some patients report their hands or feet start sweating more as a result.

[Snow mom]

I switched a couple of months ago to certain dri and that has done the trick for me. It's over the counter roll on which you put on at night. I actually have a harder time remembering at night but I can skip a day or two and still not sweat under my arms. It does cause a bit of itching sometime (was worse when I first started using it.) To me it's an acceptable tradeoff. I don't need any type of deodorant in addition to it.

[rachelh]

Thanks all for the advice! I am sure my insurance will get out of covering the botox - somehow...
Going to look into the MiraDry - sounds a lot more enticing - aside from the price.