Still at the American Society of Laser Medicine & Surgery conference in Boston, here’s what I picked up on Day 2 last week:

@mainelaserskin

12:43 P.M.- Hyperhidrosis update from ASLMS: defined as sweat production above and beyond normal physiological needs regardless of external temperature.

12:46 P.M.- #Hyperhidrosis predominantly affects underarms, but also can affect hands, feet and face.  Also men and women affected equally.

12:50 P.M.- #Hyperhidrosis diagnosed in 4% of Americans but additional 17% of population bothered by excessive sweating affecting lifestyle.

12:53 P.M.- #Hyperhidrosis almost always starts before age 25 but most commonly starts at puberty.  Most patients have some family history of this prob.

12:58 P.M.- There are topical+oral treatments for #Hyperhidrosis but generally not very effective+most patients don’t like taking pills long term.

1:05 P.M.- Local surgical treatments for #Hyperhidrosis include radical sweating gland resection or underarm liposuction that disrupts sweat glands.

1:07 P.M.- Most radical surgery for #Hyperhidrosis is transthoracic sympathectomy which cuts/clips the sympathetic nerve which stimulates sweat glands.

1:12 P.M.- Most common+effective therapy for #Hyperhidrosis in underarms is injected #Botox with 50 units from 25 injections in each axilla.

1:17 P.M.- When injected into underarms for #Hyperhidrosis, Botox binds to nerve terminals+blocks chemical signals to sweat glands decreasing sweating.

1:21 P.M.- #Botox for #Hyperhidrosis lasts an average of 290 days although many pts esp men have shorter lasting effects.

1:26 P.M.- Major difficulty in using #Botox for #Hyperhidrosis:insurance coverage commonly requiring prior authorization+restricting amounts approved.

1:39 P.M.- No real effective #Hyperhidrosis treatment by lasers although subdermal therapy being studied but more invasive+requires more anesthesia.

1:45 P.M.- Newest technology for #Hyperhidrosis is microwave based which penetrates+heats below skin in subcutaneous fat killing sweat glands.