Offer patients a treatment for hyperhidrosis, expert says

Bothersome sweating is no small problem. Dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons and others should pay attention to the problem and offer patients treatments, according to Carolyn Jacob, M.D., director of the Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology center in Chicago.

“Clinically diagnosed axillary hyperhidrosis affects over 4% of the population and up to 21% of the population is bothered by sweat (not clinically diagnosed),” according to Dr. Jacob, who presented an update on hyperhidrosis treatment of hyperhidrosis during the 36th Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery, Boston, Mass. She says that at least 10 devices have been studied for the treatment of hyperhidrosis, including laser, ultrasound, microwave and radiofrequency technologies.

Read: Pediatric patients can suffer from excessive sweating

“Microwave technology shows an 89% typical reduction of sweat after two treatments, spaced two months apart,” she says. “This technology has the most clinical patients studied to date.”

According to available data, there are added benefits from microwave technology, including hair reduction and odor reduction, Dr. Jacob says.

Read: Hyperhidrosis treatment effectively removes armpit hair

“People hate to sweat, and they need to know there is a treatment for it - especially, if they have clinically significant sweating, which impairs the quality of daily activities and work,” Dr. Jacob says.

Researchers continue to conduct studies on treatment settings and parameters for devices that best treat hyperhidrosis, according to Dr. Jacob. Researchers are also looking at the potential for treating palmar hyperhidrosis with microwave technology, she says.

Disclosure: Dr. Jacob is on the advisory board for Miramar, which makes MiraDry.