My experience with using Botox for hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating in my feet, at Claraderma in St. Catharines including cost, pain, and effectiveness.
I’ve experienced excessive sweating since a young age – and it was daunting. Teachers were frustrated with my sloppy work from sweaty palms, people didn’t like to hold my hand, and I was very aware why.
I may have been the only young girl researching treatments but that was the first time I learned about Botox for hyperhidrosis. But at that time, it was wishful thinking for me.
This year, after kind of forgetting about Botox as a treatment option, I finally I found a nurse practitioner at Claraderma Medical Aesthetics and Laser Clinic in the Niagara Region that offers Botox for hyperhidrosis in underarms, palms, and feet.
You might recall I had an amazing experience with Treating my Hormonal Acne at Claraderma so, of course, I trusted them with this process as well.
What is Hyperhidrosis?
If you’re reading this, you probably already know. If you’re just learning about hyperhidrosis let’s dig in a bit. It’s pretty simple: hyperhidrosis is a disorder characterized by excessive sweating in localized areas of the body such as hands, feet, or underarms or the entire body. It affects 3% to 5% of individuals and can impacts the quality of life for those living with hyperhidrosis including their confidence, social and emotional wellness.
Let me tell you, life with excessive sweating may not seem like the worst scenario but it’s truly isolating and leads to a lot of self consciousness. I remember planning my wedding around my excessive sweating.
Generally, hyperhidrosis is prominent in a focal area or generalized all over the body. I’m a bit of an anomaly and see excessive sweating in my hands and my feet. I also could characterized my excessive sweating as QUITE excessive leading to dripping sweat.
Botox is a proven treatment for hyperhidrosis by interrupting the signal from the nerves to the sweat glands.
Is Botox for Hyperhidrosis Covered Under Insurance?
Yes, many private insurance companies cover the cost of therapeutic Botox for hyperhidrosis.
At Claraderma, the clinic helped me navigate working with my insurance company to navigate my coverage.
You don’t need to contact your insurance company prior to your appointment! When you arrive for your appointment, you will complete a form with your private insurance information and Claraderma will submit it on for you! Your first treatment is always covered by your private insurance, apart from the injection fee (see below) and you’ll receive a letter from your insurance company about whether future treatments will be covered.
How Much does Botox for Hyperhidrosis Cost?
If you have insurance through a private company a significant portion of the cost can be covered. At Claraderma if you are insured you pay the injection fee which is approximately $155.
If you do not have insurance, the cost of Botox for hyperhidrosis is about $700.
Does Botox get rid of Hyperhidrosis?
Man, I wish!!! No, unfortunately Botox does not get rid of hyperhidrosis. Botox for hyperhidrosis can last up to 6 months so individuals may need 1-2 treatments annually.
What to Expect?
At Claraderma Botox is administered by a Medical Aesthetic Nurse by injection. For my treatment, I saw Krista and she was ah-mazing.
There are a few steps involved prior to the injections to help the nurse make injections into the sites of excessive sweating. This includes applying a numbing cream to lessen the pain, then using an iodine corn starch test to the area of concern using, simply, iodine and corn starch. When applied, sweat will turn the area purple and will serve as an injection guide to make sure all the sweat glands are targeted.
So, what does Botox DO? Once the nurse outlines an injection guide, Botox is injected directly into a muscle and the nerve signal is block from reaching the sweat gland, eliminating the production of sweat.
warning: if needles aren’t your thing, I recommend skipping the video – during the treatment I did not watch
After the treatment you can expect to see some mild discomfort and bruising. You’ll see results between 5 days and 14 days for the full results to be seen.
Is Botox for Hyperhidrosis Painful?
In short, yes – think about it, needles are being injected into your underarms, face, hands or feet. It doesn’t feel good. BUT it varies from person to person based on severity and pain tolerance.
I’m going to be straight with you. My treatment was extremely painful. I had Botox to treat hyperhidrosis in my feet and, as noted, I have extremely excessive sweating. When the Iodine Corn Starch test was done it showed my sweating, which was a lot, was also on the top of my feet. With that in mind, there is a lot of tender skin, a whole lot of nerves, and A LOT of area to cover to ensure all the sweat glands were targeted. In total, my treatment used two vials of Botox so there were a number of needles.
For me, with how impacted my life is by my excessive sweating, it was completely worth it.
Since my Treatment
Since my treatment three weeks ago I’ve noticed a significant decrease in the sweating in my feet – that’s including during a heat wave!! I’m able to wear shoes I love and my confidence and self esteem have improved now that I’m not constantly worrying about people noticing how sweaty I am or that I’ve left sweaty footprints on their floors.
REFERENCES
Therapeutic BOTOX Treatments | ClaraDerma+ | Medical Aesthetics and Laser Skincare in St. Catharines, OntarioHyperhidrosis – Canadian Dermatology AssociationCSPA – Hyperhidrosis
PHOTO CREDIT
