Botulinum toxin

Botox Injektion im Achselbereich

botulinum toxin for hyperhidrosis

Originally, this therapy is used in neurology/psychiatry to treat muscle spasms. Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin that stops the secretion of sweat. Sweat glands receive a nerve impulse to secrete their secretion. This nerve impulse is transmitted via the transmitter - or messenger - acetylcholine. The bacterial toxin Botox irreversibly blocks this transmitter, thus temporarily inhibiting sweat secretion.

In most cases, sweat secretion does not resume until months to a year later. Botox therapy is therefore not a permanent procedure for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. Botox is administered by adjusted doses in the form of skin injections. The skin areas affected by sweating are punctured. The number depends on the type of skin area as well as the intensity of sweating. Botox therapy does not cause any side effects.

However, there is a part of the population that is immune to this bacterial toxin (bia about 10%), so that in this case there is no effect of inhibition of sweating at all. 

therapy with botulinum toxin

Poison against heavy sweating !

This therapy is efficiently applied for the treatment of hand, foot and partly also facial sweat. A serious disadvantage, however, is the costliness of the procedure. In some cases, health insurance companies are not prepared to cover the high financial outlay.
The injection procedure is also not entirely painless. Local anesthesia is therefore required. The therapy is currently still in the medical approval process.