Hyperhidrosis
Dr Andrew Bullen is an experienced vascular surgeon who performs minimally invasive surgery to address excessive sweating when other options like antiperspirants or medications have failed.
What is hyperhidrosis?
Excessive or uncontrollable sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, occurs in approximately 3% of the population. Sweating is your body’s normal mechanism to cool itself, but some people produce more sweat than is needed.
Excessive sweating can be socially embarrassing, may stain clothing or footwear and impact on quality of life. This can also predispose you to skin conditions such as fungal infection, eczema and rashes.
There are two types of excessive sweating:
- Focal hyperhidrosis: excessive sweating in certain areas of the body, usually the armpits, hands, feet or face.
- Generalised hyperhidrosis: excessive sweating that affects the entire body, usually due to an underlying medical problem.
What causes excessive sweating?
Sweating normally happens when the nervous system triggers the sweat glands to produce fluid to cool the body. This can happen in response to the temperature, physical activity or stress.
Sometimes, the nerves become overactive and trigger the sweat glands even without heat or physical activity. This type of hyperhidrosis often runs in families. It can be worse if you are nervous or stressed.
Excessive sweating can also be caused by a medical condition such as diabetes, menopause, thyroid problems, low blood sugar, some types of cancer, nervous system disorders and infections.
Some medicines can also cause excessive sweating.
What is the treatment for hyperhidrosis?
Treatment options range from simple lifestyle remedies or prescription strength antiperspirants and medication, to more invasive therapies. These include immersing the hands or feet in water and passing a mild current to the skin, injections of muscle relaxants or minimally invasive surgical treatment.
Advancements in surgical techniques mean treatment of severe cases can be performed through keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery.
Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) is a procedure that is used to treat hyperhidrosis of the palms or armpits, that has not responded to other therapy.
This procedure involves dividing the nerves that supply the sweat glands in the arm and hand, using laparoscopic surgery. ETS is very effective at stopping sweating of the hands in over 95% of cases.
For appointments and enquiries, please phone 02 4243 8050
Monday to Friday 8 am – 5 pm
FAX 02 4243 8049
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