Use Botox For Excessive Sweating

The history of Botox is fascinating.  This medication has its roots in one of the most potent neurotoxins known to man: the botulinum toxin.  This toxin is famous in history as being one of the major problems of the seafarers who eventually discovered America, who had to lay provisions for several months of sea travel, and learned the hard way the deadly effects of improperly sealing the cans.  Even through the early part of the 20th century, food processing plants had to learn proper sealing of food products with serious consequences during the time the processes were being fine-tuned.

It was not until fairly recently when, in 1981 Dr. Alan B. Scott published the first study showing the safe use of a highly purified and diluted solution of the botulism toxin to selectively paralyze particular eye muscles in order to reduce the effects of strabismus (cross eyes).  The FDA approved this solution in 1989 and the preparation Botox was approved for use in treating moderate to severe frown lines in adults in 2002, less than a decade ago.

Since then pharmaceutical developers have investigated many other uses for Botox.  One of the most interesting has been the treatment of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) when the medication is injected strategically in several points in each armpit.  This treatment has been in use since 1995 and has also gained recent FDA approval.  

Those who use Botox to treat sufferers of excessive sweating consider the advent of this treatment a godsend.  Hyperhidrosis can be a serious social and professional problem.  Many people are able to do mild activities in their life, walking, speaking with mild stress, wearing two layers in a warm day, without perspiring noticeably.  Those suffering from Hyperhidrosis can do none of those things unnoticed.  Their clothes soak producing unsightly water marks.  Even mild activity gives the impression that they have run a marathon and are out of shape.  One modern inconvenience of this malady is that it is more difficult to travel at airports since security personal are instructed to look for anyone exceptionally nervous, including those that perspire out of the norm, for additional screening.