Everything You Need To Know Before Getting Botox For Sweating

Especially in the past few years, Botox has become less of an "if" and more of a "when" for many people. Those who know of Botox are likely familiar with its unique promise of providing a temporary halt on the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles associated with aging skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, Botox uses a toxin called onobotulinumtoxinA to block chemical signals from nerves that cause muscles to contract. Essentially, Botox is able to combat aging because it relaxes the muscles in the face that can cause wrinkles.

As it turns out, though, Botox injections can be useful for more than just wrinkles and fine lines on the face. Aside from aging, Botox can be used to treat neck spasms, an overactive bladder, lazy eyes, and excessive sweating, per the Mayo Clinic. Dermatologist Michele Green told Byrdie that people who sweat excessively suffer from hyperhidrosis, or a condition in which the sympathetic nerves in the affected area are overactive. As Green pointed out, Botox can block these overactive nerve signals. "By injecting Botox directly into the areas which cause sweating, such as your underarm or palms, these overactive nerves are paralyzed and cannot signal the nerves in your sweat glands to fire, and hence block the release of sweat in the injected areas," Green told Byrdie.

Prior to getting a Botox injection for your excessive sweating, er, glistening, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First off, as Byrdie noted, in order for your insurance company to cover your Botox injection, you might need to try other avenues to treat your excessive sweating prior to receiving a Botox injection, such as prescription-strength antiperspirants. But if Botox is the treatment for you, here's what you should do. In the week leading up to your appointment, be sure to avoid aspirin, Motrin, Aleve, fish oil, blood thinners of any kind, laser hair removal, or shaving in the armpit or affected area. It is important to note, though, that the procedure works best on clean-shaven underarms, so it is advisable to shave your arms 48 hours prior to your Botox appointment, per Byrdie.

If you are getting Botox injected into your underarms, the procedure should only take one office visit and a total of 25 injections into each armpit. According to the Cleveland Clinic, Botox injections in the armpit can decrease underarm moisture by 82% to 87%. As an added bonus, the injections can even put a stop to any unpleasant body odor coming from your armpits. This newfound dryness can last between three and 12 months. However, just because you're getting rid of the vast majority of the excessive sweat and body odor does not mean that you can get away with going sans deodorant. "The goal of Botox injections is to reduce profuse sweating to a normal or slightly less-than-normal amount," dermatologist Sherry Yu told the Cleveland Clinic. "Most people still have a little bit of sweating and may find they need deodorant or antiperspirant. But it varies from person to person."