miraDry: How it Works

Yes! miraDry is the first device to receive FDA clearance for both underarm hair removal of all colours, and underarm sweat removal. Although the primary targets are sweat and odour glands, hair units reside in the same plane as these glands. Up to 70% hair reduction of all colours has been reported after two treatments.

Because your underarms are numbed with local anaesthetic, you will not feel any discomfort during the procedure. At times you may experience a slight warmth and pulling of the skin. Most patients rate the discomfort level a 2 out of 10, with 10 being extremely painful.

Of the 2 million + sweat glands that exist all over the body, only 2% reside in the underarms. Removing these sweat glands does not stop the body from effectively cooling itself, and does not create compensatory sweat (sweating excessively from other parts of the body) as seen in other procedures such as surgery.

To begin with, a template is used to mark out the treatment area based on the size of the underarm. Following this your underarms will be numbed with local anaesthetic. The doctor will then place the handpiece on the treatment area, and begin delivering energy.

Injections for sweating work by blocking the chemical signals from the nerves responsible for producing sweat. On average results only last between 3-6 months, meaning patients must return for more injections to stop their sweating. This can become very expensive in the long run, and cause stress as the injections begin wearing off.

Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy surgery is an invasive, major surgical procedure that involves collapsing one lung at a time to reach and destroy the nerve pathways responsible for the overactive sweating.

Many physicians advise against the procedure due to the many irreversible side-effects, the most common being compensatory sweating. This is where the patient begins sweating severely in other parts of the body, usually more excessively than the original sweating.

Patients must be 18 years of age or older. The treatment is not recommended for individuals who have an intolerance to local anaesthesia, who require supplemental oxygen, or who have a pacemaker.

You will experience slight swelling and bruising of the underarms that fully clears within a few weeks. Short term altered sensation may be experienced in the underarms, but subsides gradually.

The procedure does not create rebound/compensatory sweating as seen in other sweat removal treatments.

Downtime is almost zero. Patients will be able to return home the same day, although most people resume a completely normal schedule within 72 hours of treatment.

Exercise is not recommended for the first 3 days.

Anybody who is sick of sweating from their underarms may be a candidate for the miraDry procedure. A common misconception is that you must be diagnosed with axillary hyperhidrosis to be eligible for the treatment. Although those suffering with the medical condition are likely to experience life changing results, any person suffering from the following should know there is a solution:

• You don’t wear certain colours or materials, and/or notice sweat stains on clothing
• You keep jackets and jumpers on to avoid visible sweat stains
• You worry about sweating in advance of situations e.g. business meetings, dates
• You overuse anti-perspirants and/or deodorants
• You are embarrassed that someone might see you sweating
• You sweat even in colder conditions

Yes! In a large, sham-control, peer-reviewed, multi-site clinical study, the long-term results and efficacy of miraDry were proven. A detailed look at the results of these findings can be found at the International Hyperhidrosis Society website:

https://www.sweathelp.org/treatments-hcp/miradry.html

In most cases the procedure takes about 1-1.5 hours.

You will be able to go home on the same day, and will be recommended to use icepacks on the underarms for the following few days. You may also be prescribed a mild over-the-counter painkiller. It is best to avoid exercise until a few days have past.

Medical grade anti-perspirants may not only leave skin irritated and red, but exposes the sufferer to Aluminium Chlorohydrate. The health risks of this compound is being studied more and more, with some countries looking to ban aluminium anti-perspirants all together.

Unfortunately miraDry is not covered by either Medicare nor private health insurance.

No. Currently miraDry is only indicated for underarm sweat.