Sweating is a pain. It's even more of a pain if it can't be controlled by anti-perspirants and it really limits what you can wear - I would never wear grey, for example, cos I'd have big lovely looking patches in a jiffy. Black is my friend.
Botox is a recent solution to the problem and it was popularised by slebs who needed to be sweat-ring-free for big events and appearances. Plus, if I was a celebrity and mags like Now! and Heat took such gleeful delight in drawing red circles around my sweat patches, I reckon I'd be heading for the doctors surgery pronto, too.
One problem with Botox is that it's not permanent and will need to be repeatedly topped up every few months to keep the problem at bay. The other issue is that it's expensive. So what can you do? Suffer on with your Driclor or Mitchum, or look for a new solution?
A promising – and permanent - alternative is one offered by the Dundrum Clinic, who are using Vaser to cure excess underarm perspiration. It's a system that was first developed to provide a less invasive form of fat removal, but it can also help to achieve an 80% reduction in the amount a person sweats.
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As part of my column for the Evening Herald, I sent guinea pig to put it to the test. Eimear had suffered miserably with underarm sweating and she described the treatment as “life changing.”
“I had tried everything, but super-strength deodorants just had no effect,” she said, adding, “before I always had to wear black clothes. Shirts and anything grey were out of the question because they'd be soaking.” And now? “I can wear what I want! I hardly ever sweat now, even in high temperatures. It's fantastic.”
Excellent news – but is the treatment painful? “Well,” Eimear says, “I have a high pain threshold but it's not mega-painful. You are sore and bruised on your arms and chest for a few days, and you can't move about too much, but the results are definitely worth it.” The clinic supplied Eimear with painkillers, but she preferred to take an over-the-counter brand and found them sufficient to manage the couple of days discomfort she experienced.
So, how does it all work? Using a tool inserted through a small incision in the armpit, the surgeon removes or destroys the function of the sweat glands using Vaser ultrasonic energy; they are then aspirated out using suction. Eimear was awake through her treatment but had been given a local anaesthetic. “It was fine,” she says, “I didn't feel a thing, and it was over in about an hour. I found the staff to be really nice as well, which definitely helped.” No hospital stay is required, and as long as you have someone to come and pick you up post-treatment, you'll be good to go.
While the procedure worked for Eimear, it's not suitable for everyone. Sue Woodall, the patient adviser at the Dundrum Clinic advises that there are some contra indications, like diabetes or active infections in the armpits. You'll receive a full pre-treatment assessment before anything happens, and if at that point you're identified as non-suitable, the clinic won't go ahead.
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Price may be a sticking point for some: at €3,850 it doesn't come cheap, but as it's permanent, what price for dry pits, eh?
Dundrum Clinic, 4th Floor, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16, 01 216 6778, www.dundrumclinic.com
