Hyperhidrosis

Hands being treated for Hyperhidrosis by Iontophoresis

Hands in water baths for hyperhidrosis

What is hyperhidrosis?

Hyper­hidro­sis is a con­di­tion where an indi­vid­ual suf­fers from exces­sive per­spi­ra­tion. It can be spe­cific to the hands, feet and armpits or to any part of the body where there is a large amount of sweat glands. The glands pro­duce higher than usual amounts of sweat, caus­ing dif­fi­culty for indi­vid­u­als to shake hands and carry out rou­tine tasks.

Why does hyper­hidro­sis occur?

There are many rea­sons why hyper­hidro­sis can occur. Pri­mary hyper­hidro­sis is a result of a genetic trait. Whereas sec­ondary hyper­hidro­sis occurs for envi­ron­men­tal rea­sons such as the thy­roid or pitu­itary gland, menopause, cer­tain drugs, dia­betes mel­li­tus or gout (crys­talli­sa­tion deposits of uric acid in joints).

How is hyper­hidro­sis treated?

There are a few dif­fer­ent meth­ods to treat­ing hyper­hidro­sis, some are more dras­tic than oth­ers. Please read and con­sult your physi­cian for fur­ther infor­ma­tion. If you are unsure which treat­ment would suit you best please make an appoint­ment with our vas­cu­lar sur­geon, which is bulk billed to Medicare, to give pro­vide more detailed information.

Ion­tophore­sis

Elec­tric pulse ther­apy, known as Ion­tophore­sis, is a treat­ment used to block the sweat glands with salts from tap water, reduc­ing sweat­ing over time. West­Coast Vas­cu­lar offers ion­tophore­sis for feet, hands and under­arms. It is a non-invasive and pain­less treat­ment for peo­ple suf­fer­ing from exces­sive sweatiug. Chil­dren under the age of 16 can have Ion­tophore­sis with con­sent from a med­ical prac­ti­tioner and a par­ent or guardian.

You can also down­load our Ion­tophore­sis Infor­ma­tion Brochure from the web­site and our Ion­tophore­sis Price List for the full lis of treat­ments. Please call the office on (08) 9386 9855 or email reception@westcoastvascular.com.au to book an appoint­ment or for more information.

Injec­tion Therapy

Injec­tion ther­apy is a treat­ment that can be used to reduce sweat­ing in the under­arms. An alter­na­tive to surgery that West­Coast Vas­cualr is look­ing in to pro­vid­ing for patients.

Sur­gi­cal Intervention

There are some med­ica­tions that can be taken to alle­vi­ate the symp­toms of hyper­hidro­sis. Med­ical pro­ce­dures include cut­ting out, burn­ing or clamp­ing the sym­pa­thetic nerve that runs par­al­lel to the spine. Clamp­ing the sym­pa­thetic nerve is a safe pro­ce­dure which can be reversed if necessary.