Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis) Assessment in Dubai
Sweating more than the body needs to cool itself, enough to soak clothes, make hands slippery or avoid handshakes, is hyperhidrosis. In most people it is primary, starts in the teens, affects the underarms, palms, soles or face symmetrically and has no underlying cause; occasionally it signals something else. At Smart Care Polyclinic in Deira, a specialist dermatologist works out which and sets out the treatments in order.
For: sweating that interferes with work, clothes or confidence
Takes: a 20-30 minute consultation; blood tests where indicated
Price: consultation AED 125
What it is
Primary focal hyperhidrosis is an overactive nerve signal to normal sweat glands. It affects the underarms, palms, soles or face, is symmetrical, usually starts before twenty-five, often runs in families, and stops during sleep. Sweating that is generalised, new in adult life, worse at night, or comes with weight loss, fever or palpitations is secondary and needs its cause found — thyroid, blood sugar, infection, medication or menopause among them — which is why the assessment includes a history and, where indicated, blood tests.
Treatment is stepwise, and the review in the American Academy of Dermatology's journal sets out the sequence: clinical-strength antiperspirants first for focal sweating; iontophoresis for palms and soles; botulinum toxin injections, which the review reports as effective and well tolerated for focal hyperhidrosis; oral medicines for resistant or generalised cases; energy-based devices for the underarms; and surgery only when everything else has failed.1 Most people never need to go past the second or third step.
Botulinum toxin for underarm sweating
A grid of small injections into the underarm skin blocks the nerve signal to the sweat glands for around four to nine months, after which it is repeated. It is the step most people with underarm hyperhidrosis end up finding works when antiperspirants have not. It is delivered here by a doctor after the dermatology assessment, priced per treatment and quoted at the consultation.
Living with it meanwhile
Apply antiperspirant to dry skin at night, not in the morning, so it can block the ducts before sweating starts; wear breathable fabrics and change socks; keep a spare shirt. None of it is a cure, but it is the difference between managing a meeting and dreading one while the treatment plan is worked out.
The consultation, and what follows from it
Dermatology consultation
Assessment, examination and a plan with every cost stated before anything further is done.
AED 125
Bookthe injectable used for underarm sweating, after assessment
Questions patients ask
Yes. Primary hyperhidrosis is a recognised condition with a stepwise treatment pathway, and it is not caused by poor hygiene or anxiety, although anxiety about sweating makes it worse.
Yes, for focal sweating of the underarms in particular; the review describes it as effective and well tolerated. The effect lasts months and is repeated. It is an option after antiperspirants, not the first step.
Sometimes. Sweating that is generalised, new in adult life, worse at night or accompanied by other symptoms is checked for a cause such as thyroid disease or menopause. The dermatologist will say whether tests are needed.
This guide is general information about a condition, not a diagnosis. Skin conditions overlap, and what looks like one thing is often another; the dermatologist's examination is what decides your treatment.
References
- Nawrocki S, Cha J. The etiology, diagnosis, and management of hyperhidrosis: A comprehensive review: Therapeutic options. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2019;81(3):669-680. PMID 30710603. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.066A sequenced approach: antiperspirants first-line for focal hyperhidrosis, iontophoresis for palms and soles, botulinum toxin safe and effective for focal disease, oral agents for resistant or generalised cases, devices, and surgery last.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.