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Christchurch clinic KM Surgical offers treatment for excessive sweating, known as suction curettage.
This advanced procedure offers a significant improvement over traditional methods for treating axillary hyperhidrosis, a distressing condition that causes excessive underarm sweating in otherwise healthy individuals.
Dr. Ken MacDonald said “conventional underarm treatments often provide poor results and can irritate the skin, leading to dermatitis.
“While electrical modification of sweat glands through iontophoresis can help some people, it requires the purchase of units and ongoing treatment.”
Recent treatments, such as botulinum toxin (Type A), have shown effectiveness but come with drawbacks. “Botulinum toxin treatments can last for approximately 7-9 months, but they can be uncomfortable and expensive,” MacDonald noted.
Surgical options have also proven to be less than ideal. “Traditional surgical procedures, like block dissection of underarm tissues, can cause severe scarring and limit arm movement. Even the endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy (ETS) technique does not work well for this area,” MacDonald said.
The latest advancement in treating hyperhidrosis at KM Surgical is the suction curettage of the axillary sweat glands, a variation of the tumescent liposuction technique.
“This procedure involves the removal of sweat glands using special curettes attached to small liposuction cannulas.
“The underarm area is prepared with a large amount of local anesthetic using the tumescent technique after the sweat glands have been mapped out. The procedure is performed under light sedation and is not unpleasant.”
Following the procedure, patients will have dressings applied and will be scheduled for a follow-up appointment the next day. “Patients can expect an immediate reduction in sweating, with a high probability of achieving long-term, satisfactory results,” Dr. MacDonald said.
