Excessive sweating – or hyperhidrosis –is an embarrassing and uncomfortable condition that affects around 3% of the UK population.

It can have a serious effect on a sufferer’s working and social life and many sufferers simply avoid doing things they would otherwise love to do because they are too embarrassed about their sweating.

Hyperhidrosis is defined as excessive sweating when your body produces an increased and non-physiological amount of sweat.

There are two main types of hyperhidrosis:

Focal hyperhidrosis is the more common type and involves excessive sweating of the hands, feet and underarms.

Generalised hyperhidrosis is much less common and affects the whole body. It is usually caused by another illness like diabetes, an underactive thyroid or an infection.

The Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS) grades excessive sweating according to how it affects your life. It is a great diagnostic tool to measure of the severity of your condition.

• Grade 1: Sweating /perspiration is never noticeable and never interferes with daily activities.
• Grade 2: Sweating is tolerable but sometimes interferes with daily activities
• Grade 3: Sweating is barely tolerable and frequently interferes with daily activities
• Grade 4: Sweating is intolerable and always interferes with daily activities

A score of grade 2 indicates that you may be suffering from mild or moderate hyperhidrosis but grades 3 to 4 indicate severe hyperhidrosis and you would be a perfect candidate for treatment.

Excessive underarm sweating is what causes the biggest problem for most people and can be addressed simply and effectively by using Botulinum Toxin injections which have been used as an effective treatment for excessive sweating / hyperhidrosis since 1994.

The treatment works by blocking the transmission of the nerve impulses to the sweat glands which as a result decreases the amount you sweat/perspire.

Dr Santa Cruz recommends Botulinum Toxin injections treatment to minimise excessive sweating mainly in the armpits as the treatment of hands and feet can produce high discomfort and requires more downtime.