How can miradry be safe for hydrosis if it is?

Question

If the miradry procedure uses microwave energy which is radiation, to kill the sweat glands in the armpits, how is this safe? How do they know this will not cause cancer?

Sheila S. Nazarian, MD · Answer

Miradry has been studied extensively and there has been no correlation to cancer.  It only penetrates 4-5mm in depth and does not reach the lymph nodes.  It heats up and destroys the sweat glands only.  I have done it myself and it has truly been a gift.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Miradry is an excellent procedure that is FDA approved for axillary hyperhidrosis. The safety of the procedure is well established. Our office specializes in hyperhidrosis treatment. If you are considering treatment, there are many options available. Raffy Karamanoukian MD FACS

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

miraDry is a clinically proven and safe FDA-approved solution for significantly reducing underarm sweat. It’s an outpatient procedure performed in your physician’s office. It is not surgery so doesn’t involve surgical incisions. miraDry delivers controlled electromagnetic energy to the arm pit, eliminating the underarm sweat (eccrine) glands. There are many forms of radiation in our lives such as ultraviolet radiation from the sun, infrared, radiowaves, etc. The FDA approval looks at the safety issues you posed..Two procedures are typically recommended. Each occurs approximately three months apart for best results.Other options include:  antiperspirants, Botox or Dysport with off label usage toxins temporarily prevents the sweat glands from working for varying lengths of time. This requires repeat treatments to maintain results. Other options involve superficial liposuction or excision of sweat gland skin  poses additional risks and leave scars.

Armando Soto, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi there-You ask a good question...The fact is that electromagnetic radiation exists along a spectrum, and terms like "microwave", "infrared', etc, are just descriptors of where along the spectrum the energy being discussed lies. The truth is that sunlight and the radio waves that transmit your cell phone signal and music to your car stereo are also forms of electromagnetic radiation- but there is little reason for concern that these may cause cancer because they do not penetrate our bodies enough to damage our DNA.Similarly, the microwave energy used in miraDry treatments is safe because it is very tightly focused at the depth of the apocrine sweat glands in the axillae- penetrating deeply enough to coagulate them, but not deep enough or for long enough to cause injury to the skin, nerves, blood vessels, etc.There is now data on a very large number of patients over multiple years showing the treatment to be not only safe and effective, but associated with an unprecedented level of patient satisfaction.

Cameron Rokhsar, MD, FAAD · Answer

Your question is a common and intelligent one to ask. Luckily, miradry has been extensively studied both in the US and in countries abroad, for many years. The technology does use microwave waves (radiation energy), but the energy remains localized and is precisely targeted to the sweat glands. Therefore, this does not cause cells that have other functions (such as lymph cells) to undergo mutations that can sometimes be caused by damage resulting from radioactive energy. The only risks to miradry include swelling/bruising and discomfort. There have been absolutely no reported occurances of cancer or neoplasm in the hundreds of thousands of miradry patients recorded.Best of luck to you!Sincerely,Dr. Cameron Rokhsar & Molly Murray, PA-C

Hratch Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

miraDry is FDA approved and is deemed safe in the axilla (underarms) as it only penetrates the skin and subdermal layer and destroys the sweat glands. There have been no untowards side effects such as destruction of breast tissue or lymph nodes. This is supported by a large clinical experience in patients with long term outcome of 2 years in the U.S. as of this writing in 2013. Updated answer in September 2014 - 4 year follow-up studies have continued to show that miraDry is efficacious in sustained treatment for hyperhidrosis.

How can miradry be safe for hydrosis if it is?

Answers (6)

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