Like many here, I'd been suffering from excessive underarm sweat for some time. I first noticed it when I was about 16, and it was very embarrassing and frustrating. At the time, I would rate it a 10, even in the dead of winter. I asked my doctor about it, and he said there were antiperspirants out there (Mitchum) but it barely made a difference. I also tried one of those devices that has wet felt pads and used electricity, but that was not too much better and it irritated by skin. So, I just learned to deal with it. You know the drill: undershirt, dark shirts or pure white only, dry your pits in the car with the heat or AC whenever you get a chance, etc. Over the next twenty some years, it actually seemed to get a little better on its own, but was still an issue; I'd rate it a 5-7 on the bothersome scale, especially when I had to speak publicly, teach, or give presentations. Well, a few years ago, I'd had enough and decided to fix it. My Dr. prescribed DriSol, which worked but burned my skin. I was so encouraged by the self esteem and confidence boost I asked what else was there that worked. She indicated Botox. I wasn't crazy about the idea of having injections of a biological warfare agent pumped into my body on a repeated basis, so I investigated the surgical procedure of having that nerve snipped which serviced the sweat glands. Seemed pretty simple until I learned that it was general anesthesia, and they had to collapse a lung (???) to get to it. Never mind the side effects of compensatory sweating elsewhere on the body. Then I stumbled across MiraDry on the internet and basically began looking for a physician close by. I went ahead and scheduled the procedure after the initial consult. Seemed pricey and not covered by insurance, but so what? The actual procedure was reasonably comfortable. It is very thorough and takes about 50 min per arm. I am tall with long arms and torso, so the nurse had to use the large template for me. It looks like a temporary tatoo that goes on your underarm (shave five days prior) and marks the exact locations for the anesthesia (Lidocaine injections - lots) and where the wand goes. Each spot the wand goes on has a heating and cooling cycle. Only about 10% of those I felt, then the nurse stopped and injected me with more Lidocaine. I do have very sensitive armpit skin, though. I paid through GE Care credit which had a 12 months, no interest, no payments. Sent home with two ice packs which I kept on the rest of the day. The next morning, I was a bit sore, so took Advil and drove to work with the ice packs under my arms. By noon that day, I noticed the swelling was going down, and it didn't even hurt, really. A bit of bruising, but nothing significant. I only iced in the evenings for the next two days and felt pretty good. Well, it does what it promises. It's been four days and I simply don't sweat under my pits, even though I feel like I do and keep checking all of the time. I don't even bother with anti-perspirant and there's also no pit odor. It's going to take some time for me to mentally adjust to this after 25 years of embarrassment and anxiety but this has been an answer to my prayers. There is a follow up procedure in three months where they do it all over again on the highest setting (5) just to kill any sweat glands that manage to survive but so far, so good. I'm planning some torture testing in the meanwhile with blue oxford cloth shirts in the August heat which are unforgiving of wetness to say the least. Updated on 1 Dec 2013: 10/25/13: Second round now. Upped the level to highest setting, a 5. Treatment and recovery uneventful. In summary, I went from frequent dripping, sopping pits at worst to occasional warm, humid pits at worst. Little to no noticeable sweat stains. Maybe a dime sized one occasionally with a dress shirt and suit coat. Big difference if you wear strong antiperspirant at night and allow it to dry instead of slopping on a ton of it first thing in the AM after a hot shower then getting dressed. Then it melts onto your clothes. If you do it the night before, you won't notice or think about it after awhile. Updated on 30 Jul 2015: Just wanted to say that everything is still OK. Two summers of high heat and humidity. No under arm sweat. Pits feel gummy at worst on those days, like when you dry your hands after washing them. You can tell they aren't bone dry, but no wetness transfers to clothing at all. It's weird to mow the lawn and have your clothes dripping with sweat everywhere but the armpits. I don't even bother with the Certain Dri anymore unless I remember it at night. Still no sweat, no odor. Armpit hair took about two years to recover to 75% of original coverage. My pits were really hairy anyhow before, so this was an added cosmetic benefit.
Dr Wharton spent less than 5 minutes with me (Telemedicine Visit) with little to no regard to address all my concerns [acne rosacea, acne scars, & pigmentation changes (hyper&hypo)] and in my opinion a FaceTime video feed is not an acceptable way to diagnose and treat dermatological conditions- it was literally the worst service I’ve ever received from a dermatologist!! I have had several visits and not been pleased the last 2, I should of switched then being in the medical field myself, I knew better- lesson learned!
