I'm 13 years old and have been sweating profusely since I was 5. I saw a dermatologist and plan on having the miradry procedure sometime soon (next 3 weeks). I've found a few other dermatologists in the Chicagoland area who would do the procedure on me regardless of my age. I'm curious about a few things: 1. the pain (I know I'll have lidocaine). I have a low pain tolerance. 2. Down time I'll experience. I do taekwondo weekly and have very hard workouts.
I Am 13 and Am Going to Have Miradry Procedure?
Doctor Answers 8
Thank you for your question. miraDry is not a covered procedure by insurance. I have treated patients with severe axillary hyperhidrosis in the teenage years with parental consent and it has helped those patients. Newer techniques also allow for a safer and more effective delivery of the procedure. I would expect some discomfort for the first week or so and you may not be comfortable with doing Tae Kwon Do until your discomfort subsides.
Although miraDry is getting a lot of attention recently, it has actually been around for a while. It has been extensively studied and there is no cancer association. The FDA has cleared it for safe use as well. The microwave energy only penetrates 4-5mm in depth and heats up and destroys the sweat and odor glands. The energy does not reach lymph nodes or deeper structures and it in non-ionizing radiation (the safe kind, like radiowaves). I have had the procedure done myself and it has truly been a gift. One and done for 80% of people! In the long term, much more cost-effective than Botox which has to be repeated every 3-6 months. The pain afterwards is like a sunburn. Doing activities that heat up your body may be uncomfortable for the first day or two. Let us know if we can help in any way.
13! That's cool. I ve BOTOXed and miraDry 12 year olds- just as long as you are calm, cool and collected, with parental consent, we can either perform Botox or MiraDry for underarm sweating. In fact for treatments such as sweaty hands and feet, we even have 7-8 year olds. Iontophoresis is different though, so I wont digress, this procedure can be done if you are mature enough.
We often give some mild sedation, such as 10 mg Temezepam, lots of local numbing cream, and the procedure is virtually painless. Lots of ice ice ice and some pain killers after the procedure, and you will be fine.
Sometimes kids can be easier than adults with a low pain threshold.... my two cents worth.
Regards
Dr Davin S. Lim
We often give some mild sedation, such as 10 mg Temezepam, lots of local numbing cream, and the procedure is virtually painless. Lots of ice ice ice and some pain killers after the procedure, and you will be fine.
Sometimes kids can be easier than adults with a low pain threshold.... my two cents worth.
Regards
Dr Davin S. Lim
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Miradry is a tolerable procedure that requires local anesthetic to numb the skin of the axilla. Patients will experience some downtime with armpit swelling, but this should subside relatively quickly.Raffy Karamanoukian, Los Angeles
MiraDry is approved for patients 18 years of age and older. That doesn't necessarily mean that miraDry would be unsafe in teenagers younger than 18, but that it has not been studied in that age group. MiraDry requires only local anesthesia, which consists of a series of lidocaine injections. To enhance patient comfort, we numb the armpits with a topical cream to minimze the sensation of any needle sticks from the lidocaine injections. MiraDry is associated with minimal to no downtime and patients may resume their normal activities on the same day of treatment. Expected treatment side effects may include swelling and bruising. A few, rare cases of temporary altered sensation have been reported, with all instances of altered sensation resolving on their own.
Web reference: http://www.advanceddermatologypc.com/miradry.html
The most uncomfortable part of having miraDry procedure is actually injection of lidocaine in the underarm area, however we are using special very tiny needles that will insure minimum discomfort for the patient. On top of it you can also ask your doctor to put ice under your arms before injection of anesthetic which will help to ease that needle prick. Once your underarm area is numbed you should feel nothing during the procedure. As far as downtime post miraDry, we are able to greatly reduce it by giving our patients prescription strength Arnica Montana. This homeopathic capsules and also topical gel enable most of our patients return to their activities in couple of days. These extra steps make all the difference in the experience and recovery from miraDry procedure. Although FDA approval does not include teenagers I thig this procedure will be beneficial at that age for hyerhydrosis sufferers
Web reference: http://drturowski.com/miradry-chicago.html
MiraDry treatment is approved by FDA to treat hyperhidrosis for age 18 and above. Utilization of MiraDry for teenagers age 17 or under would be considered off-label and is something that our center has done on a couple occasions. The discomfort is minimal other than the initial local anesthesia infiltration with Lidocaine. We may start out with more conservative energy protocol for younger patients for the first treatment and increase energy threshold upon second treatment 3 months later.
Web reference: http://www.drwilliamting.com/Excess_Sweating_82Y4.html
If you want to do TaeKwonDo or whatever, you will know. There is no problem (contraindication) to do that and if you have no discomfort, you can do that. There is nothing you can do to hurt the procedure. But, it will be sore and I think for a week or so, you are not likely to want to do anything physical like TaeKwonDo.
Web reference: http://www.AdvanceYourBeauty.com
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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