Can Botox for Hyperhidrosis Increase my Risk of Infection in my Armpit?

If you have already had some abscesses in the underarms, they might recur.  Wait until your doctor says it's OK to proceed.  The injections are not done if there is evidence of infected follicles or new abscesses. Your doctor should distinguish between infection from bacteria vs. a sweat gland disorder called hidradenitis suppurativa. The latter condition often is treated with Botox during the flares, although some doctors may prescribe antibiotics.

Treating hyperhydrosis is a small part of my practice, but I have not seen an under-arm infection in any of my patients. The area of your abscess should be well healed by February, and the scar will continue to shrink.

You should get specific advice from your doctor about your condition, but I think the risk of getting an infection from an under-arm Botox treatment would be low.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Joseph

Any time a needle enters the skin, there is a risk of infection. That said, presuming the area is cleaned/sterilized properly before injecting, the risk of infection after botulinum toxin (e.g. Botox) injection for hyperhidrosis would be incredibly low. To reduce the risk further, it might be reasonable to apply an antibiotic cream immediately after the treatment and perhaps for 3 days after. I have treated countless patients for hyperhidrosis with Botox and not once had a patient develop an infection, although of course anything is possible.

Any time a needle is used to puncture the skin, as in the case with the injection of Botox for hyperhidrosis, there is always a risk of infection.  If the skin is cleaned properly, however, and there is no sign of infection, the risk of abscess formation or other infection should otherwise be very low. It would be best to wait until your skin is completely healed before getting another treatment of Botox for hyperhidrosis in the armpit if you recently had an abscess.

It would be best to wait to have repeat Botox injections until the armpit abscess has healed.    Good lucj.

Certainl your history would indicate  that the recent abscess was unrelated to your previous Botox injections since it developed long after your last set of injections based upon your next scheduled Botox injections.  I certainly would not have Botox injections untill the area to be treated is all healed and all inflammation has subsided.  However, I would not hesitate to have your next scheduled injections once the above has occurred.  The risk of an infection after a percutaneous injection is minimal and can be further minimized by adequately cleansing the area with an antiseptic.

Dear Rusti,

Botox works well for reducing sweating for patients with excessive sweating of the underarms (ie. axillary hyperhidrosis). The chance of developing an infection after Botox treatment is very small. It sounds as if your infection was unrelated to the Botox. You should be able to continue with your Botox treatments once your infection is completely resolved.

Warmest wishes,

Larry Fan, MD

Hope your wounds are healing with out complications. Once you have completely healed and get an ok from the physician treating your abscess you should be able to resume your neuromuscular or/Botox to treat your excessive sweating with no contraindication.

Good luck

Botox injections in your armpits should not increase your risk of infection.  Any time the skin is punctured for any reason there is always an extremely small risk of infection in the week or so afterwards, but it does not sound like this is what occurred in your case.  It sounds as if you may have had an inflammed or infected epidermal inclusion cyst or an abscess completely unrelated to your Botox.  I would proceed as planned.

Having Botox injections into your armpits once the abscess has completely healed should not increase your risk of another infection. Neurotoxin injections such as Botox Therapeutic, Dysport and Xeomin are all compatible with post-abscess tissue. As an extra precaution, you might ask your injecting physician to do an extra skin prep (besides using alcohol) with a stronger bactericidal solution. Once the area appears to have healed and there are no signs of inflammation, it should be safe to have your injections.