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*Treatment results may vary
Like many of you, I was ecstatic to learn about...
Like many of you, I was ecstatic to learn about the miraDry procedure to permanently treat hyperhidrosis. During my research I came to this site and was comforted by the many positive reviews of the process. The $3,000 price tag seemed like a good investment to end years of anxiety and embarrassment caused by my overactive sweat glands.
I received the first of two planned treatments on February 3, 2014. The procedure was uncomfortable but I knew that going in (getting hundreds of shots in one sitting is not a fun process). That said, I was happy to have the first procedure out of the way and planned to come back in three months for the second treatment.
My problem began about a five days after the procedure. I was told that mild exercise was OK after a few days of recovery. I shot a few baskets on an 8-foot goal with my eight-year-old son when I first noticed a burning sensation. I figured I must have overdone the exercise, even though it was pretty tame. I began to feel exhausted and decided to go to bed around 7pm. I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely terrible. I was had a fever of 102.5 and was shivering uncontrollably. My right armpit was red and extremely swollen and throbbing with pain. At the time I figured I had caught the flu and it was unrelated to my recent procedure.
After a very long and miserable day in bed, my wife reached out to the dermatology office and connected with the doctor on call. On Sunday, February 8th (6 days after the procedure) the dermatologist called in a Z pack of antibiotics in case I had an infection. I began the Z pack that evening. Over the next twelve hours I faded in and out of sleep while my armpit continued to throb and swell. At 11am the next day my wife texted a photo of my increased swelling to the Physician’s Assistant who told her to get me to the emergency room right away.
I was quickly checked in and given blood tests as well as an IV to help with my severe dehydration. After a long and uncomfortable wait for the results I was told that I had Cellulitis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection. I was given a heavy dose of oral antibiotics and sent home. You can see the slow decrease in swelling in the photos included here, it took over a week to get back to normal. In discussing it afterwards with my physician, he told me I should have been given the antibiotics via IV because of the severity of the infection. Going with oral meds made for a very slow and painful recovery process.
I’m now seven months from the terrible ordeal and still have a deadening of the nerves under both arms. It is true that the one procedure greatly reduced the amount of sweat I produce, but it definitely wasn’t worth the pain and suffering. Another downside is the increased breakouts on my back and chest from the additional sweating I have in those areas.
I will say that the staff at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta was very responsive and helpful throughout the recovery process. Obviously, I didn’t go back for the second procedure and was given a refund of $1,500 so my cost for the one procedure was $1,500 (not including thousands of dollars for the emergency room visit). When I asked about the cause I was told it was from bacteria getting under the skin. It could have happened during the pre-procedure underarm shave two days beforehand or during the procedure itself as it took place in a non-sterile environment.
I asked to speak with a representative from Miramar Labs (the medical device company) and was told they do not speak with patients about issues caused by the procedure. This was extremely disappointing as I wanted to ensure they would take steps to avoid these kinds of issues in the future. I was told by the Physician’s Assistant that she had shared my case with them, but I never received a follow up from Miramar Labs.
Cellulitis is very serious. This was a terrifying ordeal for me and my entire family. I never would have done this procedure if I was aware that this was a possible outcome. That is why I am writing this review - to make everyone understand the very real potential for this to happen to them.
There are very real risks, potentially life threatening ones, with this procedure. Be aware of them.
I received the first of two planned treatments on February 3, 2014. The procedure was uncomfortable but I knew that going in (getting hundreds of shots in one sitting is not a fun process). That said, I was happy to have the first procedure out of the way and planned to come back in three months for the second treatment.
My problem began about a five days after the procedure. I was told that mild exercise was OK after a few days of recovery. I shot a few baskets on an 8-foot goal with my eight-year-old son when I first noticed a burning sensation. I figured I must have overdone the exercise, even though it was pretty tame. I began to feel exhausted and decided to go to bed around 7pm. I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely terrible. I was had a fever of 102.5 and was shivering uncontrollably. My right armpit was red and extremely swollen and throbbing with pain. At the time I figured I had caught the flu and it was unrelated to my recent procedure.
After a very long and miserable day in bed, my wife reached out to the dermatology office and connected with the doctor on call. On Sunday, February 8th (6 days after the procedure) the dermatologist called in a Z pack of antibiotics in case I had an infection. I began the Z pack that evening. Over the next twelve hours I faded in and out of sleep while my armpit continued to throb and swell. At 11am the next day my wife texted a photo of my increased swelling to the Physician’s Assistant who told her to get me to the emergency room right away.
I was quickly checked in and given blood tests as well as an IV to help with my severe dehydration. After a long and uncomfortable wait for the results I was told that I had Cellulitis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection. I was given a heavy dose of oral antibiotics and sent home. You can see the slow decrease in swelling in the photos included here, it took over a week to get back to normal. In discussing it afterwards with my physician, he told me I should have been given the antibiotics via IV because of the severity of the infection. Going with oral meds made for a very slow and painful recovery process.
I’m now seven months from the terrible ordeal and still have a deadening of the nerves under both arms. It is true that the one procedure greatly reduced the amount of sweat I produce, but it definitely wasn’t worth the pain and suffering. Another downside is the increased breakouts on my back and chest from the additional sweating I have in those areas.
I will say that the staff at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta was very responsive and helpful throughout the recovery process. Obviously, I didn’t go back for the second procedure and was given a refund of $1,500 so my cost for the one procedure was $1,500 (not including thousands of dollars for the emergency room visit). When I asked about the cause I was told it was from bacteria getting under the skin. It could have happened during the pre-procedure underarm shave two days beforehand or during the procedure itself as it took place in a non-sterile environment.
I asked to speak with a representative from Miramar Labs (the medical device company) and was told they do not speak with patients about issues caused by the procedure. This was extremely disappointing as I wanted to ensure they would take steps to avoid these kinds of issues in the future. I was told by the Physician’s Assistant that she had shared my case with them, but I never received a follow up from Miramar Labs.
Cellulitis is very serious. This was a terrifying ordeal for me and my entire family. I never would have done this procedure if I was aware that this was a possible outcome. That is why I am writing this review - to make everyone understand the very real potential for this to happen to them.
There are very real risks, potentially life threatening ones, with this procedure. Be aware of them.
Provider Review
As stated above, Mara and the team at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta were very responsive and helpful throughout the recovery process.