Brutal But Worth It

It's been two weeks since my procedure and wanted to share my experience, as I had read through all of the others on this site before deciding to give it a try. This is going to be a lengthy write-up but I hope someone will find it helpful. I am an early 30's female with hyperhidrosis. I had tried everything with the exception of surgery. Altough Botox was initially helpful when I first started a few years ago, eventually it had stopped working (the most recent injections wore off in a matter of weeks). I was thrilled to learn about miradry and did a ton of research. What I didn't expect was how brutal the procedure was going to be. I purposely left the provider name off this review as this is a newer procedure in my area and I believe I was one of the first to have it done. I think they're a great clinic but I definitely felt like they were unprepared and that I was a guinea pig. I expect it will improve with more experience.

About the procedure: a numbing cream was applied to my underarms and we waited for the effects to kick in, then started the anesthetic/saline injections. This is done via a cannula, and the tube that is inserted was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. It was awful. Then the tattoo was applied. It wasn't until the tech did her first pass of the machine did we realize I hadn't had anywhere near enough anesthetic - it was like the hottest iron being pressed directly on your skin. Fortunately, they have a button that can cool your skin immediately otherwise I would have screamed!

The doctor returned and injected more anesthetic and saline (apparently by the end of it, he said I had the equivalent of one cup in each underarm). It was a lot. The needles were huge. My arms and hands started to go numb. I started to feel awful - cold sweats, increase heart rate and just an overall feeling of panic. I consider myself to be a relaxed person and I didn't know what was going on. Apparently all these injections can make you feel this way (which I can't quantify), but the tech also told me the same thing happened to her when she had it done, and that she didn't even make it to the 2nd underarm. I barely ate that day so this may have been a contributing factor. So make sure you eat and use the washroom before you start. Maybe even bring some headphones and listen to music. When all was said and done, I had been there for three hours. Yes, three!

I was able to drive myself home with an ice pack under each underarm. The discomfort I felt that evening was nothing compared to the pain of the procedure. I was so relieved it was over. I had a few mini water bottles that I had ready in the freezer and just tucked them under. Highly suggest that you have these ready. I didn't have to take any pain meds.

Within 24 hours, I started to develop redness all across my chest, neck, upper back and ears. I was having an allergic reaction to the injections. I advised the doctor and he called in a prescription for me to my pharmacy right away to manage it, which was appreciated. It helped.

Over the next few days my underarms were super swollen and bruised, but I was able to go right back to work. I also felt a lot of pinching sensations around my underarms and down my arms. They were these sharp "zings". This worried me initially, but I can say after two weeks that I don't experience this anymore. My underarms are still a bit numb in some areas and there remains a bit of swelling in certain spots.

So, did it work? Yes, it did, but I am not 100% sweat free. I would say 80%. But if you have hyperhidrosis like me, you know this is a huge victory and makes all the pain and discomfort worthwhile. There is no odor either so I suspect these glands were successfully eliminated. Bonus.

Would I go for a second procedure? Maybe. At the time of this procedure, I swore I'd never do it again, but I think my experience would have been better with a more experienced provider.

Our bodies are all different and we're going to have different reactions, but I want to stress that this isn't for the faint of heart. It's not a casual procedure, which I think a lot of literature had me believe. Don't take it lightly. That being said, I do recommend this procedure if you have hyperhidrosis. I already feel like the quality of my life has improved. Do your research and ask a lot of questions beforehand. Good luck!