Botox

I am on the verge of getting Botox. But not for the reason you are thinking.

I’ve always had a sweating problem. Even when I was a kid, my mom would come home, give me a kiss and comment that I smelled like I’d been running around. But I had only sat on the floor and read all day. I’m Miss Piggy in animate form. Maybe that’s why I like strapless dresses so much. Because I’ll sweat through everything else. It’s not my hands or feet, just my armpits. So I’ve gone through life thinking this is just something I have to deal with…same as being a midget. I’m short so you’ll never catch me wearing ballet flats. Even my flip-flops have an inch or two of wedge. Same thing with this situation. I sweat a lot so you won’t find me wearing a tight long-sleeved top out on the town–only strapless apparel.

Earlier this month a friend told me she had gotten Botox under her armpits and it changed her life. I was ecstatic to find out there was a solution for my problem. Botox is expensive, but I was willing to pay the price. She encouraged me to go through my health insurance and see if it could be covered.

With Kaiser, my first appointment was with a general practicioner who referred me to Dermatology. He seemed like a great doctor, but clueless when it came to my problem. The only thing he knew was that the proper name for my condition is hyperhidrosis. He surmised that Botox would cost me $500 per armpit and that it would only last for a few months at the most.

My appointment with Dermatology was yesterday, New Year’s Eve. I told the doctor my situation. “I have really sweaty armpits which I thought I’d have to deal with all my life. I interact with people all day long. The sweating is not just uncomfortable, but embarrasing if I’m sweating through my clothes. My friend told me about Botox and I just wanted to get your opinion on my options.”

My doctor is a life-saver. She laid out all my options.
1. She gave me a prescription-strength antiperspirant to try for a month.
2. There’s medication, but it’s not targeted so taking it would mean in addition to prohibiting sweating, I would get dry mouth, I would be susceptible to heatstrokes and over-heating. She didn’t recommend that at all, but wanted to give me all my options.
3. She recommended that I purchase this electrical device that helps physically block the sweat glands and seems to work for a lot of her patients. I ordered it online when I got home. $170. Gulp.
4. She said if all the above didn’t help, she would do the Botox injections which are completely covered by my insurance! She warned me, though, that the process involved her making a grid of my armpit and doing 30-40 injections. Not pleasant. She said it really is a last resort, and that people who have the injections obviously are willing to put up with the pain, but that the results usually last for six months.

We shall see. Finally, I feel like I’m on my way to getting this problem resolved. I’m still in the early stages, but I do think I’m on my way to getting Botox. I put the prescription-strength antiperspirant on last night before bed and my armpits stung all night. The pain was so intense, my arms kept jerking out. And it got so bad that I decided to get up at 6am in the morning, take a shower and wash the affected areas with soap and water to get rid of the sting.

I will keep you posted with my sweaty progress.