A foil patch placed under the armpits for just three minutes can be an easy solution to the woes of excessive sweating.
The patch, which heats up when it comes into contact with sweat and temporarily disables the sweat glands, helped more than 80 percent of those treated in a recent US study by manufacturer Candesant Biomedical. A larger study is underway.
Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, is estimated to affect over a million people in the UK.
Sweating is the body’s way of cooling itself. Normally, when your temperature rises, a nerve signal is sent from your brain to the eccrine glands (mostly in the armpits, hands, feet and face) to produce sweat. However, hyperhidrosis is believed to involve overactivity of the nerves involved, meaning that signals are sent even when the body is not overheating.
Excessive sweating can also be caused by conditions that affect temperature regulation, including an overactive thyroid, and as a side effect of medications such as antidepressants.
A foil patch placed under the armpits for just three minutes can be an easy solution to the woes of excessive sweating
Treatment of excessive sweating usually begins with strong antiperspirants that block the channels, preventing sweat from escaping.
Other options include injections of botulinum toxin (also known by the brand name Botox) or drugs called anticholinergics, which block nerve signals from the brain to the sweat glands.
But these treatments often need to be repeated on a regular basis and can have side effects such as dry mouth and blurred vision.
A last resort is surgery to sever the affected nerves, but this carries the risk of nerve damage and can even increase sweating.
The new one-time patch is a non-invasive remedy without the side effects of traditional treatments and can easily be repeated if necessary.
It consists of an alkali metal foil. When applied to the armpit skin, a chemical reaction between the metal and the water in the sweat creates heat that temporarily stops the exocrine glands from working.
The new one-time patch is a non-invasive remedy without the side effects of traditional treatments and can easily be repeated if necessary
A patient uses the patch for three minutes and feels a slight warming discomfort while it is in place.
In a recent pilot study involving 16 people with hyperhidrosis, 83 percent of those who used the foil patch saw their sweat levels decrease to unnoticeable or slight after six weeks. Those who used a placebo patch saw no change in their condition.
“The patch offers a new, practical and well-tolerated therapy for patients with axillary hyperhidrosis [excessive underarm sweating]’ write the American researchers in the journal Dermatologic Surgery. A study with 120 patients is underway at eight centers in the US
DR Bav Shergill, consultant dermatologist at Brighton General Hospital, said of the study: “This is an interesting concept because we know that high heat can destroy the sweat glands.
“However, we need to know more about the heat intensity needed to achieve long-lasting results.
“I look forward to reading the results of the clinical study.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
