Excessive sweating at The London Aesthetic Clinic: what it treats, who it suits, how the assessment works, what the appointment involves, recovery and aftercare, and when it is not the right choice.
Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, is a medical condition. First-line treatment is usually a strong antiperspirant containing aluminium chloride. Where that fails, options include botulinum toxin injections, prescription medication and referral. Start with your GP rather than a cosmetic clinic.
| Condition | Hyperhidrosis: sweating beyond what is needed for temperature regulation |
|---|---|
| Types | Primary, usually starting in adolescence and affecting specific sites. Secondary, caused by another condition or a medicine |
| First step | Your GP, to exclude a secondary cause and to start the standard pathway |
| First-line | Antiperspirant containing aluminium chloride, applied as directed |
| Botulinum toxin | An established option for underarm sweating where first-line fails |
| Duration of toxin effect | Commonly four to six months, sometimes longer |
| Classification | Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine |
The cost of hyperhidrosis treatment in London depends on which step of the pathway you are at. Antiperspirant containing aluminium chloride is inexpensive and comes first. Where botulinum toxin is appropriate, price reflects the area, the dose, the prescriber's involvement and whether review is included.
If you have been through the pathway and are considering private treatment, the questions are slightly different from those for a cosmetic procedure:
That last point is worth understanding. In England the Care Quality Commission registers providers of regulated activities. Purely cosmetic injectable treatment usually falls outside that, but treating a medical condition may not. It is a reasonable question to ask.
Botulinum toxin for excessive underarm sweating commonly lasts four to six months and sometimes longer, after which the treatment is repeated. Antiperspirant containing aluminium chloride works only while it is being applied as directed. Neither approach cures hyperhidrosis; both manage it for as long as they are continued.
Botulinum toxin blocks the nerve signal that triggers sweat glands, in the same way it blocks the signal to muscle. Injected into the affected skin it reduces sweating in that area for several months. It is a well-established option for underarm sweating where first-line treatment has failed.
Practical points:
Hyperhidrosis treatment with botulinum toxin is well established for the underarm and is generally well tolerated. Expect discomfort during the many small injections and possible bruising. Compensatory sweating elsewhere is reported. Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, so a prescriber must assess you in person first.
Aftercare is straightforward. Avoid strenuous exercise, saunas and steam for around twenty four hours, and avoid applying antiperspirant to the treated area for the first day.
Expect your GP to be involved first, to exclude a secondary cause and to start the standard pathway. Where botulinum toxin follows, the area is mapped, numbed and treated with many small injections. Sweating usually reduces within a week and the effect is assessed at two weeks.
It is applied to completely dry skin, at night, when sweat glands are less active, and washed off in the morning. Applying it in the morning to damp skin is the usual reason people conclude it does not work. Irritation is common and there are ways to manage it. Ask your GP or pharmacist rather than abandoning it.
Practical measures make a genuine difference and are frequently overlooked in favour of procedures.
None of this is a substitute for treatment where the condition is severe. It is what makes the interval between appointments tolerable.
Choosing where to have hyperhidrosis treatment in London should begin with the NHS pathway rather than a private clinic. Ask any private provider whether they have seen your GP's assessment, who prescribes the medicine, what has been excluded as a secondary cause, and whether the treatment is being described as management rather than cure.
Hyperhidrosis treatment in a cosmetic clinic is not the right starting point for anyone whose sweating began suddenly, occurs at night, is generalised, or accompanies weight loss, fever or palpitations, because those patterns suggest a secondary cause needing medical assessment. Botulinum toxin is also declined in pregnancy, breastfeeding and neuromuscular disease.
Hyperhidrosis is a recognised medical condition with a defined treatment pathway. It is genuinely disabling for some people, affecting work, clothing and social life, and it is taken seriously by clinicians. It is not a cosmetic complaint and it should not be approached as one.
There are two reasons the GP comes first. The first is that excessive sweating can be secondary to another condition, to a medicine, or to a change such as the menopause, and treating the sweating without establishing why would be a mistake. The second is that effective treatment is available through the NHS, and paying privately for the first step of a pathway you could access anyway is not a good use of your money.
A cosmetic clinic that treats sweating without asking why you sweat has skipped the part that mattered.
The same order every time, with the decision made at assessment rather than at the point of sale.
A full assessment of the area, your medical history and a discussion of what excessive sweating can and cannot change for you. Where a prescription-only medicine is involved, this happens face to face with the prescriber before anything is dispensed.
Areas, sequence, product, quantity and cost set out in writing, with the risks that need a protocol named rather than glossed over. You take it away before you consent to it.
A first treatment is deliberately conservative, and you are told what to expect before you leave.
Written aftercare, the symptoms that mean you telephone rather than wait, and a route to reach a clinician out of hours.
The result is judged at review rather than on the day, once any swelling has settled, and adjustment happens there rather than being sold as a second course.
Where the finding will not respond to this treatment, that is said plainly and an alternative is discussed rather than a compromise.
Yes. Excessive sweating can be secondary to another condition or a medicine, and effective treatment is available on the NHS. Starting privately skips the assessment that matters.
It works better than most people find, because most people apply it wrongly. It goes on completely dry skin at night and is washed off in the morning.
Commonly four to six months and sometimes longer, generally longer than for cosmetic muscle treatment.
The underarm is generally well tolerated. Treating the palms is considerably more uncomfortable and needs nerve blocks.
Some people report compensatory sweating elsewhere. It is worth discussing before treatment.
Treatment for hyperhidrosis is available through the NHS, and the pathway begins with your GP. Availability of specific options varies locally.
No. Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition, and it should be assessed and treated as one.
Treatment
A prescription-only medicine. The difficult part is not the injection, it is the dose.
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The decision
Verify the individual rather than the brand. Check their clinical registration on the regulator's own register...
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The consultation
A full medical history, a discussion of what actually bothers you, an examination of your face at rest and in ...
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hello@aestheticlaunchlab.comPlease do not send clinical photographs or medical records by email. If something has gone wrong after a procedure, contact the practitioner who treated you, or NHS 111, rather than waiting for a reply here.