I follow RealSelf.com on Twitter, and they posted a video that shows Botox being administered to a patient’s hand for Palmar Hyperhidrosis.  Botox has become a relatively popular treatment for Axillary, or Underarm, Hyperhidrosis, especially since Hyperhidrosis became classified earlier this year as a skin disease, making this expensive treatment eligible for coverage by many health insurance policies.

Generally speaking, Botox is an acknowledged treatment for Palmar/Plantar Hyperhidrosis but not as many dermatologists administer the drug for those areas.  This is due to mainly two reasons:

1. The parent company of Botox, Allergan, does not officially state on its website that Botox is meant to treat these areas.  The website officially acknowledges Botox as a treatment for Axillary Hyperhidrosis and makes no mention of Botox being administered for any other type of Hyperhidrosis.
2. Botox injections administered in the hands and feet are significantly more painful, and many patients shy away from this treatment.  Therefore, the demand for it is lower, which reduces the number of doctors who are experienced in doing it or who are even willing to do it.

Here is the video, which does show the treatment being administered (it’s not so bad, and I am squeamish! ):

After watching this video, the thought of having Botox done in the hands is not as…. unthinkable, even for little ol’ Needle-Phobic me! After all, four minutes of discomfort for six months of relief is not such a bad deal. This doctor practices in the San Francisco area; here is the link to the RealSelf page:   http://www.realself.com/question/stop-sweaty-palms-botox