MiraDry is a medical device that uses microwaves technology to reduce the number of sweat glands under skin in order to address excessive perspiration also known as “hyperhidrosis”. Hyperhidrosis is a common problem which can result in excessive sweating especially in the underarm area. Excessive sweating is uncomfortable and may be cause embarrassment in people.
Did MiraDry work for me? The short answer is No!
A little background about me:
I had been suffering from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) since I was a teenager and those big under arm sweat marks always embarrassed me. Despite using antiperspirant deodorants multiple times a day, still the odor and sweat would bother me. I always tried different types of deodorants from normal to clinical strength but they all work pretty the same and they decrease the odor and sweat to some extent only.
About a year ago I started researching about more permanent ways of stopping or decreasing the sweat and it looks like that there are two different methods:
-Botox injection -MiraDry
Botox VS. MiraDry
How does Botox work?
Sweat glands are stimulated by a neurotransmitter. Botox decreases sweating by temporarily blocking or interrupting this neurotransmitter. The effect of Botox lasts only few month and it needs to be repeated. Apparently patients usually experience 50-80% reduction in sweat after Botox injection.
How does MiraDry work?
In this treatment, sweat glands are destroyed/deactivated using thermal energy. After placing the handheld device on underarm, the sweat glands get closer to the surface through suctioning. Simultaneously, the device will cool down the area in order to protect the skin. It is claimed that the result from this treatment is permanent and there would be about 80% sweat reduction and about 89% odor reduction on average (From MiraDry website).
I decided to get consultation from a doctor in order to find out which treatment is a better option for me.
As per my doctor’s suggestion, I would approximately need around 100 units of Botox on each side. This would cost around $2000. MiraDry costs about the same and my doctor told me there would be around 60-70% reduction in sweat and most likely I won’t need a second treatment.
Could I really afford paying this amount of money every few month to get Botox? Absolutely not! So I chose MiraDry and here’s my experience.
On the day of treatment:
Numbing:
My doctor applied some numbing cream on my armpits first and we waited for 20 minutes. Then he started injecting lidocaine in order to numb the whole armpit deeply. I thought it would be only a couple of injections but I got about 30 or more injections on each armpit! Were the injections painful? Not really. Just the familiar pinch and burn sensation and of course some areas of armpit are more sensitive but totally a bearable pain. After he finished the injections he marked the area with a temporary tattoo. We waited for about 20 minutes to make sure that the area is numb enough. But it turned out it wasn’t once he started the treatment!
Treatment/procedure:
Ouch!! A very sharp and radiating pain after the very first pulse. My Dr. injected more lidocaine and after that I either felt nothing or just a little stinging pain. I don’t know if that was due to his failure in injections or me being resistant to lidocaine! According to the videos that I’ve watched online, you shouldn’t feel any pain but since I had some numbing issues it hurt really bad at the beginning. During the treatment I wish I had only one armpit so didn’t have to go through the whole thing again for another armpit!
The reason that I’m telling the numbing story is because I want you to make sure that you’re numb enough so you don’t feel any pain at all!
The whole procedure took about 3 hours. The summary of the procedure is as follows:
Numbing ➙ Marking ➙ Suctioning ➙ sending thermal energy ➙ cooling down
After the procedure:
Right after the procedure my armpits were sore, swollen and bruised. I was given ice packs to put them on my armpits and I was told to take anti-inflammatory pills.
First, I wish I had company. I was in a lot of pain and had to drive home alone with those swollen and painful armpits! The procedure was done in the evening and I felt a shooting pain radiating from armpit to my forearms the whole night. Despite taking pain killers I barely could sleep that night. The morning after, the pain was almost gone but of course I had a LOT of swelling and bruises. I couldn’t even go to work and had to take that day off! I am not sure how they say people can go back to work or their daily activities right after the procedure! That wasn’t the case for me.
Today, it’s been exactly 7 month since I’ve had the procedure done. All the bruises were gone within the first few days but it stayed swollen for almost 10 days. Even after a month, I still could see a little bump on each side.
Did MiraDry work well? Did it stop my sweeting?
Not completely (Of course I didn’t expect that either!). For the first two month after the procedure I saw some reduction in both sweat and odor. I didn’t even apply any deodorant during the first two weeks after the treatment but now I use deodorant again.
I was expecting to see more reduction in sweat as months passed by but it didn’t happen and I feel like I’m sweating as before.
Will I do this treatment for the second time?
Nope!
Please remember, people’s experience vary. But in my opinion this treatment involves some pain and discomfort.
Tips:
1-Plan ahead. If you’re having the procedure in the morning, take the rest of the day off. If you’re having it at night, take the next day off and get some rest.
2-Ask your Dr. to make sure the armpits are totally numb. If you feel pain speak up!
3-Don’t go alone! It’s important to have someone by your side.
Below is my answer to some common questions:
◼Does MiraDry hurt? Yes
◼Are you happy with your MiraDry experience? No
◼Do you recommend MiraDry? No
◼Is MiraDry permanent? No
