MIRADRY TREATMENT OVERVIEW

Home

miraDry Clinic Reviews

Update: June 2023

Treating Palms, Feet and other Body Areas with miraDry

It seems like there are several doctors who are now treating other body areas besides the armpits with miraDry.

Dr Amit's Cosmebeaute site in the UK proclaims that he is a miraDry pioneer. He is the only physician in the UK to have treated multiple body areas encompassing palms, feet, groin, chest, back, abdomen, buttocks and underarms. I would not risk this on my thick skinned feet (where I still have significant sweating), but this development is great news. There are a number of Reddit threads about his "off-label" miraDry treatments.

Dr. Christoph Schick in Germany is another person doing the same. On his site, it says that "since 2015 we have developped and improved miraDry as a treatment for sweating of the trunk, groin, and buttocks."

In a recent NY Times article about excessive sweating, a number of reader comments have high praise for their miraDry armpit sweating reduction results.

Also of note, a number of doctors are treating groin sweating via using miraDry on an off-label basis. For example, see this video.

miraDry Treatment for Underarm Sweating

The miraDry nonsurgical noninvasive electromagnetic (microwave) radiation therapy to treat armpit sweating received US FDA clearance in 2011; EU CE Mark approval in 2013; and Chinese government approval in 2015. The treatment entails permanent destruction of sweat glands. The company that invented miraDry® is called Miramar Labs. In 2017, Miramar was acquired by Sientra.

Note that Sientra published a new miraDry Treatment protocol for dermatologists and physicians in 2018. Also see this interesting 2021 video from the International Hyperhidrosis Society titled: "Ask me Anything: MiraDry for Hyperhidrosis".

The miraDry device comes with a non-invasive handheld device that is used to deliver precisely controlled electromagnetic energy underneath the underarm to eliminate overactive sweat glands via thermolysis. The armpit skin is protected by a cooling mechanism.

Procedure Overview

Most people will need two treatments spread over three months, and will end up with around 80-90 percent less sweat at the end. According to Miramar Labs, the energy delivered to an average size underarm during treatment is around 4,000 joules. In comparison, 80,000 joules is required to boil eight ounces of room temperature water.

During the miraDry procedure, local anesthetic (usually lidocaine) is used to numb the armpits to prevent any significant pain. The number of injections will vary depending on size of area being treated, the person's sex and the person's weight. It seems like 20-30 injections per armpit is typical.

The handpiece from the miraDry system delivers precise controlled energy to the underarm region sweat glands. These sweat glands do not grow back once destroyed, resulting in a lasting permanent reduction in embarrassing underarm sweat. Note that for Botox treatment of hyperhidrosis, the sweat will return after a few months, so repeat treatments are required.

miraDry sweating treatment overview

Reviews, Experiences and Testimonials

The Miramar Labs youtube channel has a number of very useful videos showing miraDry treatment protocol in treating axillary sweating. Note that are numerous videos and photos on the internet showing miraDry reviews, and a majority seem to be positive. Some of the before and after photos showing sweat reduction are very striking.

I called one of the most popular health/medical spas in my city to inquire about their miraDry results and experiences. Besides their assurance of great results from treating 3-4 patients each week over the 2013-2014 two-year period, one unusual thing that I learnt was that 80 percent of their clientele was male. I was quite surprised, as I assumed it would be the reverse. One reason for this high male percentage, however, is that a lot of the people who reside in my city that are members of this spa are male due to a huge local male dominated IT industry. At the national level, the ratio might still be skewed towards females, although not by as much as I would have originally thought.

Advantages of the miraDry Procedure

Among the advantages and benefits of miraDry include:

miraDry logo

miraDry Side Effects

While there are around 20,000-30,000 sweat glands in an average armpit, this figure represents a negligible fraction of the 2-4 million sweat glands in the human body. Numbers do vary somewhat depending on race, sex and body size. However, overall, this seems to indicate that eliminating such a small portion of the body's total sweat glands should not affect the body's ability to control overheating or result in any significant compensatory sweating. Most people who get miraDry treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis do not seem to complain of overheating or any kind of increase in excessive sweating in other body regions.

The actual procedure will result in some temporary side effects in the armpit region such as redness, discomfort, soreness, irritation, swelling and sometimes even lumps. If done incorrectly, the treatment can lead to some of these side effects remaining there for more than a few weeks. The positive side effects are a huge reduction in armpit sweating, and a significant reduction in armpit hair and odor for most people.

Having said the above, do note that some people will get more drastic side effects, at least in the short term. A recent Reddit testimonial from a satisfied patient included some warnings that need to be heeded. Among the problems this patient faced include:

  1. Two weeks of swelling, with the first week the worst.
  2. New stretch marks on the side that ultimately disappeared.
  3. Armpit cording. It went away after six weeks.
  4. Temporary nerve damage and two months of numbness.

How Much Does miraDry Cost?

The average cost of a miraDry treatment session is $3,000. This treatment session consists of two 1-hour treatments spread across 3 months. Some clinics nowadays charge $2,000 up front for two sessions. Although many patients only need one session, a lot of clinics will still charge the full amount up front. They will leave no possibility of a refund in case you just end up needing or wanting one session. You should try to go to a clinic that charges you per session. In many developing countries, the cost of treatment is sometimes even less than $1,000.

MiraDry is unfortunately not covered by most health insurance plans, since armpit sweating or perspiration is considered to be a cosmetic problem. However, most clinics that offer this treatment will provide low-interest payment plan options if needed. Many employers also provide health savings accounts (HSA) or flexible spending accounts (FSA) to help you with medical expenses. You may be able to use those to pay for the miraDry procedure in some instances.

miraDry for Hands and Feet

Since around 2014, there have been many rumors that miraDry is being tested to treat hand and feet sweating. This was confirmed in 2016 by a poster on the hyperhidrosis forum on this site, and one guy even discussed his experience in being a test volunteer patient for miraDry hand sweating treatment trials. The hands and feet both have many times more sweat glands in comparison to the armpits, and treatment must also ensure that tendons and other important parts of hands and feet do not even get minimally damaged during the procedure. I look forward to hearing more about this new option to treat excessive hand and feet sweating in the next several years and will keep my fingers crossed for the best. If as effective as for excessive underarm sweating, miraDry will represent a revolution in hyperhidrosis treatment.

Important Related Links