Tired of Underarm Sweat? miraDry Might be Right for You

Cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015, miraDry is a product used to treat hyperhidrosis—a condition marked by excessive underarm sweating. For many people, miraDry can provide a much more effective, non-invasive treatment than any other options currently available for people with excessive sweatiness, and with long-lasting results.

Treatment Steps and How It Works

miraDry is a system using microwave energy that targets and destroys sweat and odor glands in the underarm. This destruction is permanent, and these glands do not grow back once they’re destroyed. The treatment process looks like this:

1. The customized treatment area will be marked.
2. The underarms will be numbed in preparation for treatment.
3. The clinician will place the miraDry handpiece directly onto your skin, lining up with the markings that were applied to your underarm.
4. The handpiece will be activated. You’ll feel a moderate suction as your skin and glands are brought closer to the surface to yield maximum results.
5. miraWave energy is delivered, destroying sweat and odor glands. As this is happening, soothing cooling is applied to protect the skin.

Expected Results and Benefits

You can expect an 82 percent decrease in sweat and odor after just two treatments of miraDry, and results are generally noticeable immediately. Results are meant to be permanent—sweat and odor glands are destroyed and will not regenerate in the future. Specific tangential benefits include:

Confidence in several areas like visual appearance and lack of body odor—hyperhidrosis can lead to stress and embarrassment for many people
Knowledge that clothing is clean and free of sweat stains or antiperspirant marks
Ability to expand your wardrobe and wear clothes you may not have previously been comfortable in
Fewer ruined clothes due to sweat and odor
Knowledge that odors won’t be offending others in public spaces

Success Rates

miraDry has been widely tested in a research setting, with positive results. A few highlighted statistics from these tests include:

A 2013 study in the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy showed miraDry to be effective in treating both axillary (underarm) hyperhidrosis and axillary osmidrosis (foul-smelling sweat). Per the study, 83.3 percent of underarms treated experienced a 2-point improvement in the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale, while 93.8 percent of osmidrosis subjects showed good to excellent results.
A 2012 study from the University of British Columbia showed that miraDry was successful in removing underarm sweat in over 90 percent of patients, and average sweat reduction was 82 percent.
Per the same study, satisfaction rates with the treatment are also 90 percent.
Per an article by Carolyn Jacob, M.D. in the March 2013 edition of peer-reviewed Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, miraDry microwave technology “has been shown to be safe and effective in >5,000 procedures to date.”

If you deal with excessive underarm sweat or foul odor and think miraDry might be right for you, consult your doctor or plastic and reconstructive surgeon to learn more.