Botox isn’t just a way to banish those wrinkles it has a myriad of other uses too. One such use is in helping certain types of female incontinence, and excessive sweating.

Botox to cure sweating
Botox can help stop embarrassing sweating. Some people find that the normal deodorants and anti-per spirants do little to stop their severe sweating and this is where Botox can help.

Usually, the armpits of the patient will be swapped with iodine and dusted with powder to identify the sweatiest bits of the armpit. Around 12 small injections are then applied to each armpit. The needle does not penetrate too deeply into the skin so although there may be some comfort, it should not be painful.

The Botox toxin works by blocking the messages from the nerves to the sweat glands, reducing the amount of sweat produced. Some sweating should continue as sweating is an essential way for the body to cool down, however the patient should find a marked improvement. There is also evidence that Botox injections reduce body odour produced, however there is little conclusive evidence as to why.

Botox can also be used on the palms of the hands and fingers to stop sweaty palms. Although it is possible to have Botox used on the feet, many surgeons may not offer this as immense care must be taken that the muscles in the feet are not affected by the Botox injections although sweat-free hands that have movement problems (thanks to the numbing effect of the Botox) will cause problems, having feet that are immobile would be even worse.

As with any Botox injections, the effects will wear out over time and will need ‘topping up’ every few months.

Botox to cure urge incontinence
Urge incontinence affects up to 1 in 3 women and can be a debilitating condition to suffer from. Sufferers report having to go to the toilet up to 30 times a day, even though little urine is actually passed. Urge incontinence is the sudden and uncontrollable need to urinate, caused by the bladder muscle becoming overactive and contracting.

Around four years ago, surgeons starting experimenting with using Botox Botox is injected into the bladder and the nerves around the bladder become numb, the same sort of thing that happens in Botox wrinkle injections. The bladder muscle stops contracting so much and therefore stops the urges. Surgeons need to be careful to desensitise the bladder just enough to ensure that you know when you need to toilet, but you don’t have to go so often.

As with Botox wrinkle injections, Botox injections to the bladder do wear off over time and will need to be ‘topped up’ every few months.

The procedure is done under local anaesthetic and there is normally no need for an overnight stay in hospital. The urethra is anaesthetised and a small telescope is inserted into the bladder. A needle is then passed up this telescopic tube and the Botox is injected into several random sites within the bladder.

After surgery, you will probably be kept in for an hour or so to ensure there are no allergic reactions to the Botox (such as anaphylactic shock) and to ensure that urine can be passed easily.