Botulinum toxin is also being used in a number of other areas to improve aesthetic problems. For example, a more open-eyed look can be achieved nonsurgically by using botulinum toxin to elevate the brow. The lower eyelids can also be softened with botulinum toxin injected under the lash margin. New techniques using botulinum toxin are also helping individuals who suffer from excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is a disorder of excessive sweating that involves the eccrine sweat glands and can cause considerable emotional and social stigma.
Botulinum toxin is injected into the underarm skin or the skin of the palms and soles of the feet.
There it paralyzes the sweat glands of the skin which are responsible for excessive perspiration. The injections can be performed in an office setting and are easily tolerated without anesthesia. It is believed that they can be repeated indefinitely once or twice a year to maintain dryness. This new technique utilizing botulinum toxin is now successfully being administered to control severe sweating. The American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations.